Celebrating our 4th Anniversary at NINYO Fusion Cuisine (Review)

May 10, 2017


We wanted to celebrate our 4th Anniversary in a sophisticated manner, I’ve searched far and wide through the internet for a romantic place that’s an escape from all the madness that is metro manila near our house in QC, and I found NINYO. Immediately and without any hesitations we decided to reserve for Degustation Paris Package, which includes a five course meal, one glass of wine, candle and petal set up, and a "padlock of love” So here’s a review and some sharing of our experience with Ninyo.






Chef Nino is well known for his fusion of Asian and European Cuisines, an ingenious mix of east and west, so we gave it a try. Like what I said awhile ago, we ordered the Degustation Paris Package which had 5 courses. Let me walk you through it all.


Appetizer: 
Trio of Oysters
Fusion Rockefeller topped with red lumpfish caviar (Ebiko), baked oyster with Foie Gras Asian Hollandaise and Wasabi Fried Oysters with citrus mayo dressing


This one was a great way to start our meal, each oyster has a distinct rich flavor and texture yet cohesive enough to be eaten simultaneously, my personal favorite is the Fusion Rockefeller topped with red lumpfish caviar, while Jeff loves the baked oyster with Foie Gras Asian Hollandaise

Nori Pumpkin Soup
Served with pumpkin flower tempura



Though it was a bit typical, I loved it anyways, they have a little presentation that comes with it as they give you a bowl that has the flower tempura and a bit of foam, then they pour the soup over, all in all it tasted like a regular pumpkin soup, but we loved it anyway

Shiitake Confit Salad
With honey ponzu dressing sprinkled with crispy julienned tofu and seasonal fruits and assorted mixed greens



I’m not usually a fan of salad but I like this one, the dressing was soo good, I definitely would suggest this to everyone who asks, It was a delicious fusion of greens, grapes, some tomatoes, tofu, and there’s even quail eggs in the mix

Entree:

Honey Glazed Grilled Salmon
With sweet citrus miso sauce served with light wasabi mashed potato, grilled asparagus and demi dried tomato



This is my favorite amongst all, I love salmon and the salmon here was a hit. It’s perfectly cooked, the sauce was given at the right amount, and I’m loving the light wasabi mashed potato even though it was too chunky for my liking, it was delicious nonetheless

U.S. Hanging Tender Steak
With red wine sauce served with buttered seasonal vegetables and pumpkin risoni



Now I’m not a huge fan of steaks, is it weird that I dont like steaks? Nope, i don’t think so hahaha. So with the help of my partner I will try to write a review as unbiased as possible. For a steak it was quite good, though forgettable, I didn’t even remember how the sauce tastes like, and it was so chewy, we ended up finishing the small platter for about 20mins. BUT THE RISONI! the risoni was sooo delicious! 

Sorbet
I didn’t exactly know what the sorbet was, but I kinda guessed it was like lychee with mint or something like that, It was good though

Dessert

Chocolate! Chocolate! Cake
Valhrona chocolate pudding filled with molten chocolate truffle



It was very bland, like seriously bland, the cake was dry and I didn’t see how the cold milk helped with the cause, it was just, dry.

Mango Pavlova
A meringue dessert, crispy on the outside but light and fluffy in the inside, topped with vanilla ice cream and fresh mango



This one’s good tho, this one we enjoyed a lot, If only we knew we could have ordered two of these instead of the chocolate cake, but being the explorers that we are we had to try both.

Overall, I would say that the assortment of food had it’s hits and misses, when it hits, it hits real good, unfortunately when they miss, they miss real horribly. They were so sweet to write “happy anniversary” on the plates BTW 







I must say the overall design of Ninyo matches their cuisine, it’s also a fusion of modern and classic pieces, from an old house with modern fixtures, to their modern style cabanas with vintage patio furniture and a table that was a recycled sewing machine stand. Though I have a little mix feelings regarding the ambiance. The place is beautiful, gorgeous even, no doubt about that, but as far as setting the mood for a romantic dining experience, they were lacking, however with a little tweeks this place would be perfect. First, I wish the lights could have been a bit more dimmer than it is, cuz the harshness of the yellow/orange light kinda kills off the use of candles which in turn, loses that romantic appeal. 



Also the circular rose petal style that I was hoping to get and contacted them through facebook even, was nothing but a bunch of petals at the edges of the cabanas, romantic but was not what I was expecting and Lastly I wish they could have a bit more music outside to set the tone for all the love birds, 



Bottomline as far as the aesthetics is concerned it’s definitely worth it, the romantic appeal was not properly presented, good thing we had enough romance between the two of us to compensate, which is kind of a positive I think, because as a hopeless romantic, I do believe that the romantic appeal does not come from the location, or the view, or the situation but from the love that two people share together which NINYO was able to bring out.



Note: you’d know you’re having a romantic time when all you see is your love one and all the surroundings are just a blur. 





The reservation process was easy as easy can be, It is highly recommended that their guests reserve a table prior to the visit. The servers were very attentive, very hospitable and was so patient with us, we asked them to take our picture like 4 times hahahhaha. And they were eager to help. As an LGBT couple we did feel welcome and was not discriminated at all so that’s a huge plus points for us.



I must also say that their servers were well knowledgable with the perfect angles in taking photos which was so awesome. Oh oh and I also need to mention the parking guard which was very attentive as well. 






We did enjoy dining at Ninyo, it was definitely a new experience for us, the staff was great, the place looks good, and I would give this restaurant a 4/5 primarily because of the grilled salmon, shitake salad, and trio of oysters, and the staff. What’s pulling them down is the “expectation vs reality” type of thing. I would have given them a perfect 5 disregarding the hanging steak and the chocolate cake were it not for the lack attention to details pertaining to the attempt for a romantic set up. Would we go back? certainly, we did enjoy our dining nonetheless



PS they also have these “Padlock of love” which is included in the package, that was so cute. Here’s ours 



Ninyo is located at 66 Esteban Abada Street, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Philippines. you may contact 4260301 / MOBILE: 09175807928 for reservations


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