SM North Edsa’s Dohtonburi

Serving authentic Japanese cuisine, Dohtonburi is a great addition to my have-to-go-to places at SM North Edsa.

Dohtonburi is located at the upper ground floor of SM Super Center. You can take the entrance from Yakimix then just keep going straight. or if you’re coming from SM The Block, you can take the pathway to SM Center’s cinemas and just go down 1 floor from there – it’s right across National Book Store.

You definitely won’t miss the place since their exterior is pretty much screaming Japanese. Aside from the brightly-lit sign, the red lanterns, and a set-up reminiscent of a traditional Japanese food-cart, there’s also this huge Tanuki mascot that’s there to greet every customer.

Dohtonburi also showcases some of its food through a display case right beside its entrance. If that’s not enough to tempt you, then I’m not sure what will.

Here, some of the food are prepared in the kitchen while others are cooked teppanyaki style. The grill’s on the middle, spatula’s on the side, oil, and other condiments are also labelled and available for you and their convenience. Depending on what you ordered, you’ll also be given mayonnaise and teriyaki sauce.

The crew preparing the food. I think it’s a requirement for each of them to know how to cook.

At Dohtonburi, you can also choose to cook the food you ordered or have them cook it for you. If you really know how to or would just like to try it, go ahead. As a matter of fact, they provide info-graphics on how to prepare them and their crew are more than willing to guide and assist you as well.

Gyu-Suji Yakisoba (P330.00). Beef tendon, pork, long onion, spring onion, cloud ear mushroom, red pickled ginger, bean sprouts, cabbage and noddles.

The first order that arrived was our Gyu-Suji Yakisoba, their version of stir-fried noodles. All the ingredients, including the noodles and the broth, are prepared in the kitchen and brought to your table for cooking. Since it was our first time there, we asked the crew to cook the yakisoba for us so we could also have an idea of the proper cooking and handling techniques.

The yakisoba was so-so for me, although according to one, it was a bit on the flavorful side. A much younger friend of mine didn’t like it too because of the red pickled ginger. As for the serving size, it’s just enough for 4 people to get a good idea of the taste but not really close to filling the tummy.

Deluxe Okonomiyak (P360.00). Beef, chicken, pork, scallop, squid, octopus, tempura bits, red pickled ginger, spring onion, egg, cabbage, okonomiyaki paste.

The next one that came out was the okonomiyaki. The crew had finished the batter and my friend Jennie prepared it. Aside from preparation instructions, the info-graphics and their crew will also inform you and remind you of the required amount of time for that perfectly-cooked meal.

The okonomiyaki was really good specially since you could season it to your taste. One of my friends thought that his portion lacked flavor while mine was just right – so that kind of freedom was definitely a plus.

Last one up was their mixed pizza. Like with the yakisoba, the crew prepared this for us while Jennie was cooking the okonomiyaki.

The pizza had a really thin crust which I’m not a huge fan of, even for the usual pizzerias such as Shakey’s or Pizza Hut. Still, that’s something that I could easily overlook since it had mixed cheese and okonomiyaki sauce. Who knew that such combination would work so well?

Overall, Dohtonburi is certainly a place to eat at if you’re craving for authentic Japanese cuisine that’s worth the value of your money. Not to mention seeing raw ingredients transform into delicious food right in front of your eyes is truly a magical and mouth-watering experience!

P. S. Aside from SM North Edsa, there’s also a branch at Greenhills which I’ve yet to try.