Yatai Asian Paluto Restaurant in Seascape Village
Four months ago, Seascape Village launched it's own seafood market that aspires to compete with the original Dampa found along Macapagal Boulevard. Incidentally, we were able to drop by the vicinity once again after our 1-day vacation in Jamaica Peak View in Laguna (read more).
In this blog post, I'll be sharing about our experience buying in the seafood wet market, and having them cooked in Yatai Asian Cuisine Restaurant.
It took us a while to settle down where to dine here in Seascape Village. We were really in a mood for some hotpot during that time, but the only restaurant offering it is not light on the pocket. Hence, we ended up here in Yatai Asian Cuisine. To compensate the cravings for hot pot, we all agreed to have soup. The staff advised us that we should be the one to buy the ingredients in the seafood market.
Comparing Dampa and Seascape Village
The seafood market here in Seascape Village is definitely more "organized" and neat compared to Dampa, but both features the aggressiveness of the vendors in offering their (hopefully) fresh catch. Similarly, there's no standard price for the seafood, so haggling skills are definitely needed, and you someone who is knowledgeable about market prices.
Apparently, both of us were not, so we didn't have any idea if they were giving us fair prices.
We needed two things for our lunch: (1) clams and (2) squid. Since we were unsure of how things work (more particularly how to settle on a price), we asked several vendors and tried our best in haggling.
After about 15 minutes, we decided to just give in. After all, we really didn't have anything to benchmark on.
A trip to the market was exhausting, especially if you don't have any clue. Still, it was a great experience. It's a good thing that after we returned back to the restaurant, the spicy tuna roll was already served.
The rolls were okay, maybe 'good'. But it was just as good as it looked. Freshness was not top-notch, and it lacked the right texture (perhaps due to the soggy tempura flakes). Still, it was able to satisfy.
If the rolls was 'okay', the steamed broccoli was amazing. It wasn't overwhelmed with much spices which gave a lot of focus on the freshness of the vegetable.
The Salmon Sashimi (P600) was relatively fresher compared with the rolls, and this one had a more perked up appearance which affected our perception of the dish. It also comes with about 11 slices, so it somehow justifies the price.
When the salt and pepper squid was served, we all had the same hesitant look. "Wait, this doesn't seem like our regular salt and pepper squid". All of us had a different image in mind -- that is, squid dipped in batter then fried.
But when I tasted it, I was completely mesmerized by the flavors. I loved the mix of garlic and chili that made the freshness of squid float (thanks to our great wet-market-buying skills). It was an underdog champ!
Keeping up with the hype caused by the salt and pepper squid, this sweet and sour pork got us all hooked as well. It captured the traditional Chinese-style goodness we were all craving for. The crisp texture further enhances the experience that really made this dish exquisite!
There you go! Thank you very much for reading this blog post. Please share your thoughts by dropping some comments below, or interact through the Reaction Buttons in the comments section.
Yatai - Overall Ratings and Summary
Note: Unshaded stars are equivalents of half-stars. The ratings reflect my personal experiences on the times I dine here.
Place ★★★☆
Taste ★★★☆
Service ★★★☆
Value for Money ★★★☆
Budget: at least P400 each for a sharing type of dining experience for a group of at least 4
No. of visits for this particular restaurant/branch - 1 || Date of last visit - August 12, 2018
Yatai delivered above satisfactory with the dishes served and the paluto we had. The last two dishes we had just made our experience stand out. Thus, I highly recommend the Sweet and Sour Pork and Salt and Pepper Squid.
The market here in Seascape Village may have been moving slowly as initially imagined, but there is definitely potential here to be the next big hit.
Yatai
Location: Atang Dela Rama, Pasay, Metro Manila (near CCP Complex and Sofitel)
