Authentic Japanese meals at Motto Motto PH

Aren’t we lucky that there’s so many Japanese restaurants we can go to now when we’re craving for authentic sushi & sashimi, noodles and rice meals? Motto Motto PH is one of them. Motto Motto PH is a Japanese restaurant located in Serendra, BGC (Taguig City). The phrase “motto motto” means “more more”, referring to its extensive menu which is suited to both Filipinos and Japanese expats.

Recently, I’d been invited along with my SSPH family to taste Motto Motto PH’s new offerings, particularly the lunch sets. Here’s my review of Motto Motto PH restaurant in Serendra, BGC!

Location and ambiance

Motto Motto PH is located in Serendra, along with other food and commercial establishments. As such, it’s easily accessible not just to working professionals in BGC but also casual goers.

The interior of Motto Motto PH is bright, with hanging sakura flowers, bright-red chairs and white-lit lamps. The decor is “kawaii” (Japanese culture of cuteness), so you can see displays of Pikachu and other characters inside. The effect isn’t immature, but fun and colorful.

Motto Motto PH also has a small in-house bakery where you can buy various sorts of Japanese pastries and snacks. Tip: pastries are 30% off at 7PM onwards!

Food

One of the first things I noticed is that Motto Motto PH has an extensive menu: it has breakfast and brunch sets, sushi and sashimi, salad, tempura, meat and fish, shabu-shabu, soba and noodles and rice meals. It actually took me several minutes to browse the regular menu alone. If you’re going to dine here, I suggest checking the online menu ahead so you won’t feel overwhelmed!

Japanese lunch sets

Motto Motto PH has started offering Japanese lunch sets, which comes with a rice dish, miso soup, cabbage salad and iced tea. The lunch sets are available everyday from 11AM to 2:30PM and price starts at P195.

Mapo Tofu With Pork (P265) is easily one of my favorites. I love the soft tofu with the spicy, flavorful sauce which goes well with every scoop of rice. (Also, I’m happy to have finally tasted a dish I’d only seen in a cooking anime before.)

The Nasu Miso Pork (P225) has miso-glazed eggplant with pork in a sweet sauce.

Next is Chasu Pork on Chasu Fried Rice (P250). Chasu is basically barbecued pork, often served in thin slices. Everyone in our group loved this dish.

The Spicy Dynamite Chicken Karaage (P250) is perfect for those who want moderately spicy chicken toppings.

Lastly there’s the Seafood Tempura Don (P325), which comes with generous servings of shrimps and vegetables in tempura batter, coated with chili powder.

Other food

Aside from the lunch sets, we also ordered other items in the menu.

We had a plate of nigiri omakase (P350), which includes 6 types of nigiri sushi: Salmon, Bluefin Tuna, Squid, White Meat fish, White Shrimp poached in prawn broth and Egg. While it’s not the best sushi I’ve tried (I used to frequent a sushi restaurant in KL that serves fresh, lip-smacking sushi which up to now remains unbeatable in my book), it’s still good and in fact it fares better than those in other Japanese restaurants.

We also had Okinawa taco rice (solo P175, sharing P295), which is essentially taco beef rice with cabbage, tomato salsa and mayo. It’s a bit unorthodox, but it tastes really good.

The shake yukhoe don (P320) contains salmon, egg and nori strips. You have to mix it well to spread out the flavor. I love this dish especially the mild flavor of the salmon slices. It reminded me of the poke bowl I tried in Bali.

The tempura soba (P385) is for those who like a full noodle set. You need to soak the noodles in the dip to give it flavor. I’m not really a fan of dry noodles, so this wasn’t up my alley.

Dessert

For dessert, we had souffle pancakes — Japanese pancakes which are light, jiggly, fluffy and too delightful to simply eat once served. We need to take pictures first!

The strawberries and cream souffle (P295) has strawberry compote and creme anglaise, topped with almonds. If you’re a strawberry lover, you’ll like the sweet-tangy sauce on this one.

The bananas and chocolate souffle (P295) has caramelized bananas and chocolate syrup. Chocolate and bananas are a classic combination, so this is a safe pancake to order.

Lastly, there’s the orange creme brulee (P295). One of the staff went to our table and torched the top of the pancakes. It was really fun to watch. The caramelized bit is the best part of this pancake. It’s also my favorite among the souffles in Motto Motto PH.

Drinks

For the drinks, I ordered one of their bestsellers — the Strawberry Guava Yakult (P150). This drink looks and tastes yummy. Funnily, you can really get a taste of yakult in the mix.

I also tasted their Matcha Latte Shake (P175), but this one is too creamy for me. The matcha flavor is almost non-existent.

My thoughts

I definitely recommend Motto Motto PH for those who are lucking for authentic Japanese food in a trendy setting. Taste-wise, the rice meals alone are better than I expected. Off the top of my head, my favorites are the mapo tofu with pork (included in the lunch set), Okinawa taco rice and shake yukhoe don. I also enjoyed the souffle pancakes for dessert, particularly the to orange creme brulee.

The location and food presentation, which is playful, fun and modern, is also a huge factor in making the eating experience here enjoyable. It’s no wonder it’s one of the top-rated restaurants in Serendra, BGC.

About Motto Motto PH (Serendra, BGC)

Address: Ground Floor, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Opening hours: 8AM to 11PM

Suggested budget: P1000 for 2 people

Contact: Facebook | Instagram

Disclaimer: Thanks SSPH for organizing this event and Motto Motto PH for feeding us! As always, thoughts and opinions are my own.

Have you been to Motto Motto PH in Serendra, BGC? What are your thoughts about it? Let us know in the comments below!