At 31, Anzai has already spent more than a decade working across Japan and the United States serving sushi. At 15, he became an apprentice at Sushi Masa in Higashimurayama, Tokyo, where he developed his techniques.
He stayed in Japan until he was 22 before moving to the US where he continued making sushi for six years, including a stint at Edomasa Japanese Restaurant in Santa Barbara, California. It was there that he hoped to eventually pursue a stable life. But when he was unable to secure a green card, the life he had built in the US came to an end.
“I already had work, a car, a house, and everything,” he recalls. “I hit rock bottom.” What came next was unexpected.
From Tokyo to Manila: How Chef Yuki Anzai Found a New Home for His Omakase
In 2023, Anzai traveled around southeast Asia and found himself spending two months in the Philippines, visiting Boracay, Siargao, and Davao along the way. What began as a vacation turned out to be another possibility.
Anzai began testing whether there was an audience for the kind of sushi he wanted to make in the country. He eventually moved to the Philippines and established Manila Sushi Chef in 2024. Through this business, he began offering intimate omakase dinners and private dining experiences hinged on Edomae techniques he had spent years developing.
Growth was slow. “The first few months, I didn’t get much,” he says. “But it became busier and busier, little by little.” Within a year, word of mouth had grown strong that he no longer needed to advertise.
His work opened more doors. An executive chef from Grand Hyatt Manila came across Anzai’s service and sent him a message about meeting to discuss a potential sushi pop-up.
“I thought it was a scam at first,” Anzai says.
It wasn’t. The message would eventually lead to his 10-week residency at Grand Hyatt Manila, bringing a style of sushi he had once hoped to pursue in the United States to a 12-seat counter in the city he now calls home.
Inside the Menu of Chef Yuki Anzai’s Grand Hyatt Manila Omakase
Beginning September 9 until November 14, 2026 (with two seatings each evening at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.), Tokyo-trained sushi chef Yuki Anzai takes up residence at the Round Bar of The Lounge on the second floor of Grand Hyatt Manila, bringing his interpretation of Edomae sushi to a counter experience dictated by seasonality.
The BGC hotel hosted a media dinner ahead of the pop-up, offering a preview of Anzai’s approach. The meal opened with crab and seared scallop topped with uni and tosazu jelly before moving into a sequence of nigiri: amadai or tilefish, shima aji or striped jack, hotate or scallop, otoro or fatty tuna belly, and kinmedai or splendid alfonsino.
A warm chawanmushi with crab and kinmedai followed, while fresh melon provided a clean break before dessert: miso crème brûlée and a black sesame macaron.
The exact menu, however, will vary. The dishes will depend on the ingredients that are at their best during the season and made available on that day. With only 12 seats and a menu that is evolving, no two evenings are guaranteed to unfold exactly the same way—which, for an omakase, is precisely the point. For Anzai, that only means more opportunities to showcase the skills and techniques he has honed for more than a decade.
Grand Hyatt Manila is located at 8th Avenue corner 35th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yuki Anzai is a Tokyo-trained sushi chef who apprenticed at Sushi Masa in Higashimurayama at age 15, later worked in the US including at Edomasa Japanese Restaurant in Santa Barbara, and founded Manila Sushi Chef in 2024 after relocating to the Philippines.
The residency runs September 9 to November 14, 2026, with two nightly seatings at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., at the Round Bar of The Lounge on the second floor of Grand Hyatt Manila in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
The counter seats only 12 guests per seating, keeping the Edomae-style omakase intimate and allowing the menu to shift daily based on which seasonal ingredients are at their best.
A media preview included crab and seared scallop with uni and tosazu jelly, nigiri such as amadai, shima aji, hotate, otoro, and kinmedai, chawanmushi with crab, and desserts including miso crème brûlée; the full menu changes nightly.
After founding Manila Sushi Chef in 2024 and building a following through word of mouth, Anzai was approached by an executive chef from Grand Hyatt Manila about a sushi pop-up, which developed into his 10-week counter residency.
