With the owners’ undeniable love for Japanese cuisine, particularly for sushi, Oomori captivates the eyes and piques the interest of people passing by the corner of Calamba and Banawe street with a bright blue and red neon light saying, “No Sushi, No Life”. A bold statement that demands to be heard and be looked into the glass wall which it hangs on. Behind that glass wall is a cool and chic Japanese restaurant with an open sushi bar wherein customers can see how their sushi are being made.

Starting as a food stall in Arca Yard Food Park in Valenzuela City, co-owners and brother-and-sister Blizzeth and Wilbert Lee now have Oomori as a full-fledged Japanese restaurant offering hip and classic dishes from the stunning country, the Land of the Rising Sun, Japan.

Coined after the Japanese term meaning large serving of food, Oomori definitely lives up to its name through a menu packed with not only flavor, but vibrant colors as well. With the aim of providing classic Japanese dishes, Blizzeth shared to us that they want Oomori to be a place for young and young-at-heart people to hang out in; hence they are offering a lot of contemporary experimental dishes.

With that, we started our Oomori trip with Salmon Wrapped Maki with Truffle Oil Aburi (Php 350). Held together by a slice of salmon on sushi rice, the center of this sushi is made up of togarashi, nori, kani mix, and truffle oil. The whole roll is topped with Japanese mayo, and then torched. Bursting with flavors, the freshness of the salmon is balanced by the creaminess of the torched uni.

If you want some punch of spice, we recommend you get yourself the Flaming Nigiri Aburi (Php 300). With a fried nori bottom, a chunk of rice, a slice of fish, topped with a combination of spicy mayo and wasabi sauce, this one was definitely an adventure which we could also say a favorite of ours.

For the less adventurous but still up for some yummy fun, the Beef Wakame (Php 360) will surely satisfy that Japanese dish craving of yours. This dish is of beef tenderloin with fresh wakame – a combination that would bring so much comfort in you.

For both comfort and adventure, we suggest you have some of their Chirashi Bowls. Just a little history of what Chirashi is; it is a classic dish which is a bed of vinegar rice topped with sashimi pieces. It comes from the word 散らす (chi-ra-su) meaning “to scatter” – as in scattering bits of fish all over the place. The idea of chirashi came from wanting to get rid of extra, unattractive fish pieces, after using the nice parts for proper sashimi platters or for nigiri.

Actually, Chirashi has two versions: the first being the fancy sashimi version which is served at sushi restaurants or for take-away at grocery stores around Tokyo; while the second is the bara-chirashi, a more humble variant with cooked, instead of raw, ingredients.

In line with this, Blizzeth shared to us that Chirashi is also something that is a mix of anything you want – much like how it actually means “to scatter”. However, here in Oomori, their Chirashi Bowls are already prepared for you, and lucky for us we got to try two of those, the Oomori Chirashi Bowl and the Wasabi Melt Chirashi Bowl.

The Oomori Chirashi Bowl (Php 300) is made of sushi rice topped with salmon, tuna, shrimp, avocado, furikake, bonito flakes, ebico and Oomori’s original chirashi sauce. Each ingredient in this bowl boosts each other up making this dish oozing with delicious flavors.

While the Wasabi Melt Chirashi Bowl (Php 300) is made up of salmon, tuna, wakame, and cucumber, topped with torched wasabi sauce. The name of this chirashi bowl may be intimidating, especially with the wasabi in it, but know that it is so tasty, that you won’t even notice how you’ve eaten so much of it.

For a more filling Japanese dish, try out Oomori’s Katsu Curry (Php 260). This truly is a hefty serving of one of their mains. Comes with a plate of rice, topped with huge cuts of crispy, tender meat, some vegetable, and served with flavorful curry sauce, this Katsu Curry is a meal that would turn your hungry tummy into a happy tummy.

If you are looking for a more classic with a twist dish, this cool Sushi Burger (Php 280) will give you what you want. This Oomori Special is served with fried salmon patty, lettuce and delicious burger sauce, pressed between sushi rice buns. This dish looks so fun and appealing as it tastes so delectable.

Another new addition to the already mouthwatering menu of Oomori is the Yakisoba (Php 250). It is served with noodles, a lot of fresh, lip-smacking seafood, crunchy veggies that add a pop of color, and some meat. This is a dish that goes well with conversation with some friends and/or family.

As we are closing in to the end of our Oomori trip, our final destination, a.k.a. our dessert, was the Mango Nutella Maki with Cream Cheese (Php 135). This dish is served with four heavenly pieces of sticky rice rolls, topped with slices of sweet mango, and drizzled with Nutella goodness.

Brother and sister Willbert and Blizzeth Lee really held nothing back and gave their best in creating the menu of this stylish restaurant, Oomori. Even the interiors of this place were well thought of. The staff was also very attentive and accommodating, giving great customer service.

If you want Japanese food reinvented to a new level, then go get your ride and drop by at Calamba St, Sampaloc, Quezon City, Metro Manila, to try out this latest foodspot that sushi fanatics will absolutely love – Oomori.

Follow Oomori on their Social Media Pages below:

Facebook: Oomori Japanese Cuisine

Instagram: Oomori Japanese Cuisine

Address: Calamba St, Sampaloc, Quezon City, Metro Manila

Hours of Operation: 11AM to 10PM, Mondays to Sundays