Kitchen Hacks: Japanese Curry with House Foods

I am a big fan of Japanese cuisine but there are some dishes that I am not very fond of. I could name a few off the bat... nattō and shirako. I used to add curry in that list but I grew to love Japanese curry a few years back. And I've recently found another way to have it on a regular basis--with House Foods' curries!

Hello, House Foods!

House Foods recently sent some of its bestselling curry packs for me to try and I excitedly read how to prepare each one. 

Restaurant Love: Tsumura Sushi Bar & Restaurant

Rainy days call for warm and comforting dishes. I'd often find myself stuck and married to my bed on days the sun is shy but the idea of indulging in good food is always very tempting. And so, I headed to Makati with R and his family for lunch on one gloomy Sunday. 

Hello, Tsumura Sushi Bar & Restaurant.

This underrated Japanese restaurant in Salcedo Village is one of the restaurants R brought me when we were still dating. I was so glad that he brought me here and made me discover salmon aburi. 

Revisited: Genki Sushi

A concept born in 1968, Genki Sushi has grown from a Japanese sushi bar into an international brand. It opened its first store in Manila 3 years ago and it has been expanding ever since. Its success can be attributed to its extensive menu of pocket-friendly sushi and maki and interesting way of having it served. And Genki Sushi beefed up its offerings even more by adding bentos and rice toppings. 

Hello, Genki Sushi. 

It has been a long while since my last visit at this quirky sushi bar. I still recall how much fun I had ordering my favorites and the giddiness I felt whenever my "race car" or "train" arrives with my orders. This time around, I didn't focus much on the novelty of how the food's delivered and focused more on the dishes. And for this visit, I got to try some of Genki Sushi's newest dishes. 

First Bite: Kenshin Japanese Restaurant

I love pretending to be a master chef like Gordon Ramsey. Though I may lack the skills to do all those French culinary terms, I appreciate that there are several restaurants now that let us experience cooking our own meals. We have grill your own Korean barbecue, create your own pancake, mix your own hotpot and make your own takoyaki. Yes, I'm talking about those famous Japanese street food treats. 

Hello, Kenshin Japanese Restaurant.

This Japanese restaurant along Yakal Street is a gem in the city. 

First Bite: Maisen BGC

I was so excited when I found out that my good friend F accepted a job offer near my office. I finally have someone to drag with me for random cravings or sudden desire to burn some cash. (And by cash, I mean less than PHP500.) After two weeks of planning, we finally decided to have lunch one Friday at the newly opened Maisen branch at Shangri-La, Fort.

Hello, Maisen!

I headed straight to the new Japanese restaurant in town as I was expecting a long queue. (Maisen had an opening promo where they offered their 80g katsu for less than PHP100 for its first two days.) Luckily, there were a few seats by the bar so I managed to skip the queue and got a seat for me and my friend. 

As I waited for F, I read the menu highlighting Maisen’s new offerings and was curious with Cold Udon (PHP175). After a few more minutes, I decided to order it and paired it with a glass of Calamansi with Grenadine Iced Tea (PHP100, refillable).

Soon, F arrived and ordered a katsu set which I wasn’t able to take note of as I was too hungry as I skipped breakfast. 

While waiting for our orders, I took a peek of the main dining area of Maisen and was surprised that it was pretty small. I think a max of 40 diners will fit the air conditioned area. 

First Bite: Yayoi Philippines

It is so hard to resist good food especially when your foodie godfather invites you to the media launch of a Japanese restaurant. This time, the invite was for Yayoi, a reputable Japanese restaurant with branches all over Japan, USA, Australia, and now in Manila. 

Hello, Yayoi! 

I've heard about Yayoi from one of my friends working in Ortigas. He was quite excited to try this place out since he was starting to get tired of the usual restaurants in one of the busiest malls in Manila. And finally, it is open to the public! 

After crawling our way out of EDSA for half an hour, we finally reached SM Megamall and scurried towards Yayoi. And we made it just in time! 

We were greeted by the friendly PR team and owners of Yayoi. We were quickly ushered inside and I couldn't help gush over the mix of traditional Japanese ambiance with its wooden walls and technology through the iPads stationed on each table. (The iPads serve as the menu and platform to place your order.)

After feasting on some Edamame (PHP120), we headed to the photo table and joined other bloggers, media personalities and Instagrammers take some mouthwatering photos of Yayoi's highlighted offerings. 

Our orders were served after the welcome remarks of the hosts and we soon indulged in some serious Japanese dishes. 

First served was the Mix Toji Teishoku (PHP425) or breaded pork loin, deep fried shrimp and sukiyaki beef simmered in special sauce and egg served with rice, miso soup and two sides. 

I loved the sweet and salty taste of the sauce which complemented the succulent katsu and breaded shrimp. I also enjoyed eating the egg base with Japanese rice while slurping some hot miso soup. The tofu side dish helped balance the taste and avoided the main dish from being cloying. 

Love at First Bite: Asakusa Home of Tempura

I have been dying to visit this tempura place at The Grove for months but it gets cancelled every single time. I blame the lazy weekend bug! There was one time though when we finally braved the Saturday traffic and we were greeted by… a closed sign. I heard my heart break and my tummy whine the moment I saw the glass door signage. But the Year of the Monkey seems to be my year as when R and I visited The Grove during Chinese New Year for dinner, the place I have been eying for months was open. OPEN! *insert creepy mega giant smile here*

Hello, Asakusa! 

The foodie in me found it so surreal that I finally managed to get inside the “home of tempura”. It was a long wait and I hope that it won’t disappoint.

Famished, we ordered Salmon Salad (PHP208), Emperor Tempura Set (PHP578) and Gyudon (PHP288). For beverage, we settled with the complimentary house tea.    

Service was quick as it was not even past the 5 minute mark when the salmon salad was served.

I loved it! The fresh salmon cuts drizzled with what seemed to be teriyaki sauce went really well with the crisp veggies and tempura flakes. The contrast between the soft and crunchy textures was delightful as well. Though flavor was a tad strong as appetizer, it was still a great starter!

Gyudon was served next and we were perplexed with its appearance. It did not look like the gyudon we know. The meat looked a bit too dark. Tastewise, the flavor was overpowering. It was too sweet for gyudon. 

Restaurant Love: Yabu House of Katsu

You better watch out, you better not cry. You better not pout, I’m telling you why. Christmas break is a few days away! Yeeeey! And I am now feeling it with all these Christmas dinners and meet ups. I love it! Come here holiday fats! *hug* :D

It has been a tradition in our department to organize a simple Christmas dinner where we share a nice meal together and exchange gifts. But since we were extra busy (and poor) this year, we decided to scrap the second one and just focused on the fattening part.

This time, we decided to have dinner at Yabu and since it’s not exactly a new restaurant, I made sure that I order something different. I remember a post on Yabu’s Menchi Katsu Burger (PHP380) and decided to get that one.

When we arrived, the early birds already secured a long table for us. (And it was not a picnic to get one as they waited for half an hour outside as Yabu requires them to place all our orders before getting a table).

It took a while before my dish was served. I was starving to the point of me feeling my cheekbones becoming more prominent and my tummy digesting my tummy. And to distract myself from the World War III happening inside my body, I decided to read the comic strip on the wall which was quite funny. (Katsu solves family feuds.)

Love at First Bite: Nihonkai Tsukiji

I love it when I randomly discover a good restaurant. It makes me feel that I deserve a Dora the Explorer badge or something. Anyway, I felt that two weeks ago when I discovered Nihonkai Tsukiji.

Hello, Nihonkai Tsukiji.

The place isn’t something that you would instantly notice as the signage of this Japanese restaurant is quite discreet.

Upon entering, I noticed the notable attentiveness of the crew. They instantly handed the menu and one Japanese guy (I’m assuming is the owner) pulled a chair for me to put my bag on.

We ordered Salmon Aburi (PHP85/piece), Salmon Sashimi (PHP340), Makunochi Bento (PHP400) and Tempura Moriawase (PHP380).

First served was the salmon aburi and it was great! The cut was generous and the salmon was fresh. R really liked it and wanted to cancel the salmon sashimi for more of the aburi but the chef already prepared the salmon sashimi.  

The salmon sashimi was served next and it was pretty good too. Again, they used fresh salmon.

I Yab U Yabu: The House of Katsu

New restaurant. Long lines. So much buzz. I JUST HAVE TO DINE THERE. Yes, that’s pretty much my train of thought whenever I go out.

There’s this new Japanese restaurant at SM Megamall Atrium and the traffic seemed to be endless. My boss, Frannywanny, was the one who introduced Yabu: The House of Katsu to me and I instantly fell in love with it even without trying the food yet. Tonkatsu? Katsudon? KATSU?! LOVE.

As an ultimate Japanese food lover, I’m always open to try new Japanese restaurants (or eat all you can places—for salmon sashimi!). My first attempt to dine there was a total failure as we went during lunch break and the line was crazy. I didn’t know that I had to reserve to make sure we could get a table. The second attempt was a failure as well as I tried to invite my mom to have lunch there and she told me that I kept on bugging her to make salad for me yet I pig out all the time plus our lunch out trips were starting to bother her especially when she receives her credit card bills.

But my long wait (fine, it wasn’t really long but one week of waiting for katsudon was quite hard for me) was over. I managed to invite a few friends to check the place out with me. (Actually, I was even willing to reserving a table for one as I cannot wait much further.)

Woohoo! Finally, Saturday! 

A friend and I met at around 12:30 pm (at the brink of me passing out due to hunger). I was so glad that we managed to get seats right away (and we should since I asked for us to be waitlisted for 12:30 pm). We managed to get a table right beside… Gabby Eigenmann’s! (Just sharing.)