Seven things to expect when dining at Red Kimono

I've been constantly telling myself that my body is no longer in shape, especially my tummy; thus the need for more regular workouts and lesser food intake. But what can I do? Eating is just so much fun! I'm sure you'd agree.

Red Kimono, The Fort Strip branch

Last Thursday night, I headed straight to The Fort Strip, Bonifacio Global City after work to try out Red Kimono. I heard that they offer buffet via order style dining, so I wanted to try it since I'm a Japanese food lover.

After about two hours of eating and paying Php595 (plus 10% service charge), I was able to think of 7 things a foodie should expect when dining at this Japanese restaurant. Alongside the tips that I'll be enumerating below, I'll also be posting pictures of the dishes I had.

Neatly prepared table inside Red Kimono

Expectation #1: The ambiance is great. The lights were just enough - not too dark and not too bright. It's great for meetings.

Chicken Teriyaki - Grilled chicken in Teriyaki sauce served with a potato hay garnish

Expectation #2: The food service is fast (around 15 minutes), but the waiters are kinda restless when you want to request something else. The service can be improved.

Beef Kamameshi

Expectation #3: You may order as much as you like as long as you order a minimum of one order of fried rice or gohan per person OR one kettle of Kamameshi rice per one to two diners. 

I suggest to just order the fried rice or gohan per person, since a kettle of Kamameshi rice has a lot of rice in it. Although, I liked the Kamameshi rice. It was tasty.

Prawn Tempura - 5 pieces per order

Expectation #4: If you're after the raw food a Japanese restaurant normally offers, you won't find any of those included in the buffet. Sake Sashmi or Tuna Sashimi is not part of the menu. However, you can get a taste of salmon when you order the Salmon and Cream Cheese Maki.

Pork Tonkatsu - Deep fried breaded pork cutlets served with garlic butter mashed potatoes

Expectation #5: In all honesty, the food didn't taste fresh. Although it was an by-order type of buffet, the Prawn Tempura in particular seemed to have been fried in old, used oil. It could have tasted better if fresh oil was used.

The taste of my other orders were just okay, nothing to rave about.

Green Tea Ice Cream

Expectation #6: Leave some space for desserts. I don't know about you, but I always want to eat something sweet after taking in a lot of food. It sorts of balances out the taste buds and it makes me feel a bit lighter. 

Note that the Buko Pandan Special might be too sweet for some, but I like it. On the other hand, the Green Tea Ice Cream has a strong green tea taste, so I'm not suggesting it if you don't like green tea at all.

Buko Pandan Special - a refreshing combination of vanilla ice cream, pandan jelly and fresh coconut strips

Expectation #7: Just like with any other buffet, there should be no leftover or each person on the table will be penalized with twice the price of the buffet.

After trying all these, it will definitely take a lot of months or years before I eat at Red Kimono again. I didn't have the best experience I was expecting to have that night. I'm not sure if it's because I set my expectations quite high. Nevertheless, I don't regret to have tried Red Kimono - at least I've gotten my impressions first hand.

Red Kimono
Unit 1A GF, Fort Strip, Fort Bonifacio,
Taguig City, Metro Manila
(02)8166642