Tsuru Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar, Davao

I've been on a roll with beauty posts lately, it feels like forever since I made a restaurant review. So here's a new one for the few foodies who still visit my blog.
It's no secret that I'm a sucker for Japanese cuisine. I don't know if it's the food itself or because I'm a big fan of anime. Either way, I was excited to try Tsuru Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar. It is located in front of People's Park so it's easy to spot.

Established in 1990, Tsuru is said to be the first and longest running authentic Japanese restaurant in Davao City. 
The place was cozy and not crammed. 
When we got there though, we were the only group who were Filipinos, the rest were foreigners. That got us nervous as the prices must be expensive. It wasn't until the menu arrived that we were able to breathe normally again.


free appetizer. The pickled radish here tasted really good.
Spicy Tuna SaladThis is similar to Spicy Tuna Sashimi Tartare from teriyaki boy. Although there's only a small difference in taste, I like Tsuru's version more. There's more tuna than breadcrumbs and there's less "umay".
sushi/ maki plate. I'm disappointed that the maki in the menu has tuna while the one we got only had cucumber. 
Mixed vegetables. This actually tastes good. But I don't see what so "Japanese" about it.
OkonomiyakiYou can think of it as flattened takoyaki. I like takoyaki. But I can't seem to love this. One bite and I knew it's too rich for me.  
Tsuru steak.This is the biggest disappointment of all. This plate (plus a cup of rice) already costs P450 because it's supposed to be cooked using their special sauce. While the meat of the beef is the type of medium-rare that I like, the sauce in unspectacular. It's a flavor that I'm sure I've tasted from a local karenderya.  
Tsuru gets more positive feedback and is more popular for their Grand Japanese Buffet every 15th and 30th of the month.You can know more about that here.
What about you? What's your favorite Japanese restaurant and your favorite Japanese food?
But as for their food on a regular day, I'm not so impressed.
Thanks for reading!
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