If you’ve never heard of Sunday Japanese brunch, chances are, you have yet to try the popular offering of Solaire’s flagship Japanese restaurant Yakumi. Before the global health crisis started last year, reservations for the Sunday brunch at Yakumi was scarce. Not only was Japanese brunch still a novel idea for many, which meant everyone wanted to try it—it was also because the restaurant offers exciting dishes that, at its core, give us a wider taste of Japan.

Unfortunately for us, the restaurant had to stop the buffet during the height of quarantine restrictions, for obvious and well-meant reasons.

But now that Sunday Brunch at Yakumi is finally back, the well-loved and popular line up of top-tier Japanese dishes made by a team of skillful chefs led by Chef Norimasa Kosaka will feature your favorite items with much more attention to detail and service.

For the curious, Yakumi named their Sunday brunch “The Art of Shun,” keeping close to the Japanese culinary concept of experiencing key seasonal ingredients at the peak of its flavor and freshness. So really, when it comes to Japanese cuisine, it all goes down to these simple words: we stan the shun!

Upon the much-awaited comeback of this unique offering from Solaire, and with health protocols in mind, the luxe Japanese outlet steers from the self-service buffet style and does away with ala-minute service, making every serving that land on your plate enticingly aromatic and delectably fresh.

Eight live cooking stations await any eager foodie once inside Yakumi, two of which are in private rooms—one is dedicated to creating crisp and evenly coated tempuras, while the other is a teppan live station that’s responsible for aromatic dishes filled with savory flavors such as Okonomiyaki, fried rice and sautéed vegetables.

The teppanyaki display is also just right across fresh-off-the-grill items such as steaks and lamb chops, and not too far is the space for precise and beautifully sliced sashimi together with different types of sushi like maki, temaki, and uramaki. Beside it is reserved for the traditional nigiri sushi that melts in your mouth.

In keeping with their “shun” promise, Yakumi is serious about the freshness of their seafood. An oyster station is set to satisfy your cravings for this seawater delicacy that’s filled with culinary bravado. And last, but definitely not the least, the yakitori—another Japanese special that takes the spotlight with a station solely for various skewer options.

But food choices don’t stop there for Yakumi. Also available for guests is their ala carte menu where you can find your favorite ramen and soups as well as other must-haves like sukiyaki and shabu-shabu.

Aside from all these culinary delights, Yakumi also takes pride in their dessert menu. Desserts take on a new look as they present their roster of sweets in classic bento boxes. The clean birchwood planks allow the vibrancy of each type of dessert to stand out, enticing the eye and draws in the palate.

You can enjoy sweet treats with Japanese flavors from the mochi of the day, a yuzu berry mille-feuille, a strawberry matcha cream puff, a green tea and azuki bean roll, and even fresh fruits.

Also not to be missed is the candy trolley. Various jars filled different types of Japanese candies will be on display for your picking and can be placed in candy paper bags for you to take home.

How about midday drinks? Fret not, for Yakumi offers special cocktail concoctions that will refresh your palate during your course or when you’ve set down your chopsticks.

Hokkaido’s Brew mixes the crisp and refreshing Sapporo beer with a tinge of sweet and zingy notes; Umami Fizz highlights the botanical taste of Roku Gin with a more complex blend of sweet and sour with a hint of tartness; and Fukumi Navel enhances the mild but unique taste of shochu with fruity and almond tones with a touch of tang.

If you don’t want the buzz, you can look forward to homemade non-alcoholic drinks made from matcha, aloe, red bean, and coconut. There are also beers, wines, sake, chilled juices, and sodas as alternative options to quench your thirst.

Taking all these great dishes in mind (and in our belly), Solaire’s Vice President for Food and Beverage Bastian Breuer had this to say about the reopening of Yakumi’s Sunday brunch: “Our goal for Yakumi is to have a Japanese brunch where we stick to freshness, quality, and variety, and we showcase them through the craftsmanship of the people here. We asked ourselves, how can we make a brunch that keeps all the essentials of Japanese cuisine? Our chef helps us answer that. Chef Nori is very proudly Japanese and very strict with authenticity and quality, so we know that the freshness and quality of our food here is what we at Solaire stand up for.”

Taste excellent Japanese flavors once again and enjoy the abundant selection of Yakumi every Sunday of the week. Yakumi Sunday Brunch: The Art of Shun is from 11:30AM to 2:30PM. Price is at Php2,988+ per person. For more details and reservations please call 8888-8888 or visit https://www.solaireresort.com.