LOOK: OG Japanese Spot Tsumura Reveals Spiffy New Look in New Makati Address

(SPOT.ph) Even in the mid-2000s when options for real-deal Japanese fare in Manila were fairly limited, there was Tsumura—home to some of the freshest sushi and sashimi around, frequented by both locals and Japanese expats despite their semi-hidden location (on the second floor of a corporate building in Salcedo Village, with barely a sign from outside to indicate it was there). Though Tsumura’s long been more known for their food than how they look, well, that might just change. The restaurant recently moved to a new address at the Ayala Triangle Gardens, with a snazzy new look to boot.

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Take a look at the reopened Tsumura:

Now a 560-square meter space located on the third floor of The Shops in Ayala Triangle, Tsumura flaunts a reimagined visual designed by architect Noel Bernardo of EC Studio (who also did the interiors of Key Coffee and Metronome). In an exchange with SPOT.ph, he shares that the team was given "freedom to design the project with how we envision it," following requirements set by the Tsumura team and constraints of the existing site. "The design process started one year ago."

It retains a sense of Japanese tradition, gone sleek and modern: wooden elements and surfaces can be found all over, from the chairs to the tables to the beams on the ceiling, with straight lines side by side with arches. 

The inspiration? Japan's yokocho, or its narrow yet busy alleyways that are typically lined with restaurants and bars. "The aim of our design was to capture the feeling of taking a stroll through these kinds of alleys, and being immersed in the different kinds of dining experiences and spaces," says Bernardo. "We achieved this varied alleyway look [by] dividing the dining areas into zones and designing each zone to have its own character."

The team also employed an "inside-outside concept"—that is, used designs and motifs that function as "subtle representations of these outdoor Japanese dining experiences." They made it a point, for example, to arrange Tsumura's private dining rooms "[so as] to look like [the] small buildings surrounding the narrow alley." Especially striking is the central bar in a U-shaped form, with bar stools whose back resembles the sara-do of the Japanese ball toy known as kendama.

This being Tsumura, there is of course a sushi counter from which they dish up their signature nigiri, gunkan, and rolls. This, Yolanda shares, is their interpretation of Japan's yatai, or streetside food stalls.

"Lastly, we allowed ourselves to be inspired by different motifs from a diverse range of design styles not limited to those found in Japan to come up with something new and fresh in what defines a Japanese restaurant."

Beyond their fresh visuals, dining at Tsumura is always a treat. Their sushi and sashimi game is especially excellent, and they'd occasionally offer rare and seasonal delicacies like ankimo (monkfish liver).

Not to be missed at the restaurant are the grilled seafood—they make a mean grilled hamachi jaw—and the sukiyaki, with silky strips of U.S. beef cooked in a soulful broth right by your table.

Tsumura is at 3/F The Shops, Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati City.

Images by Elbert Cuenca; used with permission.

UPDATED (December 13, 2023, 2:20 p.m.): The article has been updated following an exchange with Noel Bernardo, through Yolanda Bernardo.

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