Our Mecha Uma Tasting Experience

July 30, 2018 — We celebrated my 27th birthday!

 

MECHA UMA

G/F RCBC Savings Bank Corporate Center,
25th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenue
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Philippines
(beside Starbucks Coffee)
Telephone: +632 964 9605
Mobile: +63 917 855 7230

Open for dinner, 6pm-11pm, Mon-Sat

For inquiries and reservations, call their numbers from 11am-8pm, Mon-Sat

*Nearest parking available is at The Fort Strip (West Entrance, 7th Ave)

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Chef Bruce Ricketts is an genius. His passion for food and authentic gastronomic experience really manifests in his creations. If you’ve tried La Chinesca (another one of his masterpiece) and loved every bit of it, you’ll also like it here. This is a huge leap for my fiancé and I — taking our palates two notches higher by finally trying (and splurging) this famous tasting menu.

Why the name Mecha Uma? They say it is a Japanese expression for absurdly, and unreasonably delicious. And it’s true! Since the tasting menu is served omakase style, it is entirely up to the chef to craft the menu based on the freshest ingredients from Japan, combined with local organic produce such as freshwater eel (unagi).

Mecha Uma has two seatings available for dinner, 6pm and 8pm. Thankfully, the place was not packed when we arrived thirty minutes past six. We were a bit late due to work, but they accommodated us nonetheless – plus, it was a Monday.

Upon entering the place I easily noticed the wooden ceiling decors that looked like stacked chairs plus the gray cement floors for an added industrial feel. We sat at the front row seats (aka the bar counter) to witness Chef Bruce and the rest of the kitchen crew in action, got the tasting menu and ordered a few drinks. I also loved the perfect lighting at the bar and the awesome food presentation, which made it so much easier to take photos.

 

This is it! Let’s see if this is worth the hype.

Tasting Menu

1. Starter- Coconut tuile (biscuit), tuna with roasted pineapples and foie gras mousse, and pink peppercorns
2. A sashimi of shima aji (striped mackerel)
3. Miso butter-soaked potato bread toast with grilled Hiroshima oyster on top paired with pickled eggplant and shiso
4. Hamo (pike eel) with fresh Japanese plums, fermented plums, and a sauce of sesame
5. Risotto with mexican avocados, ikura, and toasted crab with parmigiano
6. Grilled unagi with green bean salad in a dressing made from Greek yogurt and a sauce made from the unagi bones (Trivia: They raise freshwater eels in their kitchen to ensure freshness and a localized taste)
7. Custard style tamagoyaki
8. Pig’s face terrine with sze chuan sesame sauce
9. Matsusaka wagyu with charred eggplant puree and maitake mushrooms
10. Smoked & seared duck breast with maitake, carrots, squash puree, corn & miso dumplings, pistachio dukkah and a sauce made from Chinese red wine
11. Guyabano sorbet with a curd made from mangoes and yuzu, squash cake, honeycomb, and pumpkin seeds powder

My favourites were one, three, six, and nine. It looks simple and easy to prepare but TBH each ingredient is carefully handpicked to complement all the flavors. Dish six particularly stood out because I was amazed to find out that they raise the eels in-house. The mild flavor and firm texture made its freshness evident. Plus, it’s different from the typical Japanese unagi glazed with teriyaki sauce served in restaurants — this has more of a Filipino fusion.     I know everything looks delicious, but try not to consume everything too quickly! Take you time– Savor and appreciate the experience and the food texture. 

Pig’s Face

This is off menu but someone recommended it to my fiancé, so we asked the chef for us to try (thanks, Bruce!). I must say, it was quite exotic in terms of mouthfeel. Since it is a terrine (a French cuisine), it was served cold and was complemented by the tasty sze chuan sauce. Not sure if it’s actually from a pig’s face but we loved how the temperature and spices blended well with the pork. Definitely a must try!

Drinks

I only had two drinks in Mecha Uma and already felt tipsy :)) But they were so gewddd I enjoyed my food and my date even more! :p

• Maiko – martini with a mix of watermelon vermouth, elderflower, shiso
• Musahi – Suntory whiskey, ginger, honey, yuzu, whisked up matcha

Expense

• Php 3,950++ / head
• Php 1,650 addition for Matsusaka Beef

Total for 2 pax with drinks: Php 12,178

Verdict

Expensive restaurant but worth trying especially if you’re celebrating a special occasion with loved ones! It was my first degustation experience (thanks to my fiancé) and I really enjoyed it! Observing the chef finely master his craft, preparing the ingredients at the bar, listening to the servers describe the food in a very detailed manner, and of course eating the food — a very memorable experience! I would give 4 stars to Mecha Uma because I absolutely loved the relaxed ambiance of the place and adored the food presentation, but the price is not very friendly, especially for non-expats. Other than that, I hope Chef Bruce expands his creations to more cuisines.