Is Joed’s Lutong Hapon just hype?

People have been raving about the Japanese style carinderia that is Joed’s Lutong Hapon (literally, Japanese cooking) with many blogger friends attesting to its tasty Japanese dishes at cheap prices that I got curious with it. Can tasty + cheap = Japanese cuisine go hand in hand?

When I was in Cebu last week, I went to their new location at Capitol Site and was looking forward to dining there, ordering two items: california maki and yakisuba. But when the order did arrive, something’s just telling me that its not just right.

Taste wise, both were just so so and I was kind of disappointed with the former. It’s not california maki. It’s just ordinary sushi with fish roe, not the typical inverted nori wrapping with the rice coated with the orange fish eggs and was just too rubbery.

The yakisuba also failed to excite my taste buds and was rather disappointed that it was just too oily and tasted flat. The ambiance is also uninviting with the interior, though spacious, is dimly lit.

I’m not sure if I miss something, despite both dishes having must try labels in their menu. Was it just a hit and miss affair? Or, Joed’s is just good for cheap Japanese food and nothing else? Really, I’m not that enthusiastic to go back again and try their other dishes.

Joed’s Lutong Hapon
Don Jose Avila St.
Capitol Site
Cebu City
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