Restaurant Discovery: Kokoro Ramenya

Some colleagues and I decided to attend the launch of Summit Media’s newest baby, Elle Décor Philippines at the MET Museum and since we were around the area, we decided to stop by this ramen place called Kokoro Ramenya.

The place was quite empty when we arrived as it was already around 9 p.m. that time but we noticed that a handful of customers come in every 15 minutes. Not bad given it was pretty late already.

 

Kapitolyo Food Stop: Ramen Cool

As part of my 2012 plans, I will be visiting all restaurants in Kapitolyo. I have already tried Nav, Cafe Juanita, St. Geralds, Share Tea, Soho, Three Sisters, Poco Deli, Mad Marks, and Rub Ribs. Just a few more to go. Food trip anyone?

I love checking out new restaurants. I’m sure that I have mentioned this several times already (but the three words “I love salmon” must have been repeated way more). Disclaimer: I will say these again… very soon.

 

I got so excited when a colleague told me that there’s a new restaurant that recently opened near my place and where I work. (Convenient!) I-just-have-to-try-it!

Hello, Moshi Moshi!

It all started when I saw a friend posted about going to this new restaurant. The name alone was a big giveaway that the place was a Japanese restaurant. But what really made me go there was because it sells KitKat in various flavors.

 

Hello, Moshi Moshi! Redundant? Well, not really.

 

Finally, after almost 2 months of planning, I was able to visit Moshi Moshi, a restaurant owned by my new friend J (who also bought the Shiro Shiro coupons).

Moshi Moshi: Moshi Koshi Noodle Boss

My boss has been telling me about this new Japanese restaurant called Moshi Koshi and how good the food was but for some reason, every time I plan to visit that place, something happens—my sister will be crying her eyes out because of our ex-pet Kermit the hermit crab, traffic, or something else that seemed to be bizarre. But come Christmas, one of my wishes came true.

Konnichiwa, Moshi Koshi Noodle Boss!

 

The place was empty when we arrived. I guess people were too busy lining up to watch the MMFF movies. (I watched Segunda Mano which turned out to be comedic!)

 

Just like a fast food chain, you have to approach the counter and order there. I ordered Kaki-age Udon (PHP140), Ebi Tempura Teishoku (PHP185), Chicken Teriyaki Bento (PHP220) and Japanese ice cream—Coffee and Green Tea (PHP55 each). Really affordable for Japanese food, right?

 

The service was also quick. First served was the ChickenTeriyaki Bento. I was planning to have it for myself but apparently, my sister wanted it. It was served with miso soup and four side dishes, one of which was shredded chicken that seemed to be more like chicken spread (and made me crave for bread).

It was the sweet and slightly oily type of chicken teriyaki. The meat was tender and well cooked. My sister also enjoyed the sidings (and she usually ignores these little things). For a price of PHP220, it really was worth every penny (uh, cent… uhm, peso).

 

Next served was the Ebi Tempura Teishoku which came with miso soup and one siding—potato salad. The ebi tempura was not the oily and 80% bread crumbs type. The shrimps used were fresh as well. The sauce that accompanied the dish was quite sweet. I was looking for a bit of ginger taste but I’m not sure if it was very mild or if it was not there at all. It would have been nice to have ginger to add some spice.

My mom loved the kakiage udon. It was a bit sweet because of some vegetables and the broth itself. The udon was really thick and filling. I could manage to only eat one string at a time. It was a bit oily for me though. Nonetheless, it was a good dish especially during the cold and rainy days.

The highlight of my visit though was the dessert. I wasn’t really expecting much from the ice cream as Moshi Koshi’s a noodle place but the ice cream, especially the coffee flavor, was really… really good!

 

I loved the texture of the coffee ice cream. It was very smooth and it was almost like gelato. It was creamy and had that coffee taste without the bitterness of it.

 

The green tea flavor on the other hand was not as smooth as coffee. It was a bit grainy for me. But, tea lovers out there, I’m sure that you’ll enjoy this. The tea taste was very strong yet, just like the coffee flavor, it was not bitter. Ice cream love!!!

I will definitely go back to try the other dishes and of course, another round of ice cream.

Moshi Koshi is located at #431 Shaw Boulevard, corner Ideal St., Mandaluyong City. It is right across the Goldilocks plant and Puregold Shaw.

Not Just A Bakeshop: Jipan

Oh soft croissant bread stuffed with gooey chocolate filling… where did you go? That bread was the reason why I used to frequent JiPan, a Japanese inspired bread shop located at Glorietta and Megamall. When they stopped selling the bread I love the most, I was heartbroken and decided to go somewhere else till one night, we were reunited.

I never noticed that JiPan also offers savory dishes aside from bread. They have breakfast to dinner meals that are reasonably priced and some of them sound tempting. So, one night, during our last minute shopping spree, we decided to have dinner there.

 

My sister was not in the mood to eat dinner so she just ordered Corn Soup (PHP130) while my mom decided to go for the Chicken Teriyaki Set (PHP230) while I went for the Seafood Teppanyaki (PHP240) and Zaru Soba (PHP180). I also ordered Papaya Shake (just to avoid possible indigestion).

A Tummy Samba Day at Sambo Kojin

I was pretty excited when my dad finally agreed to have lunch with me and my sister at Sambo Kojin. I’ve always wanted to dine there as I heard that the food’s pretty good. Finally, I got to go there with my one and only dad (you see, we hardly eat out together so this is one special day for me). :)

As we entered Sambo Kojin (at the second floor of the Kamayan, Dad’s, and Saisaki building along EDSA), we were greeted by the waiters and they assisted us to three different tables (yes, my dad was very particular with where to seat).

Look. Select. Eat.

I was a bit disappointed with the variety. Well, I understand that it was a Korean and Japanese restaurant but I was somehow hoping that there would be more.

This looks pretty sad. :(

Anyway, my first pick was salmon sashimi. My dad asked for the newly sliced cuts and true enough it seemed to be fresher. It was the type that sort of melts in your mouth. Oh love~

The next ones I took were assorted maki and sushi. (I totally forgot to get some ebi sushi. I concentrated too much on salmon.) The makis were your typical makis. The salmon sushi felt a bit old and dry. And the one wrapped in kani was a mouthful (literally) but I liked it. 

My next plate was filled with all things fried or breaded. It was nothing special though. The tempura (from my sister's plate) and the ebi fry were well-cooked. Both were crispy yet the shrimp inside was not dry. The katsudon though was extremely dry and it seemed that it was cooked twice (not exactly how Bon Chon does it) and the meat was very tough.

I also had fish teppan which was yummy. I decided not to eat the green peppers though to give me more space for the other dishes I got. More space for seafood, gyoza and chapchae and another round of salmon sashimi. I loved the chapchae!

My dad took some meat and seafood to grill. I was a bit iffy about grilling though as it is the usual culprit of food poisoning. But my dad kept on giving me and my sister meat and seafood to eat. Oh well. I liked the asparagus wrapped in bacon. It was really good. It didn’t make me feel so guilty since it was somehow “half” healthy.

It was also my first time to eat sea urchin. Since I was a newbie, I was not aware that I had to eat it with soy full of wasabi to prevent food poisoning. Nonetheless, it was very interesting. (I had an upset stomach afterwards but I think it was because of overeating and not the sea urchin.)

We also had some fried rice which was really good. It was the sticky fried rice. (Don’t eat a lot of it though as it is a bit heavy.)

I was pretty excited with the dessert section. I did my very best to ignore it while getting my sashimi. And I was truly surprised when I finally stopped by for my sugar fix.

It was too few. :(

I had no idea where to start because I didn’t find any of the sweets appetizing.

I decided to get one piece of apple on a stick (and dipped it in chocolate), a cupcake, brownie, cookies, and chocolate ice cream. To make it short, I liked the ice cream. No comment on the other desserts.

Yakimix? Check! Sambo Kojin? Check! Next stop… VIKINGS.

Rates:

LUNCH (Mon to Fri) No Left Over Price is P 495 (with left over add P100 only)*Except for Holidays
LUNCH (Sat & Sun) No Left Over Price is P 595 (with left over add P100 only)
DINNER (Mon to Sun) No Left Over Price is P 595 (with left over add P100 only)
For children 4 ft below- No Left Over Price is P 295 (with left over add P100 only)

Sambo Kojin is located at 207 EDSA, Greenhills, Mandaluyong City and Eastwood Citywalk, Quezon City.

Restaurant Discovery: Asagao

I used to frequent Pearl Plaza for lunch or early dinner during my college days and I missed it so much (and more so when my colleagues and I had lunch there a few months ago).

So many things changed. I noticed that there are new restaurants around thus I asked my mom to have our early dinner there instead of the usual mall-based restaurants.

I really missed Pearl Plaza. It used to be my third home (UA&P as my second).

We checked around and we were stuck between Adobo Republic and Asagao. Since my mom was not in the mood for adobo (well, I was not sure if they serve other dishes), we went to Asagao.

The place had very simple interior… not intimidating making it very welcoming to students.

SELF SERVICE

After 30 seconds of the servers’ non-movement, we realized that we had to approach the counter to order. Well, there was a small sign near the counter as well. I guess we got spoiled with the other restaurants.

We ordered Beef Teppan (PHP215), California Maki (PHP125), and Salmon Sashimi (PHP210).

First dish that arrived was the California Maki.

Well, it was the typical California Maki. The thing I liked about it though was that it used Japanese rice and not the usual that was cooked with too much water.

Next served was the Salmon Sashimi.

At first, I thought that the salmon was not fresh because the color was a bit different from those I’ve tried before. But I was proven wrong after taking a bite. It was sliced a bit thick but it was still the soft salmon that almost melts in your mouth sashimi love. For PHP210, it was a steal!

As for the Beef Teppan, it was average.

The beef was tender but it seemed to be a bit too oily and salty (I guess it should be eaten with rice). Also, the vegetables were a bit too hard. I wasn’t so sure if the vegetables were meant to be served a bit raw. It added some crunch though.

The place offers pretty good Japanese food at student-friendly prices. Not bad at all.

Asagao by Kamirori is located at Pearl Plaza, Pearl Drive, Ortigas, Pasig City.