Tokyo Tokyo Launches Sisig Ramen

Tokyo Tokyo is one of my go to places for affordable Japanese food. I still recall my college days when I'd grab an order of its tempura and pair it with its refreshing red iced tea. And Tokyo Tokyo continues to remain relevant in the food industry by innovating and offering new products to the ever growing demanding market. This time, this popular Japanese restaurant chain came up with something quite Filipino. 

Hello, Tokyo Tokyo. 

We all know Tokyo Tokyo for its crisp tempura and bang for the buck bento meals. It recently launched its Nori Tempura which tickled seaweed lovers' taste buds. And just a few weeks later, it launched a new dish that would pique the interest of ramen lovers. 

First Bite: Taisho

Ramen never fail to make my eyes sparkle. Just thinking about twirling noodles and slurping its rich yet delicate broth brings so much happy vibes. And last Tuesday, R and I visited an off the radar ramen joint in SM North Edsa.

Hello, Taisho.

This ramen and teppanyaki restaurant has been around for a few years now at SM Light Mall. It recently moved to SM North adding more Japanese selection to the bustling mall. 

New Year New Dishes: Osaka Ohsho Latest Offerings

I usually avoid SM Megamall because of the insane traffic that seems to surround the well-loved mall. However, I simply could not say no to The Relish Group’s invite especially if it means feasting on some Japanese treats. And so, I found myself braving the traffic one Wednesday night. 

Hello, Osaka Ohsho!

Restaurant Love: Nihonkai Tsukiji

R suddenly message me, “What are you craving for?” around 5 p.m. last Thursday. (No, I am not pregnant in case you’re wondering.) I wasn’t really craving for anything in particular but it has been a while since I last had uni sashimi. So I replied saying I want a gooey piece of heaven. He then told me that his dad wants to eat out and we’ll eat wherever I choose. Woohoo! Thank you, Uncle H!

Hello, Nihonkai Tsukiji!

It has been quite a while since I last went to this Japanese restaurant! It may not be as popular as other restaurants like Tsumura, Seryna or Senju but this place serves great food!

We were all famished and quickly ordered a bunch of Salmon Aburi (PHP95/piece x 16), Uni Sashimi (PHP320), Salmon Sashimi (PHP375), Sukiyaki (PHP450), Spicy Tuna (PHP360) and Ebi-Ten Roll (PHP375). Auntie and Uncle also ordered Agedashi Tofu (PHP170), Salmon Belly (PHP320), Chicken Teriyaki (PHP275), Salmon Head (PHP275), Nihonkai Special Bento (PHP1,050) and ramen bowl which I failed to take note of. 

Service was quick as always and our salmon aburi was served first. 

It was so fresh and the type that melts in your mouth. I loved that it was torched and the warmth of the salmon was so harmonious with the slightly cold Japanese rice. 

The uni sashimi was the best! Its freshness was evident with its lovely sweet taste and smooth texture. It was love at first bite. I wanted to order another bowl but I was afraid I might get an upset tummy. 

First Bite: L&L Hawaiian BBQ

Shangri-la Plaza Mall is one of my favorite restaurants but lately, nothing seems to be new there. And I realized that its cinema seats are really old! I noticed it when I decided to linger and finish the credits. Eventually, my love for the mall started to dwindle. (And I live far from it now.) But since my mom and sister find the place convenient, we still spend family time there and a few weekends ago, I discovered a new Hawaiian barbeque place called L&L Hawaiian BBQ.

Aloha, L&L Hawaiian BBQ!

This restaurant took the place of the well-loved Trattoria Gourmet.  The first thing I noticed was the surf board menu which gave me an idea of what they serve… barbequed and breaded meat.

It was easy to choose what to order since there are not a lot of dishes to choose from. We decided to order Seafood Combo Platter (PHP285), Garlic Fish (PHP220) and Chicken Katsu (PHP195).

Service was pretty quick too. It took them less than 10 minutes to prepare our meal. Well, with its plating, you can tell.

My seafood combo—shrimp tempura, breaded fish and chicken teriyaki—was good but nothing special. The breaded fish is best to be enjoyed with tartar sauce. The shrimp tempura was okay though I felt that it was too small.

The chicken katsu was plated in a chaotic way since the plate was not big enough for the katsu. My sister enjoyed it with tartar sauce while my mom and I liked it with the katsu sauce (which had a slight tangy taste). She totally ignored the macaroni salad.

First Bite: Nori Sushi Burrito x Yakitori in Kapitolyo

After several months, I am back, Kapitolyo! I read a couple of restaurant reviews on the new establishments in Kapitolyo, one of which is Nori. Since it has been getting a lot of buzz, I decided to invite my mom, sister and R to have lunch there last Sunday.

Hello, Nori!

Just like most Kapitolyo restaurants, parking is a challenge. Luckily, R and I were early and got the one and only parking of the restaurant. My mom came in a bit later and she parked a block away. 

The menu is simple and you only have a handful of options to choose from which makes ordering easier for the fickle-minded. We ordered Bacon Crab Sticks (PHP39/stick), Chicken Yakitori (PHP39/stick), Mojos (PHP69), Chicken Teriyaki Burrito (PHP149), Beef Bulgogi Burrito (PHP169), Miso Glazed Salmon Burrito (PHP189), Angus Beef Teriyaki (PHP119) with one raw egg (PHP10). We also ordered house blend iced tea (PHP55).

First served were our drinks and mojos. The iced tea was sweet yet refreshing. It went well with the mojos which were thinly sliced and nicely spiced. I also enjoyed dipping the mojos with the Wasabi Mayo (which was not spicy at all).

Next served was my Miso Glazed Salmon Burrito. I liked the sweet sauce but I find it a bit off with the cabbage for some reason. The salmon was also a bit dry. And it was messy to eat. The fried potato chips on the side added a nice texture to the dish but it was slightly burnt having a bitter taste.

The yakitori sticks soon followed and the Bacon Crab Stick is literally crab sticks with bacon. It was okay though quite oily. The chicken yakitori was pretty ordinary too. Both were a bit salty so it might be good to eat it with rice.

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).