Happy Foodies

Showing posts with label Japanese. Show all posts

<figure> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRejcJ4wllSf0dlaDDVqR5UVYY-OlWtxvHTzGu_rJ365YltniDo9sWWV-oNxDaGlWZ1sOU-0sreVdxiws7p_XD4Eg6a0KyasRFJAVKRgmk8lXPLx9MbF4as6mQmMjyYyyHwkquJAXCwU-76owfRbHBFwDlSuac46-b8yllWuzGhjv15bgmM2jWbzOX0Lk/s16000/IMG_9677_Radiant.jp"> <figcaption>Homemade Matcha Ice Cream from Ikigai Kakigori Cafe</figcaption> </figure> It’s been nearly a decade since we first wrote about <a href="https://www.happyfoodies.com/2010/10/vegging-out-gets-new-meaning-at-wabi.html" target="_blank">Wabi-Sabi Noodle House, back in its early days at The Collective</a>. Back then, it was a cozy spot with fewer than 10 tables, serving up delicious, healthy vegan fare — long before veganism was mainstream.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdcs2hBkPKrab4Ueqqz_N-Ko4bwbapztWlZzwqWqVgOAU_9dQFI8NJ9D7oXNNCC8v_Q37TLse8ASdaGS8SV2wXoOoAXPZ_ckulrNPhftwLqKdh-vPgyFJQewfxtfdnkUTamVwCmJ7yU-vF3yprnhZqnz5Q3z_rFaaJuyDs9ysBJl7MheHUh_jgUysTECQ/s1280/saboten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdcs2hBkPKrab4Ueqqz_N-Ko4bwbapztWlZzwqWqVgOAU_9dQFI8NJ9D7oXNNCC8v_Q37TLse8ASdaGS8SV2wXoOoAXPZ_ckulrNPhftwLqKdh-vPgyFJQewfxtfdnkUTamVwCmJ7yU-vF3yprnhZqnz5Q3z_rFaaJuyDs9ysBJl7MheHUh_jgUysTECQ/s16000/saboten.jpg"></a></div> Oh, how many ways can one cook a katsu? Those deep-fried cutlets almost look the same on the table but with a twist on added ingredients, sauces, and way of cooking, we could see there are a variety of ways to enjoy Japanese cutlets. With its 500-strong branches in Asia brings Saboten Japanese Cutlet, brings its rich katsu experience to the Philippines.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41GKQfEtLv2Fj11s9N_y4sIPMWS6ONMsM1VVkifsxXhnkh5YOl-Shzhq6zfgeHIX1GPoTi2r-BgFN2Y-ivdiO5_zrncN9-KPApV-cTNjbK3OX4ysOpUkGmK-DsceOPMs8dna5t-gTZwcDstphwKfjbD3cwEGcwjzgUxG58VkdpTMyqM7w8tqO1XO31XA/s1024/ogetsu-hime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41GKQfEtLv2Fj11s9N_y4sIPMWS6ONMsM1VVkifsxXhnkh5YOl-Shzhq6zfgeHIX1GPoTi2r-BgFN2Y-ivdiO5_zrncN9-KPApV-cTNjbK3OX4ysOpUkGmK-DsceOPMs8dna5t-gTZwcDstphwKfjbD3cwEGcwjzgUxG58VkdpTMyqM7w8tqO1XO31XA/s16000/ogetsu-hime.jpg"></a></div> The "Goddess of Food", Ogetsu Hime is offering their Best of Japan selection for a Special Half Price until the 16th of November 2014. Ogetsu Hime is found at the Skypark of SM Aura Premier. It's hard not to miss its warm cozy interiors and the sushi bar easily seen by the entrance. Upon entering, the restaurant is spacious with teppanyaki stations at the center while the sukiyaki-ready tables on the sides. Happyfoodies got to sample the selection of half-priced offerings and more.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifiQyTd2aGJX3FNg7MK-EvemFYkUp5gI9k10jpo3lQ9BTCotSgROhJrsiArktMO4X6je78qq0wfbJy_AoguSoaCeWensa4B9Kj9X9zs3h6DlpShPTbnZxB-scj7N9MUn49Ml6nrkk8a-mFnY7MWW1Qo8v0oN1YKc1j53VkkTrxw8k98zApHfdtAovJ6ns/s600/hanumaruken-ramen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifiQyTd2aGJX3FNg7MK-EvemFYkUp5gI9k10jpo3lQ9BTCotSgROhJrsiArktMO4X6je78qq0wfbJy_AoguSoaCeWensa4B9Kj9X9zs3h6DlpShPTbnZxB-scj7N9MUn49Ml6nrkk8a-mFnY7MWW1Qo8v0oN1YKc1j53VkkTrxw8k98zApHfdtAovJ6ns/s16000/hanumaruken-ramen.jpg"></a></div> With the ramen craze phenomenally sweeping across the metro, it wouldn't be far for popular Japanese brands would come in like the recent opening (November 2013) of Hanamaruken Ramen at the Trinoma's Garden Restaurant. Originally established in 1982 in Osaka Japan, Hanamaruken Ramen has about 40 branches in Japan and is highly popular for its slow-braised pork rib-topped Signature Happiness Ramen that takes about 20 hours to prepare. Happyfoodies was invited to dine in their first Philippine branch so I along with guest foodie, Jen, happily tried out some of their offerings.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oggie/7152464713/"><img alt="Yu Fu In's 25 spices Kimchi" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7063/7152464713_aef3b1e56f_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Yu Fu In's 25 spices Kimchi</figcaption></figure> A Koreantown in Angeles City? We're probably too used to the concept of Chinatown that this idea seemed like a novel concept. Driving along the stretch of Friendship Highway, we passed a strip of establishments sporting signages in Korean with no English translations. Which ones are restaurants, it's hard to tell. But for a taste of kimchi (the best one here for miles, so says our guide-friend, Tin, from the Angeles City tourism office), we bypassed Koreantown and headed to Balibago for Yu Fu In. The restaurant is located in a sizable structure located across the town park. We later learned that it is in fact, the largest freestanding Japanese restaurant in the Philippines with a dining area spread across three stories -- the main dining area on the ground floor, a Yakiniku area complete with the requisite stove and exhaust fan on every table on the second, and an open-air area on the third. It's a strange curiosity to find kimchi in a Japanese restaurant but as we taste the food, we find there's more to like there.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><img alt="Seryna Spicy Tuna Maki (Php 170/ 6pcs)" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3428/3318081937_19f0724ee7_o.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Seryna Spicy Tuna Maki (Php 170/ 6pcs)</figcaption></figure> We venture to Mile Long and Makati Cinema Square every now and then and pass the small road leading to Makati Square. We often see the SERYNA signage flanking the side entrance to the Little Tokyo complex and wonder what’s inside. Not that the place has received little media publicity but we always wanted to sample what’s been written about and what the steady stream of diners (evidenced by the endless flow of cars parked on the strip) has been dropping by for. Last weekend, we got a chance to do just that when a trip to another restaurant didn’t go as planned.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><img alt="Yakiniku, grilling meat, Japanese Style" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/2999496760_b6d93a4c1f_o.jpg"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Yakiniku, grilling meat, Japanese-Style</figcaption></figure> Yakiniku is Japanese for "grilled meat". Beef, pork and offal (entrails, internal organs) slices are cooked over coal (traditional), gas or electric (modern) grill and served with a soy-sauce-based dip. Yakiniku traces its origins to Korea but is different from Korean fare such as bulgogi as the customers themselves grill the meat. <figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><img alt="Vegetable and Corn salad as appetizers" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3006/2998633413_de13a18f3f_b.jpg"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Vegetable and Corn Salad as appetizer</figcaption></figure> Lagal[og] said: I'm not an offal eater so I had to content myself with pork and beef. But the beef slices more than made up for this as they were very, very tender. When you bite into them, the juicy flavorfulness just reveals itself. The dip didn't detract from the flavors of the grilled meat. <figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><img alt="The grill and the ingredients" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3043/2998658057_ace0979d25_o.jpg"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The grill and the ingredients</figcaption></figure> Ironwulf said: I go with you on the beef and pork. I don't eat much entrails myself but I did try the Beef Tongue here and find it sapid as well. Some pieces have a slight rubbery feel (of course it's a tongue) but it tenders once grilled. Add some splashes of lemon sauce and you're into one citrus rich flavor meat. You'll find out why it's one of their bestsellers. <figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><img alt="Dining Japanese Style" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3240/2998660597_b79c6dc102_o.jpg"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dining Japanese-Style</figcaption></figure> Lagal[og] said: The grilling takes awhile but is actually fun. After a while, the burnt fat on the grill can make the open room smoky but thank God for the powerful exhaust fans, we didn't smell like Yakiniku on the way to a shoot. The service was very good, the attendants were very helpful as the menu is largely written in Nihongo. <figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><img alt="Book Shelf" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3246/2999500290_d2f84ba351_o.jpg"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Book shelf filled with Japanese reading</figcaption></figure> Ironwulf said: If not for those exhaust, the room would be filled with customers choking from smoke. Aside from that, I actually liked the interiors here, it feels like I'm dining in an old restaurant in Japan. Tatami seats and dining areas divided by Shoji curtains. That book shelf filled with Japanese literature at the middle is a nice addition leading to the bar with a number of colorful liquor bottles. Speaking of service, the attendants will prepare the sauce and can even grill the meat for you. Ironwulf said: Since the restaurant is inside a small corner of Little Tokyo, the restaurant can cross order from other restaurants. We wanted to try some desserts and they gave us servings of Kakigori. It's a colorful dessert of shredded ice showered with colorful and sweet tasty fruit syrup. I was amused and enjoyed that dessert very much. Lagal[og] said: I agree, Wulferdz. The Kakigori was a refreshing way to cap the all-meat meal. Light on the tummy, a treat for the eyes. <figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><img alt="Japanese Kakigori, a colorful and sweet dessert" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3057/2999475728_b70abcbc0d_b.jpg"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Japanese Kakigori dessert</figcaption></figure> Lagal[og] said: The price is far from cheap but the quality of the food is very excellent. The mood is friendly and comfy. Definitely worth coming back to. Ironwulf said: I second that it's not that cheap. A meal can costs 900++ bucks per person and it's cheaper if you share. A double meal is about 1500++ which is good to share for 2 to 3 persons. Yakiniku meal is best eaten in groups. Price is a bit steep but you are not only paying for the food here, but the authentic Japanese Yakiniku dining experience so it's really worth a try. <figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><img alt="Urashemi-ya Attendants Welcome" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/2998664479_7c0e708c6e_o.jpg"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Urashemi-ya attendants welcome their guests</figcaption></figure> Essentials: Urameshi-ya Yakiniku Restaurant is located in Little Tokyo Makati • 2277 bet. Pasong Tamo and Amorsolo Street (beside Makati Cinema Square) Makati City, Metro Manila Tel: (02) 819-5008