What happens when a friend says she's craving some sushi and wanted to check out a restaurant? Of course, it's an instant yes! š
Few months ago, this friend sent me a message inviting me to check out a newly opened Japanese restaurant and try the various sushi on their menu. I initially said yes but then when I checked the location of the restaurant I told that no public vehicles passes through that road. None of us drives so I suggested a nearby Japanese restaurant instead which is accessible by public vehicles and has equally enticing menu.
Hagemu Sushi and Ramen Bar
Hagemu Sushi and Ramen Bar is a Japanese restaurant established a few years ago at the town of Calasiao in the province of Pangasinan. They also have a branch at Urdaneta City, San Carlos City and will soon open another at Rosales. I believe it was only this year when they relocated their Calasiao branch to have a better and bigger space. The new location was only across their old one at Old De Venecia Road Calasiao. Their former place was small and barely noticeable. Now, their new location is more visible to motorists and the new design of the store is much more elegant with wider parking space.
Our supposedly lunch date turned to be a late afternoon date due to errands. My friend suddenly had a cake order while I also have to drop by the grocery first to buy some ingredients for a jelly cake order as well. Yes, we both make cakes but of different kinds. And aside from these errands we were also trying our luck to get a ticket for a concert my friend was dying to attend to. But we failed to secure one.
My friend arrived 5 minutes ahead of me and told she'll wait for me outside the restaurant's door. But when I arrived, she's nowhere to be found. I rested my grocery bag at the waiting area and called her. She told me to come in as the staff had let her in.
They gave us tea on this cute little floral teapot while we look on their menu. The tiny teacup looks very cute too. It looks like the ones I see on Japanese vlogs. There's also a pitcher of water which we barely drank because my friend ordered a pitcher of iced tea before I arrived.
I can't figure out what type of tea was served as most tea tastes the same for me but I guess it's not black tea or some floral tea like hibiscus. Maybe it's the common ones, like green tea?
It took us a couple of minutes looking back and forth at the menu because there were too many choices and we're trying to guess which ones would we like most. In the end, we ordered one for each type of sushi (Sashimi, Hoso Maki, Fusion Maki, Chef's Roll).
I don't remember all the names of the sushi we ordered but three were Salmon Sashimi, Salmon Avocado (Chef's Roll) and Special Crab Maki (Hoso Maki). For the Fusion Maki sushi I would guess it's Super Special Cali or California Maki.
They also gave us tiny plates and disposable chopsticks. I think it's better that they use disposable chopsticks because it's more hygienic than using metal chopsticks. I noticed that most Japanese restaurants uses disposable chopsticks while Korean restaurants uses metal chopsticks.
While waiting for our orders, we took our time taking photos of the restaurant's interior. We didn't go around though, only the things visible from our seat. Our table was beside the door so I wasn't able to check the koi pond which they include on their social media posts sometimes.
The restaurant's centerpiece is their sushi bar where you can see them making your sushi. Various sake are also displayed at the back along with a television where they play Japanese music. They played a Kimi no Na wa song a few times as well. I wish they accept song recommendations from customers though! As a fan of Japanese bands, this place is going to be heaven. Haha!
There's also a samurai headgear displayed on both sides of the counter. Cool! You can check the first photo of this post for a closer look.
And to give you an idea how the restaurant's door area looks like..
They have a freakin' samurai armor displayed near the door. I can't stop admiring those details. They did a great job adding such display for it really adds up to the Japanese vibe.
Glad we remembered to take a selfie. š
A couple of minutes later, our orders started coming in. It was delivered by a robot which I assume is named Kettybot, but the bot they usually post on their page looks different than the bot which appeared when we dined in.
I guess Hagemu was the first restaurant here in our province which has robot food servers. It's super cool and one of the things customers look forward to experience.
I thought it was self-service but when the bot stopped and turned facing our table, a staff appeared on the side and served the plates on our table. I wonder how they programmed these though. Would the bot get confused when the table positions get rearranged?
And here are our sushi! They may look few but don't be fooled, it was more than enough to make us full. Yeah that's my hand at the corner taking photos. Haha.
We also had Classic Tempura before the sushi was served. While my friend was craving sushi, I was craving tempura. I miss the light crunch of tempura which I find difficult to make at home. Hagemu's tempura was good!
My favorite among our sushi orders was the Salmon Avocado. 11/10!!! Avocado and salmon really go well together. And aside from that, this sushi has some crunchy ingredient in it and all these textures felt so good to munch. 100% would recommend!
Next, and also on my 2nd rank is the Special Crab Maki. I liked its taste and also has some crunchy ingredient on top. (Writing this post is making me hungry. Help.)
Then the Super Special Cali or California Maki. It tastes good but it doesn't have a special taste that would make this sushi stand out.
And last, the Salmon Sashimi. It's also good. The salmon is soft and almost melts in the mouth. I added some wasabi in it for a little spicy taste. My friend who chose these food has a sensitive stomach and felt it beginning to protest a couple of minutes later. On the other hand, I didn't have problems eating raw salmon.
My friend's husband was also supposed to follow at the restaurant to have dinner with us after the coffee workshop he was attending. Yes, we're planning to eat again after all these sushi. Lol. But the workshop was taking longer than their scheduled time that's why we chose to have our orders for take out and go to the workshop instead which was also located on the same town. I was also craving ramen but staff told that they are out of ramen noodles so I got pork katsu instead.
The cup of coffee you see on the photo is one of the coffee her husband made on the workshop. He gave it for me to try. It tastes good like the coffee sold at the M with clown mascot.
While leaving I was able to take a photo of the restaurant's side where their kitchen is located.
ā¤ļø Highly Recommended Japanese Restaurant ā¤ļø
If someone asks me for a Japanese restaurant in my province, Hagemu will surely be among my recommendations. The place is very nice and feels fancy. Food is great though I wish I have tasted their ramen. Staffs are also courteous and attentive. It's a great place for special occasions or simply when you are craving some good quality Japanese foods.
Prices of foods are not cheap but also not very expensive. All our orders, including our take out orders, was around Php 2500 or $45 USD. For the good quality of foods and the ambiance of the place, I'd say it was worth the experience.
It's also good to come late afternoon because customers begin to come during dinner time.
Would I come back to Hagemu? YES! My friend and I enjoyed this place and both agreed on how good the Salmon Avocado was. If only I had extra money all the time then I would choose to dine here often until I've tried all the foods on their menu.
I'm really glad that a good Japanese restaurant exists in our town. Wish I can go back in the near future!
Thanks for reading! š