Bono Tei: Enjoy a Taste of Japan in BF Homes, Parañaque

Bono Tei: Japanese Restaurant in BF Homes

This is the 1st stop out of 3 restaurants/food places we visited for our first ever food trip in BF Homes.

Since we are on our summer term, we have a lot of free time to spare. To avoid getting excessively bored, we decided to plan for a food trip which luckily pushed through last May 8, 2013.

The initial plan was to hop 3 restaurants excluding Larcy's in the count. However, we felt full immediately after the 2nd restaurant, so we decided to end the food trip in Larcy's Cupcackery. Anyway, for this food trip, we had a budget challenge of P500, and we started the food trip with Bono Tei, a famous Japanese Restaurant in BF Homes aside from Bento Ya.

The Place 

Although not 100% Japanese in style, Bono Tei still exudes an ambiance that makes you feel like you're in Japan with a little help of creative imagination, of course. If you're dining during lunch time, it is definitely advisable to eat indoors (not unless, you don't fear being harmed by the UV of the sun). On the other hand, if you'll be having dinner in Bono Tei, you may try it outdoors - such a wonderful and breathtaking view!

Enjoy the outdoors in Bono Tei, but of course you may prefer dining indoors. 

More photos of the place (just click on the thumbnails to enlarge): 

  

Focusing on the interior, Bono Tei makes an effort to make everything look Japanese evident upon the furniture, displays, designs and other interior specifics. It is also comfy and cozy to chill inside the restaurant because of the serene ambiance. 

The Food 

Since we came in as a big group consisting of 9 people, some of us decided to have a sub-group with the purpose of sharing. I also advise you to do the same, so that you and your friends will be able to try out as many varieties as possible. My sub-group ordered Ramen Gyoza Chahan Set and Sushi Set! 

Ramen Gyoza Chahan Set at P250+4.464%SC:

Ramen Gyoza Chahan Set of Bono Tei

Inclusive of the ramen, heart-shaped egg, Japanese fried rice, 3 pieces of gyoza and 1 piece fried pork on a stick, this Ramen Set made us happy-as-a-bee. Possessing the seemingly authentic Japanese hand-pulled noodles, the ramen was remarkably fresh and delicious! It was perfect enough to warm our hearts out. Another noteworthy component of the set was the Japanese Fried Rice because of its potent flavor, not to mention how good the quality of the rice was. The only downer in the set was the gyoza! It tasted below par and the texture was rather weird. All of us in the sub-group agreed with that.


Sushi Set at P350+4.464%SC:

Bano Tei: Sushi Set

This Sushi Set was enough to satisfy our cravings for, well, sushi! As mentioned, the rice was great (which was evidently Japanese, or if not, a high-quality rice) and the ingredients were fresh! My only negative note on this is the price, although the set includes the sushi, miso soup, Japanese fried rice and 1 piece fried pork on a stick.

Note: I actually do not know how they call the fried pork [and onion] on a stick, so I just call it like that. Anyway, I also love how it tasted because the crispiness and the play of flavors were memorable enough for me to crave for it!

The next dishes that I'll feature are those that my other food trip buddies ordered. Unfortunately, since I do not belong to their sub-groups, I wasn't able to taste them. Thus, what I did was to get their opinion regarding those dishes.

Tonkatsu Set at P250:

Inclusive of the following: Miso Soup, Japanese Fried Rice, Pork Tonkatsu, Heart-Shaped Egg and 1 piece fried pork on a stick

Katsu Set of Bono Tei

According to Pam Chua, the tonkatsu wasn't at its best. In fact, she prefer the katsus in Taft more than this one from Bono Tei.
Related Post: Katsu Places in Taft Avenue near DLSU

Spicy Tuna Salad at P180

Spicy Tuna Salad of Bono Tei

Yakitori Fest: Tori "Chicken" Yakitori at P70 (per 2 pieces) and Buta Hegima "Pork and Onion Leeks" Yakitori at P60 (per 2 pieces)

Yakitori Fest at Bono Tei: Chicken and Pork Yakitori!

Common comments on this dishes were: "Grilled at its best!", "Very likable!" and "Flavorful!"

Sashimi Set at P300:

Inclusive of the following: 3 varieties of sashimi, white rice, miso soup and fried pork on a stick.

Sashimi Set of Bono Tei

I asked TJ Palanca and Pam Chua what they can say about the set, and they said that they both really loved how fresh the sashimis were. In fact, for our entire food trip, they chose this set as the most remarkable one! JD Castillo noted, however, that the sashimis in Bento Ya are cheaper with more generous servings

Well, there you have - Bono Tei in BF Homes! Our next stop was the Gourmet Palate's which is famous for its Charbroiled Burgers. 

Here's a snapshot of the group - all happy and delighted by the "starters" we had! 

Food Trip Buddies: Block 12!
From left to right: Myles, JD, Marnie, Sep, Mika, Keshia, Troy, Pam and Renz (me)

Bye bye Bono Tei! See you next time!

Entrance/Exit of Bono Tei in BF Homes

Here are some of the snapshots of the menu:

    

Note: I suggest taking the sets for your food trip because you will be able to try more varieties for your allocated budget. 

RECOMMENDATIONS

I personally recommend the following sets or orders:

• Ramen Gyoza Chahan (except for the Gyozas, so if you can order it à la carte at a reasonable rate, order that instead) 
• Sashimi Set (considerably affordable that provides good value for money, plus the sashimi is fresh and great-tasting!)
• À la carte of Buta Hegima (unless you are contented with the single piece of  fried pork on a stick inclusive in some of the sets, but it's actually different with the buta hegima)

RATING OVERVIEW

Place:  ★★★★☆
Taste: ★★★
Service: ★★★★
Price:  ★★★☆ (If you purchase the Lunch Set, and half star less if ala carte)

Note about the rating: These scores are based on this experience alone as well as the food that I had during this time. 

Bono Tei Japanese Restaurant

333 El Grande St cor Jakarta

B.F. Homes, Parañaque

Contact No.: (02) 825-6330

Service Charge: 5% before VAT or 4.464% of the price

Store Hours:  11:00am to 2:30pm for Lunch (Monday to Thursday)

                        5:00pm to 11:00pm for Dinner (Monday to Thursday)

                        11:00am to 12:00mn - still subject to the management's judgement (Friday to Sunday)