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5 things Filipino families love about Kimpura 50 years on
Kimpura, the friendly Japanese restaurant where a lot of us go to celebrate birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, and random milestones, is celebrating its 50th birthday this month!
First opened in Makati on October 10, 1970 at Makati Commercial Center, it soon mushroomed around Metro Manila with Kimpura Garden in 1973 at what it now Dusit Hotel, followed by the Greenhills Branch in 1988, and finally in Trinoma in 2010.
To celebrate its golden year, we're listing down all the reasons why the Japanese restaurant continues to be a Filipino favorite.
1. Teppanyaki Fried rice!
There are very many things to love and enjoy in Kimpura's menu but at the top of our list the ever-reliable teppanyaki fried rice. With the teppan table oozing with oils and juices from everything that's been cooked it in, come the rice. The cook first melts some butter and adds chopped onions, carrots, and green pepper. Then the pork and shrimps and eggs then the rice.
After putting in the seasoning, the cook flattens and mashes and plays with it right in front of you. It's a sensory experience ,we tell you, first enticing your sense of sight, sense of hearing, sense of smell, and finally your sense of taste. Delicious!
2. The free dilis appetiser. It's small and easily overlooked but it's a nice touch that has become a Kimpura signature. As soon as you're seated, a member of Kimpura's friendly staff puts down a dainty, little saucer plate with pieces of sweet dilis and pickled vegetables. It's nothing much, but it's become something of a ritual that once removed from the Kimpura experience, and everything changes.
3. The floor seating in private rooms. With so many families enjoying the teppanyaki experience, Kimpura's main dining room is often busy and bustling.
Private rooms are a great option but even better: Kimpura still offers private tatame rooms, aka the unique Japanese floor seating.
Remove your shoes, pick a seat and realise just how skilled their waitstaff are, carrying trays of food and kneeling down beside you to serve your tempura. It's still as novel and enjoyable as our backs allow.
4. The professional and friendly wait staff. Food at Kimpura is good and the dining experience is great but what many diners forget is how professional the kimono-garb wait staff is. Many of them have stayed with the restaurant for decades, so they've mastered the menu and the routine. As such, not only can they deliver a straight, no-fuss answer to any and all questions you might have, they've also become super familiar with the processes, with each other, and even with regulars that sometimes dining at the restaurant feels like being back to your own private kitchen.
5. How familiar but fresh it still is. Fifty years is a long time but somehow, Kimpura is able to move with the times and stay fresh. It consistently upgrades its interiors, without removing the familiar and necessary elements — like the Teppan area! It's even been able to move with the times and change according to our present-day pandemic problem. Most importantly, it stays true to what it is: Familiar Japanese food without the frills.
Happy birthday, Kimpura! We're loving that you're celebrating with all these yummy promos! — LA, GMA News
