First Bite: Bento & Co

There's a new Japanese restaurant in Quezon City and it offers bento boxes and other favorites at pocket friendly prices. Bento & Co is one of the handful restaurants in the food complex along Lazcano and Mother Ignacia and it was one of my stops during a food crawl with some of my favorite foodies. 

Hello, Bento & Co! 

Specializing on the usual Japanese dishes like teriyaki, tempura, yakiniku, sashimi, ramen and the like, you'd surely be motivated to create your dream bento box. 

To create your own bento, you start with choosing your base from the options below then top it off with your preferred viand from its teriyaki, teppanyaki, tempura, and yakiniku viands.

First Bite: Teppan Okochi

We've been searching for good wagyu places for almost a month now ever since our favorite Buta + Wagyu closed. We've been to Wagyu Japanese Beef which was said to be very close to our love but we found it different and underwhelming. This time around, we decided to go with Teppan Okochi, a new Japanese teppan restaurant raved by many. 

Hello, Teppan Okochi. 

It was a sudden decision for us to dine here as we originally planned to have dinner at Edsa Shangri-La's Senju. However, R's dad suggested that we try something new so I thought of Teppan Okochi which is just two months old. 

First Bite: UMU Japanese Restaurant, Dusit Thani

I hardly visit Makati on a weeknight as I try my best to avoid wrinkles caused by stress and road rage. But this whole I-will-not-go-to-Makati is often forgotten when the words "free food" is in the picture. Oh gluttony, no wonder you’re part of the seven capital sins. Anyway, R invited me to join him, his parents and some of their company’s VPs for dinner at Dusit Thani. And since we’re talking about good food, I quickly said yes.

Hello, UMA!

UMA is Dusit Thani’s Japanese restaurant tucked inside the ground floor of the fancy looking hotel. We were welcomed by wait staff donned in kimonos and they quickly ushered us inside the huge restaurant. 

It is well decorated and every corner looks very Japanese. 

We spotted private dining rooms with Japanese sliding doors, a Japanese stone garden and lovely orchids on our way to our teppan table.

The teppan area is a bit cramped so make sure that you have done your business before sitting down. 

First served was our fish appetizer on some salty clear sauce. It didn’t really leave much impression except that the fish was rather chewy because of its skin.

The ginormous California Maki was served next and it made me wonder if I was just hungry but it was pretty good. The Japanese rice was delectable and wasn’t the type that would make you think if you were munching on rice or paste. 

The mango, kani and other ingredients also delighted my tastebuds. 

Second Bite: Haru Sushi Bar and Restaurant

I’m so thankful that I could visit Kapitolyo anytime I want. I witness it bloom from a quiet residential area to a busy foodie district. I still can’t say I conquered Kapitolyo as every time I’m just a restaurant or two away, a bunch of restaurants open! (I’m not complaining though.) Last Saturday, I was supposed to go on a food trip with E but my tummy didn’t want to cooperate so we ended up having a quick lunch at Haru.

Hello, Haru!

Haru is one of my favorite restaurants in Kapitolyo. Charming décor and delicious food is always a winning combo!

E’s assorted sushi

Since it was quite warm that day, I opted to get Zaru Soba (PHP180), Seafood Teppanyaki (PHP335), Sake Sashimi (PHP308), and Guyabano Shake (PHP84). E went with a bowl of ramen and a plate of assorted sushi.

My salmon sashimi was served first; and as before, it was love. Thick cuts of fresh salmon… it was heavenly!

Restaurant Discovery: Moku Japanese Cuisine

I have been planning to visit the Japanese restaurant on the second floor of the Korean restaurant Lee Hak but the pull of the other restaurants in Kapitolyo was just too strong. But I finally had the chance to visit Moku Japanese Cuisine a few Fridays back when the crazy traffic made us stay in Pioneer.

I was famished. Crazy famished. In short, I was in my HANGRY state. It took us a while to realize that the only way to get inside Moku is through Lee Hak. The guard told us we have to ride an elevator and there ARE NO ELEVATORS in Pioneer Center. I know. I’m a Pioneer Center girl. Anyway, we circled around the area for 10 minutes or so before we realize that we have to get inside the Korean restaurant to get in the Japanese restaurant. There is definitely a lack of signages. Grr.

Hello, Moku. I had a hard time finding you.

I was delighted though with the set up. It was prettier than I thought it would be. There were three (or was it four) teppan tables in the middle and several tables with comfy couches on the side.

I quickly ordered the following: Teppan/Maki/Sushi (PHP1180), Salmon Sashimi (PHP290), Cold Soba (PHP250). My sister ordered Oyakodon (PHP220) as she’s not too keen with teppanyaki. We also ordered house iced tea.

The iced tea arrived first and it was… bland. Oh well. At least it won’t make us thirsty.

The teppan master (I’m not really sure how they are called) asked us if we want a “performance” and we said yes. Hey, take advantage of it! Teppan meals are not cheap. (Well, he failed a few times but it was still entertaining.)

 

We enjoyed watching him throw stuff in the air while we munch on our crisp salad. I liked it so much that I also ate my sister’s share.

 

The miso soup was your usual miso soup.

They then served some Korean side dishes. I got slightly confused there. But hey, free food!

The salmon sashimi arrived next and it was thick and fresh. I enjoyed it a lot! It was bliss. <3 However, they seem to have some intense hatred with wasabi. They placed too much on my dip.

The bean sprouts and the beef teppan went well together. The beef was juicy and was cooked well. It doesn’t even need to be dipped in the sauce.

Restaurant Love: Haru Sushi Bar and Restaurant

I have been pretty inactive with Couchsurfing for a few years now. The only way to lure me to reply to posts or appear in gatherings would be food. My friends know that. Alcohol, parties, or whatnot are not appealing to a cat-lady-without-a-cat me. And living near Kapitolyo has been a blessing for me to guide fellow foodies where to eat. However, there's this one place I always miss whenever I eat there. Haru Sushi Bar and Restaurant! It opened last year but I never had the chance to eat there. But finally, someone was game to try it with me.

Haru, Haru! (Hello, Hello! Okay, I killed the joke.)

I was pretty impressed with the interiors. It is so... Japanese. There are umbrellas and little bridges, and even musical instruments all over the place. Good job there!

I find the way to call the server really charming. We just have to ring the bell that's stringed to the ceiling. The server was very attentive too but failed to give much recommendations. But we managed and settled for the following: Salmon Sashimi (PHP308), Tuna Sashimi (PHP198), Tori Kuwayaki (PHP258), and U.S. Beef Rib Eye Teppanyaki (PHP598). 

 

The service was pretty quick as I would give it an estimate of 15 minutes before they served the first dishes.

After one bite of the salmon sashimi, I went to sashimi heaven! At that moment, I was the ideal customer of restaurateurs as I was so giddy munching on my food. The salmon was fresh and it was milky as well. Oh salmooooon~

Restaurant Discovery: Akira The Art of Sushi and Teppanyaki

I think I have mentioned way too much already how much I love Japanese food. My friends know how to lure me out of my hibernation mode... Japanese food, new restaurant, or eat all you can. Why am I so easy to bribe? WHY?

My AmCham friends and I decided to have a reunion since it has been 5 years since we all first met. From a batch of 25 (plus one adopted person from another batch), 3 made it from our batch and our adopted batch mate. Reunion, fail. Fun dinner, success!

It has been a night filled with laughter and reminiscing about our bloopers and fascination about the teppan table at Akira, a new restaurant in Shangri-La's East Wing.

Since the food was quite pricey, we decided to order for sharing. We got the teppan Set B: US Rib-Eye with chicken, shrimp, and beef plus miso soup and fried rice on the side (PHP1068), Wagyu Ramen (PHP489), and Akira's house iced tea. I also ordered salmon sashimi (PHP228), a must order whenever I'm in a Japanese restaurant.

Service was quick as before we noticed, our food is being prepared right before our eyes. We just have to take photos.

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).