Sizzlin' Steak / Sushi Boy in Ayala Center Cebu

Do you know how there are restaurants in your local area that you see almost everytime but never really had the urge to try it? 

This was the case for Sizzlin' Steak / Sushi Boy in Ayala Center Cebu. Maybe because I've never heard anyone rave about it or even talked about it or maybe it just never drew me in. 

I went there with my boyfriend when he craved for steak again one time and here's our honest experience:

Ambiance

When we dined there, the entrance to Sizzlin' Steak was not available but we entered through Sushi Boy. It was only then that we realised that the restaurants are "combined".  The only opened area at that time was the one for Sushi Boy. However, we were able to look at and order from both menus from where we were seated.

The restaurant had Japanese-inspired interiors but was a little gloomy for my liking. The aircon also was not very cold. There were only three groups dining that time but it still felt a little cramped - maybe this is just a personal non-preference.

Service

As I mentioned, there were only three groups of people dining at that time and there was more than enough service crew but they were all staying together in the farther end of the restaurant. It was a struggle to get anyone's attention. There was a nice lady who served us and she did really great, she was all smiles and she deserves some kudos.

I always try to be the most understanding for food and service workers in general because it is not easy having to deal with almost all types of people in a day's work but I really think their service could do a bit better.

Food

We ordered two meals - one for each restaurant. My boyfriend had the ribeye steak while I had the pork tonkatso.

My boyfriend was asked for his preference for the doneness of the steak and he requested medium rare. What arrived looked like this:

The meat looked raw and maybe it really was. We figured since the plate was hot and sizzling, it would eventually cook the meat to medium rare.

We gave it a few minutes and it turned to this:

Since the plate was hot, the meat continued to cook all throughout. When he started to eat, even if it was just a few minutes, the meat was no longer medium rare. It was well done and by the time that he was almost done eating, the meat was beyond well done.

What we didn't get is why there was a need to ask for the preference for the doneness of the steak when it will end up well done anyway. My boyfriend still liked his meal and said that it tasted really nice, but he would have preferred it to be medium rare. If you're the kind of person who has very specific preference for his steak, you will be disappointed with this.

I got the Pork Tonkatsu and I really liked it a lot. Sushi Boy has their tonkatsu done right. The flavours were all just right and very enjoyable. The pork was not oily. I was able to finish an entire big bowl and I enjoyed my food so much.

In conclusion...

We liked our food but we weren't highly impressed. The steak costs more than what you could get at Acacia but the steak in Acacia's was still so much better. I know they're two different dining styles but if you're just going to spend for steak, just spend it on a good place.

Sushi Boy's Tonkatsu took home the medal that night. 

It wouldn't be a place that we'll think of going back over and over again but it still wasn't terrible.

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