A Celebration at Sambo Kojin Yakiniku Smokeless Grill Quezon City

December 8, 2012

Sambokojin Yakiniku Smokeless Grill
West Ave., Quezon City
3728846   9212873

Mon-Fri (11am-2pm) - PhP 519
Mon-Fri (6pm-10pm except Friday 5:30pm) - PhP 619
Sat-Sun (lunch & dinner) PhP 5:30pm-10pm - PhP 659

Children 4 ft and below - PhP 319

Toddler - free of charge

Add PhP 200 Leftover charge

Last Saturday, DH and I spent half day at the office and the other half in Sambo Kojin Yakiniku Smokeless Grill. It was the baptismal party of Ysabella Kim, the youngest daughter of my very good friend, Gevi.

Sambo Kojin The Japanese Kitchen God Three-headed deity with two pairs of hands. Bearer of fire, protector of the hearth, watcher of the household, keeper of the brotherhood. 

 Sambo Kojin napkin ; p

We arrived at half past twelve. I think we were among the last ones to arrive hahaha Talk about grand entrance ; p The family members and other guests were already seated while some were already making their second or third trip to the buffet table ; p Anyways, my other good friend, Cats, was able to reserve seats for DH and I. We were seated together with the proud parents of Kim ; ) Now, that's what I call... friendship!

Yakiniku means grilled meat

To check out the buffet spread in Sambo Kojin, proceed after the break....

A Quick Lunch at Tokyo Cafe SM Megamall

December 5, 2012

Tokyo Cafe
3rd Floor Mega B
SM Megamall, Ortigas,
Mandaluyong City
4773354

I was in SM Megamall yesterday to replace the battery of DH's watch. After completing the task, my parents and I went looking for a decent restaurant to have our late lunch. We were supposed to dine in The French Baker but the restaurant was full and not a single staff seemed to bother to attend to us. We walked out and went in Tokyo Cafe instead ; p

 Ten-Ju PhP 248

Ten-Ju - Deep fried shrimp tempura with signature tempura sauce over steamed rice

I commend Tokyo Cafe for coming out with dishes that look almost exactly the same as the photos on the menu. I was half expecting 3 tiny shrimps but I got relatively large ones (as seen in the photo above).

Ginger & radish (for Tempura sauce) and a side salad were served together with Ten-Ju.

If you are on a diet, Tokyo Cafe offers Light Rice Meals. These are dishes on the menu which are small meals that's light on your pocket. It is ideal for brunch or snack. Find out more about it after the break....

New Find: Ganso-Shabuway Japanese Style Hot Pot

November 18, 2012

Ganso-Shabuway
P1 North Parking Lobby
Power Plant Mall
Rockwell Center, Makati City
822-4864

For two consecutive Sundays, my family and I ate in two different hot pot restaurants. We were definitely addicted! You can read my Korean hot pot post here. Ganso-Shabuway is a newly-opened Japanese Style Hot Pot in Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center. It has branches in Greenbelt 5 and Alabang Town Center.

 Shabu Set Menu B 250 g PhP 1095

We were four in our group (dad, mom, sis and I) but we only ordered Shabu Menu Set for 2 ; p It was more than enough for all four of us hahaha 

There are 3 sets available for a group of four persons. Price starts at PhP 1945. 

To know what else is included in the Shabu Set Menu B aside from 250g USDA Meyer Natural Angus Beef (pictured above), read more....

Another Birthday Celebration in Ukokkei Ramen Ron

October 21, 2012

Ukkokei Ramen Ron
Ground Floor, 822 Tesoro Bldg.,
Arnaiz Ave., Makati City
8564588

DH and I invited my family to have lunch at Ukkokei Ramen Ron. Yeah, right, another ramen place! You see, DH loves noodles and since it was still his birthday week, he gets to choose the restaurant ; p It was our first time and DH was so thrilled to finally taste "The Best Ramen" in town!

Set A- Ukokkei Miso PhP 380

There were only 3 sets available that Sunday - Ramen (Set A), Yakisoba (Set B) and Half Ramen/Curry Rice (Set C). All three sets include gyoza and salad. For Set A, you can either choose between Ukokkei Miso (shown above) or Ukokkei Shoyu.

To view more photos, read after the break...

Birthday Celebration at Tajimaya Charcoal Grill in SM Mall of Asia (MOA)

October 19, 2012

Tajimaya Charcoal Grill

2137 - 2139 EM 2nd Floor

SM Mall of Asia
Pasay City

556-8929

Two years ago, I posted about Tajimaya Charcoal Grill here. In my previous entry, the waitress kept on insisting that we order their house specialty - Wagyu Beef. So, when we went back to celebrate DH's birthday last October 19, finally, we were able to try Wagyu Karubi. We ordered the cheapest among the Wagyu selection. When the order came out, I noticed that there were only less than 10 thinly sliced beef. For the price we paid, it better be good.

 Wagyu Karubi (Boneless Short Ribs) PhP 780

Well, not really! Although the beef looks marbled, it was not exactly "melt-in-your-mouth" that Wagyu is known for. It was a bit chewy. Ho hum...

Read after the break for the rest of our orders...

Yukinohana Restaurant in Timog Quezon City

September 8, 2012

Yukinohana
Timog,  Quezon City
7095748

It was supposed to be just our usual Saturday date night but as the night progressed, my ulcer was killing me. It started about a month ago but got worse on Thursday so I was not able to enjoy the Nail Sparty brought by Max Factor. By Saturday night, I was throwing up, I have no energy left within me so I just cried until I fell sleep.

 Pork Soy Grill PhP 450

Anyway, everything happened right after dinner that Saturday. Hours before that, I was feeling fine. After office, DH and I, as usual, were looking for a new place to eat. I suggested Hwa Roro and Yoogane. Hwa Roro is a new Korean BBQ buffet restaurant but we just came from Serenitea's new branch in Tomas Morato for afternoon snack so we thought we would visit this restaurant some other time. We moved to Yoogane in Il Terrazzo. We were actually already seated inside Yoogane but for some reason, DH decided to leave the restaurant.

Then we spotted Yukinohana in Timog, Quezon City. At first, we thought it was a Japanese restaurant because as DH parked the car, a man wearing a traditional costume was by the door. It must be an authentic Japanese restaurant or so we thought ; p

The same man lets us choose where to seat as he hand over the menu. My stomach was already growling from hunger. Perusing the menu, apparently, this is a Korean-Japanese fusion restaurant ; p The man is not even Japanese, he is Korean lol He is not even the cook, for goodness' sake!

Pork Soy Grill, the one shown in the photo above, came out last. At that point, I was already feeling queasy. We have no choice but to take home the entire dish.

I was able to taste it the next day. It tasted exactly like the Chinese staple, char siu (barbecued meat). It was sweet and tender.

More after the break...

Yabu Megamall... The House of Katsu

August 6, 2012

Yabu: The House of Katsu

2nd floor, The Atrium

SM Megamall

5763900

It seems to me that every food blogger has already blogged about Yabu, The House of Katsu except me hahaha It was during the beginning of the habagat (monsoon) week when I had the chance to go to SM Megamall. There was no traffic going to SM because some of the schools have already suspended classes that day. As usual, I was with my parents. Came lunch time, I told them we were going to pay Yabu The House of Katsu a visit ; p

 Chicken Katsu Set 120g PhP 325

Katsu is an abbreviation of the word "katsuretsu" meaning "cutlet". It generally refers to a sliced piece of meat that is breaded and deep-fried. The dish was introduced to Japanese culture in the late 19th century during the Meiji period, when Japan opened its doors to the West. In the beginning, beef cutlets were used, but pork eventually became the more popular choice of meat by 1900s, giving rise to dishes such as tonkatsu ("ton" is Japanese for "pork"). 

Perusing the menu, I found the dishes a bit pricey and of limited variety. Paying a minimum of PhP 300 per dish is a bit too much for me because it's just deep-fried food. 

Find out after the break if my opinion has changed after tasting Yabu...

Mom's Birthday at Saika Japanese Cuisine in Makati

June 3, 2012

Saika Japanese Cuisine

2282 Chino Roces Ave.,

Pio del Pilar, Makati City

While searching for a new Japanese restaurant around Little Tokyo, I spotted Saika just opposite of Seryna. The restaurant is huge with ample parking space in front and on the side of the building. By the time we got there, it was lunch time already but the restaurant was not yet full. We got a table by the window near the entrance. While ordering, I was taking photos of the menu but I was told by the waitress that I could not take photos. Darn! 

with my parents

I can't understand why some restaurants won't allow diners to take photos. Is there a restaurant owner reading my blog? If so, please enlighten me why you do not allow it. 

Dad's 61st Birthday Celebration at Kimpura Greenhills

My visit: February 23, 2012

Kimpura Japanese Restaurant
Greenhills Shopping Center
San Juan, M.M.
7218816   7218869   7210581

My dad celebrated his 61st birthday in Kimpura, his favorite Japanese restaurant. I figured we don't need a reservation because it was a weekday but when we arrived, several tables were already occupied and the teppan-yaki table was already full.

Kimpura staff singing a birthday song

DH and I arrived earlier than the rest of my family. I gave the birthday cake to the receptionist for safe keeping ; p

In the middle of our dinner, the waiters and waitresses sang "Happy Birthday" song to my dad ; ) The restaurant gave a free ice cream dessert- the one with a lighted candle in the background.

Kuretake Restaurant in Power Plant Mall

My visit: February 12, 2012

Kuretake Restaurant

 R1- Level Power Plant Mall 

Lopez Drive, Rockwell Center, 

JP Rizal, Makati City

8980509   8980718

DH and I attended the special screening of The Vow starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams. You can call it our pre-Valentine's movie date. Of course, a date would not be complete without having dinner at a restaurant. 

We were initially looking for another restaurant but sadly, it closed down already. We chanced upon Kuretake Restaurant and I warned DH that it's a pretty expensive Japanese restaurant. 

gyudon ala carte PhP 420

We reluctantly entered the restaurant, keeping in mind to order only our favorite sushi and sashimi. 

I can't live without rice so I ordered gyudon. DH & I shared a bowl of thinly sliced beef over glass noodles and warm rice. The slices of onion make this order sweet. This order has only a few strips of beef and almost half of the strip is fat---> look at the photo above ; p The miso that comes free with this order is good though. 

New find: Ryuma Ramen Restaurant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna

My visit: November 5, 2011

Ryuma Restaurant

2/F Unit 126 Paseo de Sta. Rosa

Commercial Center 4

Greenfield, Don Jose, Sta. Rosa City

Laguna

049- 5028401   049-5020226   09102346932

Now that our favorite Japanese restaurant in Sta. Rosa is gone, DH and I are always on the look out for something new. When we went to Canyon Cove last log weekend, we stopped by Sta. Rosa, Laguna for lunch. A lady guard pointed us to a new Japanese restaurant called Ryuma. 

Ryuma Restaurant is one part of a complex that housed different businesses like a grocery store, a clothing store and another Japanese restaurants named Ryuma Ramen. You can seat in one restaurant and order from the menu of the other restaurant. 

Zaru Soba PhP240

Ryuma Restaurant has a smoking and non-smoking area. We were seated in the non-smoking section where there are LCD TVs mounted on two walls. Two waitresses were assigned in our area but I think the management needs to assign more especially when its full house.

Mak's Noodle and Tsukiji Japanese Restaurant in Hong Kong

My visit: July 31, 2011

Mak's Noodle 

Wellington Street, Central

Hong Kong

During our recent trip to Hong Kong, our time is divided between shopping and dining but more on the former though. We came across this tiny noodle house just because we veered away from an expensive looking restaurant right across the street. 

shrimp wonton HK$32

I was shocked because this tiny noodle house has been visited by Anthony Bourdain. Apparently, he ate here awhile back. This is the second restaurant that I have eaten with Anthony Bourdain article, his photo and his "seal of approval".  The first restaurant that I have eaten with his photo on the wall was Bale Dutung. His photo was on the table this time just beside the menu. 

Domo Maguro Unlimited Tuna Sashimi!

My visit: April 22 and May 8, 2011

Domo Maguro
Tomas Morato cor Sct. Limbaga Sts.,
Sacred Heart, Quezon City
6972220   5031544

Domo Maguro is a fairly new restaurant in Tomas Morato, Quezon City. When my family and I had dinner last Good Friday, I was surprised to know that this Japanese restaurant is Korean owned. Another thing, it is open until 5 in the morning. If you are hungry in the middle of the night, you have another option aside from Jollibee and Mc Donald's haha

 yakiniku PhP150

We had a very late dinner and were still quite full from the late lunch we had in The Stock Market that's why we only ordered a few dishes from the menu. I like the way the yakiniku was cooked. We only ate half of the order and took home the rest. I ate this as a sandwich the next day and still love the yummy barbecue taste.

Yakiniku- bite sized grilled meat; Japanese Bulgogi style

Yumemiya Japanese Cafe

My visit: April 9, 2011

Yumemiya Japanese Cafe

47 Connecticut St., 

Upper Ground floor, NorthEast Square Bldg.,

Greenhills, San Juan

7224838   7210700

DH and I were supposed to find where Lugang Cafe is located but instead we ended up in this newly opened restaurant called Yumemiya Japanese Cafe. A huge banner caught my eye as we were driving along Connecticut street. DH had to make a U turn because it was a little bit too late when I pointed at the sign. One good thing about restaurants in Ortigas is the basement parking. Street parking is also available. 

The interior and cozy atmosphere reminded me of UCC Cafe. Several families were already dining and others were already done with their meal when we walked in.

Cakes are displayed near the cashier. The narrow entrance leads to a wider dining area at the back. I overheard a staff who was in panic because a diner was locked inside the toilet.  I hope by this time they have already solved the problem with the toilet lock. 

I noticed that their menu was limited. If I remembered it right, they don't serve sushi nor sashimi. 

 kama- age udon with miso meat sauce and egg PhP378

DH settled for noodles called kama-age. Kama- age udon is accompanied by a dipping soy sauce. The noodles are quite good. The meat sauce was tomato- based, topped with egg and sprinkled with green onion or scallion.

Udon is one of the most popular Japanese noodles.  It is made of wheat flour, water and salt.

Yoshinoya Century Bangus Kabayaki for Lent

My event: March 14, 2011

Yoshinoya Century Bangus Kabayaki

Century Culinary Circle

Unit 102 Food St.,

Ortigas Home Depot Complex

Dona Julia Vargas Ave., 

Pasig City

Yoshinoya has come out with its latest offering in time for the lenten season. But before I show you what it is,  I know a lot of you are having a hard time finding ways to create different dishes using fish as the main ingredient. I am glad to share with all of you that Century Pacific Group, the same group that brought Yoshinoya to the Philippines, unveiled its newest family member- Century Bangus!

And to prove that fish can be made into different dishes, Yoshinoya, invited bloggers to its test kitchen and made some yummy dishes- appetizer, salad and pasta- using Century Premium Boneless Bangus (Marinated). 

Century Bangus and Farfalle A La Genovese

This is nice! The ribbon pasta was cooked al dente. The pesto sauce was just right... creamy and tasty. And they included my favorite,  grated parmesan cheese they used for garnish!

Taiwan Chronicle: Tonkatsu Wako

My visit: December 27, 2010

Tonkatsu Wako

5/f K Mall

Taipei Main Station

2-2311-5626

It's true that too much shopping can wear you down! We need to eat too! DH and I spent hours in Muji and Daiso. Both shops have an entire floor for themselves inside K Mall. We finally felt hungry around 8:00pm. Looking through the fake food display outside the restaurants, we settled for Tonkatsu Wako.

DH and I shared a set of big bowl of asado noodles and unagi on rice. Cost of which is only NTD250. 

it's hot!

The big bowl of noodle is good enough to share. Well, depending on how hungry you are but we were able to manage. I am not a huge fan of noodles so DH ate the most of it.

Tony and Jackey Salon: Setting Perm

The entire content of this entry has been transferred in my new blog, xoxo MrsMartinez visit the link here.  

My visit: December 24, 2010

I accompanied DH for a haircut at Bang's Tony and Jackey. The franchise is now owned and managed by another Korean named Bang. After his haircut, DH asked me if I miss my curls. To give you a background, it has been almost three years since my last perm. He knew I wanted to have my curls back. But without any promo, a Digital/Setting Perm would cost around PhP 8000 including cut and treatment. 

Package B Aqua setting perm PhP 3000

While DH was paying at the reception table he saw a flier, written on it was a promotion for setting perm. Thank goodness!

But we already have a scheduled lunch date at Kikufuji in Little Tokyo. I was advised by a Filipino assistant that I should come back not later than 3pm to avoid being rushed as the salon will close at 7pm. Having my hair permed thrice already, I know that the procedure will take some time so I set an appointment at 2pm.

To read the full entry, visit Bang's Tony & Jackey: Setting Perm Experience

Tajimaya Charcoal Grill

My visit: October 30, 2010

Tajimaya Charcoal Grill

2nd floor SM Mall of Asia

JW Diokno Blvd.,

Brgy. 76, Pasay City

The waitress kept insisting their Wagyu beef on us. It's their specialty blah blah blah so much so that on the third try, DH had to cut her off and told her we were not interested so don't push it. We have no time to savor the meat because we have a fashion show to attend to in less than an hour.

2 person set PhP1200

We ordered a set for 2 persons instead which consists of 4 kinds of meat plus tiger prawns and squid. All were good except for one kind which was a bit hard to chew.

Izakaya Nihonbashitei Steak

My visit: October 3, 2010

Nihonbashitei

800 Arnaiz Ave., 

San Lorenzo, Makati City

8188893   8188894

I have a very high expectation for Nihonbashitei. Because whenever my car passes by, the parking is always full. The food might be good or so I thought. But what really caught my fancy is the word STEAK written outside the restaurant. That was why I convinced DH to try this one out.

We walked in a pretty busy restaurant. But none of the behind the counter loud-mouth-complaining sushi chefs which I found tacky in Kikufuji just a few meters away in Little Tokyo. We were quickly lead to our seat at the very far end of the restaurant. Restaurants around this area has spacious dining area. Most of the private rooms are for smokers. 

 When I asked for their steaks, the waitress told me that their teppanyaki is on the second floor. Apparently, we were at the wrong part of the restaurant ; p Didn't I tell you that this restaurant is huge?

Here's what we ate that night:

salmon sashimi PhP220

According to DH, although the salmon sashimi looks pale in comparison with what the other Japanese restaurants within the area serves, the taste is just the same.

Kikufuji Japanese Restaurant

My visit: September 10, 2010

Washoku Kikufuji

2277 Pasong Tamo

Makati

located outside Little Tokyo

8937319   8936131

I have first heard about Kikufuji from a restaurateur turned blogger/photographer, Richard. He gave me the restaurant's business card and I, in turn, kept it in my wallet just in case. We seldom go to Makati so I thought I wouldn't be able to try this restaurant out.

Luckily, we have a delivery over a week ago around Makati area. The traffic was not bad and we were able to find it without any glitch!

Alright without further ado, here's our order:

shake sushi PhP185