Mitsuyado Sei-Men

MITSUYADO SEI-MEN has one of the nicest concept interiors I've seen so far :) I just love what they did with the place, it's like you're right in the middle of a clean and cool restaurant alley. If you're with a small group, you can get that food cart 'table' in the middle of the room, which adds an extra nice touch to your dining experience.

Mitsuyado is known for their Tsukemen, or Dipping Noodle Soup, and it's quite difficult to choose what type/ flavor, especially when it's your first time. I've been hearing good things about the Double Cheese Tsukumen, so I tried that out (although my curry craving almost got the best of me). Rob got the Marutoko Tsukemen with Japanese egg, Nori, and Vegetable. We also ordered a side of Gyoza. 

Tsukemen comes in Regular & Large servings, but a regular serving will already fill you up. Even with a regular-sized order, we almost didn't finish off the Gyoza! Their gyoza was pretty light, but really flavorful. I admit I just had a bite since I was really full from the noodles. 

You will be served with al dente noodles and the dipping sauce. You can choose to have your noodles cold, warm, or hot. If you want your noodles super al dente, order it cold.  The experience in itself of eating Tsukemen is interesting. You basically take some noodles using chopsticks, dip it in the sauce, and slurp the soup with noodles. I really enjoyed eating my Double Cheese Tsukemen, although I didn't pour all the cheese on the parmesan noodles anymore -- it would've been too creamy for my taste. But the combination of the cheese with the Tonkotsu broth was great, and definitely worth the try.  If you want to further complete your meal, the Marutoku Tsukemen side of egg, nori, and veggies really beefs up your noodle meal. 

Double Cheese Tsukemen (Reg P340, Large P380)

Marutoku Tsukemen (Reg P340, Large P380)

Gyoza, P180

Dining at Mitsuyado was a great experience and I will definitely be back to try the Curry Tsukemen (and they also have Cheese Curry option)!

After dinner, we visited the YAMATO Bakery Cafe beside Mitsuyado for a light dessert option :)

We had coffee and a couple of cakes & pastries, which certainly cleansed our palates, but also left us too full for anything else -- a great way to end any meal.  Try Yamato's muffins and croissants also; their bread is soft to the bite and full of flavor :)

MITSUYADO SEI-MEN

#22 Jupitet St., Bel-Air, Makati

511-1390 / 511-1759

Tajimaya Yakiniku Restaurant

We went to dinner with a couple of friends a few weeks ago and decided in TAJIMAYA in One Rockwell. Been reading good reviews about the place too and we were pretty excited to try it out. Unfortunately, we were quite disappointed when we got there, since we were expecting an eat-all-you-can grill option, which was not available in Rockwell (only at their MOA branch). 

Ho-hum. We stayed on and tried to make the best of things, but since we started out on a disappointed note; I guess it started a downhill spiral from there. Although service was excellent and the food tasted okay, I found the place too expensive, especially when comparing it to an old favorite Jang Ga Nae. Here, everything had to be ordered separately, such as salad, lettuce wraps, pumpkin, appetizers, etc. 

 Coming from an eat-all-you-can expectation and a comparison to a recent fave, I was really pretty disappointed. Good thing there were interesting conversations while having dinner. And we made it up with dessert at Bizu :)  That Sea Salt Caramel Ice Cream on Nutella Brioche was heaven.

Salad 

Their version of Bibimbap

Hot Beef Soup (served with rice), P300

Pork Boneless Short Ribs with Mixed Sauce, P240

Bizu's Caramel Sea Salt Ice Cream on Nutella Brioche, P495

Menya Genki - Tonkotsu Ramen

Craving for some Japanese Ramen? We tried this restaurant named Menya Genki along Macapagal Blvd, which specializes in Tonkotsu Ramen. The restaurant interiors were clean and simple. Brightly-lit though, and cool enough :)

I tried the Special Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen (Special comes with Ajitsuke Tamago or seasoned soft-boiled eggs). The think and flavorful broth supposedly comes from boiling pork bone and fat for 18 hours.

 It's my first time to try this, as my usual ramen is limited to those with clear beef or chicken broth; as I am not overly fond of pork -- I do have reservations on the potentially high calorie content from consuming pork fat. Generally, I enjoyed the big bowl of ramen which was flavorful, but I think the consistency (or thickness, if you will) of the broth may still be improved. The soft-boiled eggs, however, were cooked to perfection. I am told they only serve 50 Ajitsuke Tamago per day. The Tempura was nothing exemplary, but can balance the ramen taste.

Be prepared to shell out about P300 for the Special Ramen.

Restaurant Interiors

Tempura

Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen

Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen

Yabu

Curry is definitely making alot of buzz lately, with the advent of Katsu houses. I first tried Katsu Curry in Ryuma Ramen and I instantly fell in love with the dish :) One of the most recent additions, and closer to home, is YABU in Megamall. The place is usually jampacked and you have to wait a while to get a table. Fortunately for me, at the times I visited there was always one available :)

I tried their Katsu Curry and the Pork Katsudon on separate occasions. It's funny, I visited the restaurant twice, and only about 2 weeks apart, but by my second visit, prices has gone up about 10%! Something must've gone haywire in their initial calculations.

Honestly, I find Yabu's prices a bit high. If it wasn't for the unlimited veggies (read: shredded cabbage) and their sesame dressing, I probably wouldn't be all excited to go back. But I do have to give them credit for the big serving. And I'm really glad they have unlimited cabbage, instead of unlimited rice.

The Katsu Curry was HUGE, and the curry itself tasted good. Just the right amount of spice :) And went really well with the cabbage. But I still love Ryuma Ramen's curry, which was more thick and flavorful. The Katsudon was pretty normal, but was okay. Both 'meals' come with Miso Soup, unlimited cabbage, rice, and fruits. The fruits (pineapple and watermelon) is also a good addition, and nicely seals the meal. House tea is really good too :) All in all, Yabu is a good dining experience.

 Katsu Curry, P320

Pork Katsudon, P290

Sempai

Rob loves Japanese food: sushi, sashimi, you name it. However, I'm not a super fan. I do like Tempura or Cali Maki; but Jap food is not something I'd normally crave for. It wasn't a surprise when Rob wanted to try out SEMPAI in Clark. He's been hearing good things about the place, and I admit I got curious when we passed by one night and saw that it was a full house. 

We decided to have dinner at the restaurant and got there early to avoid the crowd. The place was cozy; the tatami mats covering normal couches gave it a more Jap feel.

Their assorted sushi was fresh and authentic, serving was generous too :) Rob kept on raving about the thick cut of the tuna sashimi. Tempura was so-so, a bit too much batter for my taste. 

My current fascination with Tonkatsu Curry (ever since I tried the dish at Ryuma Ramen) helped me decide what to order. Sempai's version is yummy, curry was flavorful and the veggies was a good addition to the pork. However, I still don't think it compares to Ryuma Ramen's. (I heard Yabu has excellent Tonkatsu Curry, must try it out soon).

For dessert, the Green Tea ice cream was perfect, not too creamy and had a mild tea taste. Great way to end our meal :)

Miso Soup

Tempura

Tonkatsu Curry

Assorted Sushi

Green Tea Ice Cream

All in all, Sempai was worth the visit, but it's not on top of my resto list in Clark, Pampanga. Still on the lookout for those hole-in-the-wall, unassuming restos in the area :)

Yaku

You might miss Yaku at the Podium since it's a bit hidden, but you'll soon find it's a great place to satisfy your Japanese food crave -- YAKU is a great place for a no-frills, simple and straightforward Japanese food :)

Immensely enjoyed my visit to this resto! Prices are very reasonable, service was quick, and food was great. Specially liked the Dilis, Gyoza, and Sukiyaki (no photo-boo!). And they have really good house tea - best when cold :) Give it a try the next time you're at the Ortigas area.

complimentary Spicy Dilis

California Maki

Tamago Sushi (egg)

Kakiage Tempura (Veggie)

Ebi Tempura

classic Katsudon

Gyoza

Ryuma Ramen

RYUMA RAMEN is found at the area towards the back of Paseo de Sta. Rosa, the one with a lot of outlet stores. It occupies almost the whole second floor, so you won't miss it. Ryuma Ramen serves authentic Japanese food, but I found to to be bit too pricey. Good thing we got to dine in for free!

Fish Cheese sold outside the resto (together with Takoyaki balls) at P10 each

 Tuna Sashimi

 Beware of the spicy Sushi Platter! The wasabi is already inside the sushi.

Miso Soup

The Chicken Teriyaki tasted quite normal; and I did find it strange that it was served with a side of Spaghetti.

If I remember correctly, their rice toppings option starts at about P250:

Oyakodon 

Katsudon

Tonkatsu Curry 

Now this, I loved :) The curry sauce was thick & tasty, and went well with the deep fried pork cuts. Found this dish interesting and was happy that it delivered on both quality and taste. Something I would definitely look forward to should I dine here again :)