FOODQUESTS

Showing posts with label japanese. Show all posts

Octoboy (Tomas Morato, Quezon City)

If you've followed our earlier food adventures, you would have noticed that we like Japanese food. Not only the usual tempura or katsu, but also more Japanese-y foods. Like takoyaki (balls of wheat flour with all sorts of flavorings, fillings and toppings) and okonomiyaki (the heftier pancake version of the takoyaki). We've had a lot of takoyaki, and so far the BEST kind in this country comes from Octoboy. Of course, that's their specialty. Most of their outlets only serve takoyaki, but their main store in Tomas Morato, Quezon City serves all kinds of Japanese food. Even okonomiyaki. We just had to go to the mothership to sample all the goodness.

First up was some takoyaki. They serve 3 flavors - octopus, shrimp and bacon. The service was a bit slow, but after some time we were able to eat. It's really surprising how good this stuff makes you feel. It's got a sweetness from the mayonnaise and the sauce, and some mild seafood flavors from the fillings (except for the bacon). The main restaurant serves theirs kind of overcooked though, we prefer it with a little less charring. But still, good, smooth tasting carbohydrate fun. Oh, and the octopus inside is real, it's got a nice firm texture to it, as opposed to squid which is a bit softer.

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SumoSam (Gateway Mall)

Here we are again, lunchtime at the Gateway mall in Quezon City. It's Japanese day today, so to Sumo Sam we go. We've eaten here before, but not at this particular branch, so we expected the usual Sumo Sam dining characteristics: good taste, big servings, and value for money. We ordered some of their tempura ramen to share. It's good for about 1-2 people, depends on how hungry you/you and your companion are. If If I remember correctly, it's a tonkotsu base - so it's a mildly sweet but bold (porky) flavor. Tempura was the usual - nice and fluffy. Could have used more but, well we were sharing.

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HOKKAIDO RAMEN SANTOUKA (Glorietta 4)

The first time we went here, the place was full of people. Seems to be famous, we thought. So we decided to try it another time. And a few weeks later, we did (at our usual late lunch hour). Located on the ground floor outside of Glorietta 2 (facing SM Makati), it may be hard to find for some. But a little wandering around and you will eventually find it. It has this big sign after all.

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Sambokojin (Eastwood)

Ah Sambo Kojin. For us, it's the standard by which we judge all other non-hotel buffets. When we first went there, it was a real treat. You get many good food selections, Japanese and Korean food, at a not-too-expensive price. Plus their Eastwood branch is easily accessible from where we live :). So we decided to document one of our recent trips there, to see how things are at our buffet of choice. Hint: mmmm.

Like what we said before, there's a lot of choices for food, cooked or cookable. From Japanese style katsu to Korean Kimchi, from chilled green salads to hot soup, from the grilled-at-your-table meat dishes that used to walk or used to swim, I think it's safe to say that everyone will find something nice to eat here. Chesca starts off with her usual sushi and sashimi plate, and it's great, as usual. The sushi was a little large though, so it may be hard to eat in one gulp, but we're not complaining.

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Ganso-Shabuway (Greenbelt)

Continuing our shabu-shabu tour, here now is Ganso Shabuway (in Greenbelt 5). Back in the day, we always just passed by this place wondering what the food was like (then ending up getting drawn into the Pepper Lunch nearby). When we finally got the chance, I had a cold; had to wait for another visit to do a proper review :)

Think of the place as a more "high brow" version of Tong Yang, minus the buffet. You've got your soup base in the middle, and then you can order the stuff you dunk into said soup. You can choose between a spicy or a more plain soup, or both like we did. The plain flavor (I think it was seaweed based?) had a very light flavor to it. A little too light for us, which is why we preferred the spicier soup. It had a nice blend of chili and garlic flavor in it that really warms you up. I remember the first time we were here, even if I couldn't really taste the soup, I could feel some chili-induced pain on my tongue :D. Ganso Shabuway also has some chopped leeks, chopped garlic and chili sauce on the side, as well some Ponzu sauce (fancy Japanese word for toyo-mansi) and a creamy, almost peanut-buttery tasting sauce. A nice contrast between the two meat dipping sauces.

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Wrong Ramen (Burgos Circle, Taguig)

One rainy day we visited the famous Wrong Ramen at the Burgos Circle. We've heard plenty of buzz surrounding this place so we decided to finally give it a try.

The place is actually quite small (or cozy, as some people say). The upper floor was closed off that day so we could only see the first floor. There's space for about 6 people in front of the kitchen/counter area, plus maybe 3 or 4 more people along the windows. The tables have little wooden walls (a few inches tall) between each diner's area; kind of reminded me of taking an exam. There's a lot of quirky things going on in the store, take these salt and pepper shakers for instance. I'll leave it to you to find the other things in there, because there's a lot of things to see. The place really made me feel as if a young-ish yuppie/hipster designed the interior. And not to mention the menu (which has quite a bit of witty writing in it).

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Saboten (Serendra, BGC)

Katsu restaurants seem to be sprouting up everywhere nowadays. Happy days for us :). But for these eateries, it's getting harder and harder to stand out in the crowd. It'll take a certain "something more" for a katsu place to really leave it's mark. Enter one such place, Saboten. Located in the upscale confines of Serendra (in BGC), the place provides a neat and peaceful venue for a date or small gathering. They even have a pebble-lined walkway from the door to the first few tables - very Zen-like. Oh, and they serve real green tea! Not that rice tea stuff everybody else gives out - let's be honest, that rice tea tastes like the washings of a rice cooker that had loads of burnt rice on it.

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Sakura (Glorietta 4)

In your trips to Glorietta 4, you may have missed this little Japanese eatery along the second floor. Sakura is right beside non-food shops, so that's understandable. Since the shop is pretty small, most of the tables are located along the corridor/walkway of the mall. This might be a turn off for people who don't like to have passers by within reach. Chesca and I've been here around once or twice before, and the food was ok. We stopped by today for a little ramen.

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Marufuku (Ortigas)

Marufuku is a small but fancy-looking Japanese restaurant hidden away at the edges of the Ortigas Center (along San Miguel Ave.). It offers a quiet, peaceful ambiance; everything just looks so neat and clean. Very Japanese indeed. The appetizer was some deep fried little anchovies (okay, they're dilis). Crunchy with a sweet and nutty flavor, this is a nice preparation for your taste buds for the good stuff to come :).

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Little Tokyo: Riozen & Hana (Makati)

Like Japanese food? Looking for a quiet, secluded place to eat in the middle of the Makati CBD? Then you should pay a visit to Little Tokyo in Pasong Tamo (aka Don Chino Roces Avenue). It's actually a collection of small restaurants owned by Japanese expatriates, serving all sorts of authentic Japanese dishes. We've been here lots of times before; usually we have the okonomiyaki from that one joint inside that serves the stuff (review to follow :)).

Today, we went to one of the other stores inside the complex, Riozen. Chesca had some of the salmon sashimi to start off with. Even though it was the small sized portion we ordered, the salmon slices were quite generously proportioned. Well, compared to every other place we've been to, anyway. Fresh and sweet-tasting (almost), this was some very good sashimi. We noticed that the soy sauce they have tasted a bit different from the usual Kikkoman soy sauce. It had a sort of savory flavor to it (maybe it was some MSG?), it complemented the mild flavor of the salmon quite well.