Century Tsukiji Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Manila

Century Tsukiji is clearly a product of its era; same as the hotel, an era that has long passed its prime.

Entering the restaurant, you get the feeling of being instantly transported to the 80’s to 90’s. Every single thing seems dated.

After we are seated to our VIP room, which was the farthest in the buffet, we are then greeted by their main sections. First section was the sushi and sashimi bar, next to it is the make your own ramen and desert bar, then moving on was the yakimono section then followed by the main entree section, then, the grilling section and lastly the tempura section followed by the soup section.

For the sushi and sashimi bar, the servers were very busy noisily chatting between each other and it ruined the vibe. I felt like I was dining in a low class carinderia. As for the food in this section, the only good thing I can mention about it is that they are generous with the portioning of the sashimi, and the serving plate is always brimming with sashimi. A rarity nowadays. The overall quality is your typical Vikings-esqe level. Nothing much to rave about. Pretty mid.

I did not try the ramen bar but my wife said it was so-so to good for a buffet.

The knockout and the best part of this buffet was the yakimono section. They all looked appetizing, tasted way better than what they even look like, and was overall great. They are freshly grilled and really the standout in the entire lineup.

Sadly, the good ends there. The main entrees were just typical. The agemono section was mid to above average but clearly is a fail at this pricepoint. For ₱1699/pax, I have higher expectations.

As for the grilled meats, the steak still had a pungent taste, but the grilled salmon was not bad.

The grilled scallops were so bad. They were very cold and was too fishy tasting. Do not eat this.

The soups were average, and the miso lacks abit of umami.

Service was below average, and they forgot to serve us what we ask for about 1/4 the time. I had to go get my own pitcher of water myself because of the lack of decent service.

Overall, for ₱1699, this place won’t cut it. Definitely not worth the price. I’d gladly pay ₱899 for something like this instead, but it is what it is. Avoid if you aren’t staying at the hotel. Your money is better spent...

This all-Japanese buffet is good enough. The selections are not that plenty, but considering its price point @ 1,399 / pax for lunch on a Sunday, you do get your money’s worth.

The beef teppanyaki was not melt-in-your-mouth, but not chewy either. It’s just ok. The flavor though was a bit strong, so you might want to ask the staff to put less sauce.

The selection of sashimi was good enough, but the salmon and tuna were not really premium. Just decent.

The maki choices have more variety. Again, not the best-in-class, but decent enough to satisfy your cravings.

The scallops were ok, but if you want more scallop and less flavoring, you might want to ask the staff to put less sauce when they cook it for you, just like the beef teppanyaki.

The miso soup was also ok, but I like the fact that you create your own by choosing your ingredients before you fill your bowl with the miso soup.

The tempura were also good, and the shrimps in particular were of decent size.

The oysters were the only ones that really disappointed. Too small to be enjoyed well, and the sauce kinda diminished the true taste of the oysters.

The yakitori, on the other hand, was the highlight of this buffet, in my opinion, with the bacon & asparagus combi as the best among the choices. The shrimps on a stick were good too.

The desserts were ok too, including the crepe (with mango, pineapple or strawberry as your choices for filling), which you can also customize with various toppings (chocolate/ vanilla/ strawberry ice cream, chocolate bits, marshmallows, etc). The rest of the desserts, like the cheesecake, were enjoyable too.

All in all, the food choices, though not plenty, made the buffet price more than worth it. My family’s consensus is that this buffet is worth another visit the next time we get a craving for decent Japanese food without breaking the bank.

Oh, and the staff were friendly and accommodating, except for the guy manning the teppanyaki station and the lady manning the ‘create-your-own-ramen and crepe station atvthe time of our visit—who, though not exactly rude or unfriendly, seemed like they didn’t like working there (just my IMPRESSION, and I could be wrong). But overall, the staff...

I’ve been here for a total of 3 times only, my latest one was just recently when we had dinner a day before valentines day and on a weekday.

My first visit was on a weekend, so they offered more seafood (we had uni, scallops and oyster but these are not available on weekdays). It was really a pleasant experience. The seafood was really good! The beef was also very tender and tasty.

My second visit was good as expected on a weekday. It’s like I found my go-to japanese buffet. I enjoyed it.

However this time the third one, when we tried the beef, the first serving was a little overcooked and very chewy and gummy. Next serving we got the beef is okay. So there is inconsistency maybe with the quality of beef? Hope you can improve this regardless of the day/time of visit.

Overall, still a nice place to have authentic japanese food. The crepe dessert is also what I crave after a tasty meal. I will definitly be back again but maybe...