Hana: A Titan of Taste

To satisfy our drive for 'trying something new', my best friend and I once again hit the streets. This time, we went Japanese.

I have always wanted to try out this restaurant called Hana down at Pagsanjan Laguna. It's not in the center of public traffic, so you have to go there on purpose. It's quite hidden on the quiet side of Pagsanjan, just along the National Road.

Upon entering, as every Japanese restaurant does, they greet you respectfully with a bow and they proceed to give you the menu. The place isn't that much Japanese per se. It doesn't have the usual Japanese set up for the dining table, though there's this sushi making counter with the big flyer blinds, ones that you see on anime or Jap live action dramas. It's a mix, I guess, of Filipino comfort and Japanese cuisine. There's also a little magazine shelf in the middle of the place that made it quite more charming.

The menu was eye catching. Japanese cuisine is known for their eye-catching visuals that makes eating raw fish enjoyable. We ordered this egg-shaped sweets and a bento containing sweetened beef, salmon in the shape of a rose, crab sticks, some veggies, coleslaw and 4 side dishes that we enjoy very much. We didn't order a lot as our cash is limited, but we did in fact share because, we are so cautious on eating Japanese foods. Both of us hate vegetables and we are tiptoe-ing on certain fish and meat that doesn't taste good.

But our Hana Restaurant experience was delightful. I was never a fan of salmon because it tastes so fishy. But their salmon was quite refreshing. It tastes something like the sea and not the sea with lots of fishies. The crab sticks are divine as well as the meat. But I think we enjoyed the anchovies more and the egg-looking sweet dessert. (heck! I always got the name confused). 

It is a quaint little place. A nice watering hole if you want to try something new and something refreshing for your tastes buds. It's a first, I guess, on this part of the district of Laguna, to have a decent Japanese cuisine-serving restaurant that's really authentic and with genuine service.