Inaka is the first and the oldest Japanese restaurant in Bacolod. It is owned by Martin’s childhood friend, Aljay De La Paz.
When we were little kids we would hang out at Inaka just for fun and to accompany aljay’s mom and we would be bored to death. We would play with toothpicks for hours on end.
Sometimes Aljay’s mom would offer us sushi but we always declined. As a kid, Martin thought sushi was disgusting!
Martin remembers his first taste of a california roll – and hating it because it had mangoes!
Recently, Martin had the opportunity to revisit Inaka because of a family reunion. He was pleased to see that the quality of the food had gone up along with several much needed renovations to the place.
Martin’s family rented out a large family room. Martin was very pleased with the decor and table settings. It was very pleasant and the room resembled a japanese house with a window looking out on a Zen garden and with faux white “paper” walls.
Appetizers were ordered. California rolls! Yummy! Martin really loves sushi. Inaka’s California rolls were nothing like Martin had ever tasted. The orange crab eggs were so fresh that they actually were CRUNCHY. Wow! The taste was incomparable!
The best part was Martin’s cousin Erika who was sitting beside him didn’t like sushi so Martin had nearly the entire plate to himself.
More and More food and relatives were coming so Martin had to quickly snap pictures of the food before they could complain about his shutterbug habit.
Beef misono! Martin likes Inaka’s beef misono. It’s not overdone and the beef is soft and perfectly seasoned.
Martin’s aunt ordered Tofu and like all other dishes, it was a wonderful one! The tofu is fried and the sauce covering it doesn’t overpower the Tofu’s basic, simple taste. Instead it blends with the Tofu to create a new taste. It was simply awesome.
A lot of food was ordered and Martin couldn’t take pictures of all of them since there were too many relatives eating. They had beef sukiyaki, bangus, Tempura, chahan rice and a sushi boat that was absolutely fantastic because it had unagi, sea urchin, and a sushi topped with red salmon eggs. Wow!!
Martin’s two uncles smile after finishing their meal.
Inaka’s dessert was a fantastic mango icebox cake that Martin had never tasted the likes of. It was sweet but not cloying and like all Inaka dishes it was subtle on the palate. It was so good. Martin gobbled up his cake before remembering he had to take a picture!
Martin’s relatives. WE love Inaka !!
Inaka is the first and definitely the best Japanese restaurant in Bacolod.
Inaka 5-Star? Puhlease. I don’t have anything against Inaka but to say it is worth 5 stars is a bit too much. For Japanese cuisine, I would only give it half a star. Even Kaisei doesn’t deserve a star. And personally, I think the best Japanese restaurant in Bacolod would have to be SHIAWASE on 2nd St. It’s a small place but the sashimi and sushi are top notch.
You should go out more Banana-san.
By: berry blue on May 10, 2008
at 4:48 am
Shiawase is gone.
what happned to your logo?
By: Martin Banana on May 10, 2008
at 6:29 pm
nope… not shiawase… just wait… il write something about japanese restos in bacolod.
By: sageandlemongrass on May 14, 2008
at 3:41 pm
and by the way… shiawase is not gone… it transfered to marapara golf club
By: sageandlemongrass on May 14, 2008
at 3:43 pm
WOW! That is good news! Yay! Berryblue loves shiawase. We’ll go back there during vcation.
Thanks sage and lemongrass!
By: Martin Banana on May 14, 2008
at 8:56 pm
ive tried inaka and kaisei…but my favorite would still be shiawase. i also thought it was gone. where is marapara golf club? im not exactly from bcdive tried inaka and kaisei…but my favorite would still be shiawase. i also thought it was gone. where is marapara golf club? im not exactly from bcd
By: marcheline on July 14, 2008
at 4:36 am
I thought it was pretty good and nice portions compared to what you would get in Tokyo.
By: garygrn on March 27, 2009
at 12:08 pm
i like inaka! i’ve tried shaiwase at marapara but i think they’ve deteriorated compared to before… i like the inaka waiters too who are friendlier
By: curly on April 19, 2009
at 6:15 am
I think Inaka is great!! The food is good, the service is excellent, the prices are fair, and the place is clean and neat. We have eaten at Shiawase Restaurant at the Marapara Golf Club in the past. I think Inaka is a better choice today.
By: Jim on October 16, 2009
at 7:49 am