THE NEW KAMAMESHI RISING FROM THE OLD
by Louie P. Oviedo

It was during the early 1990s when my aunt introduced me to Japanese food. I was a young high school freshman back then who was smug enough to say, "no food is as good as my mother's cooking." But, as soon as I had a taste of tempura and sashimi down at Kamameshi House in Broadway Centrum, I soon realized that there are other kinds of cuisine aside from my mother's that are worth tasting.

Unfortunately, I never had the chance to go back to the place. It was only recently that I chanced upon it and discovered that it is now called The New Kamameshi House.

Why the change? According to Bheeng Linaja, Operations Manager for Restaurant and Catering Division, in 1998, the "old" Kamameshi had problems with its labor union. Unable to resolve their issues with the union, they decided to close down the place. Eight months after closing down, they rearranged the organizational structure and decided to have franchises of the restaurant. Thus, The New Kamameshi House emerged. It was at their main office down at Zobel Roxas in Makati City that I was invited for lunch by Bheeng.

We started the meal with Kyurikani, a Japanese salad made of shredded cucumber with Japanese mayonnaise in a bowl lined with lettuce. And to my surprise, Bheeng revealed that the little orange beads mixed with the salad were actually shrimp eggs. Now, this is one exotic salad you should not miss!

For the main course, we had Kani Kamameshi (crab rice) with loads of crabmeat mixed with rice. The rice is a meal all by itself.

There was Yakitori (chicken barbeque), bits of boneless chicken on sticks. While it was filling, it lacked that barbecue taste which I go for---sweet, smoky and a little spicy. Either that or Yakitori just does not go well with the Kani Kamameshi.

Their tempura was still the same old recipe I loved when I was in high school---not much on the bread crumbs and flour and yet quite crispy. You can taste the shrimp with every bite even after dipping it in the flavorful sauce.

One drawback is that the place has no backdoor and these pose problems when deliveries run late and arrive with the lunch crowd. But then again, you certainly will get to know just how fresh the shrimps are as these-frozen and packed--pass you by as you dine.

Finally, for desert, try their Coffee Jell-O with Bailey's Irish Cream slipped into the concoction giving it a surprising twist.

The iced tea is also an interesting brew, with the ice crushed and everything probably run through a blender to get it all foamy. A word of advice though: one glass is certainly not enough and you can find yourself addicted to the stuff. However, if you're more traditional and want your tea served hot, try their Japanese herbal tea which, according to Bheeng, are made with real herbal tea leaves.

The restaurant is ideal for dates and business meetings since it so arranged to allow more privacy. The drawback with that, however, is that you might find it difficult to catch the waiters' attention. Anecdote: The dilis I was having as an appetizer caused me to cough uncontrollably but no one rushed to give me a glass of water considering that I was already dining with one of their managers and that our table was situated near the waiters' desk.

As for the iced tea, well, it came in when just as the main course was served. As for the herbal tea, you have to ask the waiter for refills since they do not automatically do so as soon as your cup is empty.

This is one of those restaurants that you wish the service could be as good as the food.