The number one rule in eating in buffets, at least in those that charge less than Php 1,500, is to march in with an appetite of a homeless man, not a bagful of ridiculous expectations. Buffets operate on economies of scale and that obvious fact should be enough to deter snobs. But alas, it rarely does. “I didn’t get my money’s worth,” they cry. These people, whose concept of money’s worth means getting the same ala carte food quality but in unlimited quantity, are almost always bound to be disappointed in all-you-can-eat restaurants.
On the other hand of the dining spectrum are the happy buffet gluttons. These people value diversity in food choices. Excess excites them. They get giddy roaming around the expansive establishment, eyeballing the items that would later on end up as towers on their plate. They play food games with co-diners (e.g. the how-many-tempuras-can-you-eat-in-one-sitting game). And once their stomach stiffens when food coma hits, they swear never to return for at least three months. They’re lying. Because these people, whose concept of money’s worth is trying as many (hopefully all decent) dishes in one night, return at the soonest possible time. These are the kinds of people who will enjoy Banzai: The Great Authentic Japanese Buffet.
The Stage is Set
Banzai, which takes its name from a celebratory exclamation in Japan (think: hurrah!), is one of the newest players in the by-the-bay buffet strip of SM Mall of Asia. With a sprawling floor area of 1,200 square meters and a seating capacity of 500, Banzai currently holds the title of being the biggest all-Japanese buffet in Metro Manila.
The owners spared no expense in dressing up all that space. Divided into seven areas, Banzai is primped to the littlest of detail as if it were a well-budgeted theater set for a kabuki performance. By the reception is the first section, a Trick Art Gallery, which is also the most photographed room in the lot.
Trick Art Gallery
The Trick Art Gallery features three murals, which when photographed at their proper angles, give the illusion of third dimension. For an even more realistic photo, diners are encouraged to wear costumes; a sumo suit and several kimonos can be rented for free. During Saturdays and Sundays, Banzai converts this area to a sort of souvenir station where the staff takes and prints photos of the day’s guests. Again, this is complimentary.
The rest of the restaurant features beautiful representations of familiar Japanese landscapes. Most of the buffet selection is housed in two castle-like structures. There’s also a lighter-hued, homier Osaka section, where the dessert and sushi stations are. Competitive eaters might find it fitting to be seated in the sumo arena. On the other end, young manga and anime fans will easily recognize the small but well-lit Dōtonbori section, Banzai’s take on Osaka’s iconic food and entertainment district.
But when dining on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, your party should reserve seats in the lantern-lit old Tokyo section– the best area to be in when the Festival of Japan performance happens. Every weekend, at 12:30 p.m., 7:30 pm, and 8:30 pm, costumed performers depicting the common archetypes of Japanese culture parade and dance in the area. This 5 minute performance is highlighted by The Banzai Teppanyaki Show, featuring four chefs cooking teppanyaki to the beat of Japanese drums. Once again, the owners, who are well connected in the entertainment industry, spared no expense in producing the weekend theatrics. The show is directed by playwright Floy Quintos and costumes were made by designer Gino Gonzales.
A Tasty Ensemble
When it first opened in February, Banzai was positioned as “The Great Teppanyaki Theater,” for two obvious reasons: the stage-like restaurant puts prime on theatrics and sets itself apart from its competitors by specializing in teppanyaki, a Japanese style of high-heat cooking on an iron plate. But only a few months later, Banzai changed their handle to “The Great Authentic Japanese Buffet.” The teppanyaki theater part of the name apparently confused people, especially those who are not too familiar with Japanese cuisine. They decided to bank on their having three Japanese chefs at the helm of the kitchen: Executive Chef Hiroshi Ishikawa, sushi chef Norimasa Masuda, and ramen Chef Kimwori Iwabuchi. Together with their Filipino team, they created a tasty ensemble of familiar Japanese food, the true stars in this production.
Teppanyaki Station
The food is a smorgasbord of Japanese staples: cold soba, sushi and sashimi, takoyaki, gyoza, ramen, curry, robotayaki, tempura, and katsu. The protagonist, of course, is the teppanyaki.
Teppanyaki
Teppanyaki-style of cooking lets diners choose their preferred meat: beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, or salmon, and have it cooked ala minute on an iron plate. This section is hard to judge because taste varies depending on the doneness and sauce preferences. But be consoled that the meat selections in this section are fast-moving items; almost always, a fresh batch is available.
Chicken Teppanyaki
Beef Teppanyaki
Assorted Seafood Teppanyaki
Beef Misono
Sushi and sashimi at Banzai are about the same quality as what you get in other buffets. Hoard a plateful of uni sushi, salmon and tuna sashimi and you’d easily get around 50% of your buffet ticket price. Katsu is thick and quite tougher than usual. But even so, we still went for second servings. Tempura, as usual, commands a long line. Banzai’s shrimps are long and plump, and by far better than what we had in other all you can eat restaurants.
Uni
Banzai Roll
Tonkatsu
Robotayaki
The ramen here is surprisingly decent, especially the sesame chili Tantanmen. Broth is hearty and the toppings available are aplenty. We appreciate the design-your-own ramen concept that entitled us to go a little overboard with the ajitsuke tamagos.
Tantanmen Ramen
Banzai also highlights freshly-made takoyaki and okonomiyaki, two Osakan staples that are not usually served in Japanese sections in other buffets.
Okonomiyaki
Just to add variety, about 10% non-Japanese dishes are mixed in the culinary ensemble. There’s steamed lapu-lapu, a steak carving, and roasted Peking duck, which are all pretty good.
Pizzas here are pliant and chewy; a must if you like flat breads!
Steamed Lapu-lapu
Desserts are limited and can still be improved. Crepes are only available during the weekend but kids can create and eat as many snow cones as their tummies can handle. The restaurant also has an all-unlimited menu of beverages, including soda, beer, iced tea, juices, coffee. Arigato, Banzai, for including unlimited iced Milo.
Snow cone station
Red Velvet Cakes
Denouement
Enjoying Banzai was an easy task for us. We just marched in with an appetite of a homeless man, basked in the unique ambiance, and ate a whole smorgasbord of Japanese staples that would have otherwise cost us at least twice in ala carte restaurants.
We, who admittedly belong to the happy buffet glutton-kind, think that Banzai is a welcome addition to Manila’s buffet landscape. We give special props to the owners for paying careful attention to the ambiance of the place as well as providing special entertainment beyond the usual rowdy Happy Birthday song and dance numbers. More importantly, we appreciate having extensive decent Japanese food choices beyond the usual sushi-sashimi-tempura in other buffet restaurants.
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Rates
Monday-Friday (lunch) PhP 699
Monday-Friday (dinner) PhP 899
Saturday-Sunday & Holidays PhP 1,088
* Children below 4.5 ft PhP499; Children below 3.5 ft FREE
* Left over price PhP 1,288
* Rates above are inclusive of service charge.
Banzai is open for lunch is from 11:00am to 2:30pm and for dinner is from 6:00 to 10:00pm. Walk-ins are welcome. Group functions and events may also be arranged. Call 0916-3775357; 0999-4713597; (02)552-7368 for inquiries and reservations.
Additional photos from Banzai
