KAI has been on the Philippine Tatler BEST Restaurants list from the year they opened, and it’s no surprise why.

My dining experience there was an absolute treat. Here’s what I thought about the place and the food I had.

Setting. Modern, minimalist lines adorn the dim and swanky place, making it quite an ideal place to enjoy conversations over dinner. Compared to its more established and relatively more popular neighbor Sugi, KAI is obviously the hipper younger sibling — like contemporary Japan.

Now for the food.

For starters, I ordered the Spider Roll (soft shell crab roll).

Heavenly! You could eat it as it is, even without the Jap mayo and soy + wasabi. The flavors of the various items in the stuffing complement each other very well — the pickled ginger, leeks, and the crisply chewy crab (I wonder if I missed out on anything here?).

The nori wrapper was hard to cut off by chopsticks nor by chewing, so I made a little mess eating my first few rolls. As a result, I just plopped the whole thing in my mouth . Yummy!

Continuing my quest, I ordered the Grape Shake for my drink. It was tarter than the average ones I’ve tried, and true enough, it had lime on it. I liked its not-so-sweetness, but I’m still not super satisfied (I obviously have very high standards for what I’m looking for here hehe)

This wasn’t part of my meal, but I liked to snap a pic of it . It was a mini-plant that served as the centerpiece on all the tables.

For my main course, I ordered the U.S. Black Angus Rib Eye Steak with Coconut Wasabi Sauce and Potato Croquette. I liked that the serving was just enough for me — not too much and not too little.

The beef was tender and succulent, cooked just the way I like it (medium). The potato croquette was delicious too — soft and silky.

For dessert, I had the Tofu Cheesecake (Silken Bean Curd Cheesecake), which was highly recommended by the server. I’m not a big fan of cheesecakes (nor of cheese, in general), but this cheesecake was good. It had a velvety texture, and its creamy-sweet flavor was not too strong. A good choice to cap a very nice meal.

The service was great. Sen. Loren Legarda was just across the table from where we sat that night, but I didn’t feel like a lesser customer at all. The wait staff was very amiable, had really good knowledge of the menu items, and were very attentive. I did not have to call their attention for anything I needed — plate change, glass of water, dessert menu, doggy bag for leftovers — they did everything unobtrusively and at the right time.

Price is in the medium range, but definitely well worth the great food, ambiance, and service you get for your peso.

My overall verdict: KAI is a really good establishment. I loved everything I had for dinner (in fact, I’m salivating this very moment as I finish up this review entry!), and the menu items succeed at combining Japanese authenticity with modern, innovative twists. This, plus service that’s at par with good restos on a higher price range and warm, inviting interiors — it is no wonder why KAI would easily qualify on a foodie’s favorite restos list.

KAI Neo Japanese Restaurant G/F Greenbelt 2 Ayala Center Makati, Metro Manila Phone Number: (63 2) 757-5209, (63 2) 757-5210 For more pics, check out KAI’s Facebook group profile here.

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