a bite of brownie

I’m writing a review this time for Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen. But honestly, this isn’t the 1st time I’ve dined in this restaurant. All the while though, I thought it was. Digging through a year’s worth of Instagram posts, I discovered that I dined at their SM Southmall branch in Las Piñas. And how I came about that branch could very well be an entirely separate story that could hold its own. Lots of great memories there, an international date while enjoying their Ajitama Tonkotsu, the coining and birth of the cutest name ever, and oh! Maybe we’ll touch on some of those in this review. Or maybe not. So yeah, maybe this isn’t just a review for 1 Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen, but 2 Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen’s. Hehe.

So unbeknownst to myself at the time, I dined at their Alabang Town Center branch for the 2nd time. And wonderfully, I ordered a different item from the menu - the Spicy Tobanjan Tonkotsu. And for good measure, and because that’s how ramens should be enjoyed, threw a side of Ajitama Tamago and Gyoza.

Now here’s where the 1st dining experience won over the 2nd one. My ramen’s broth was too salty! It was like drinking liquified salt. It was so horrendous I had to get the attention of their manager and politely ask him if the broth was supposed to be that salty. He was taken aback and he said it shouldn’t be. He then offered to fix my bowl for me and when it was served to me the 2nd time, the saltiness was corrected and I could definitely taste the spicy side of the broth. The noodles, I asked for it to be served super hard, but maybe because of the second trip it had to the kitchen, it sort of affected aesthetically. Compared to my 1st visit a year ago, my bowl was just a joy to eat. Maybe it was their signature bowl speaking for itself or my overall mood affected everything. The ajitama on both occasions, I remember, were done right. Distinctly colored whites and semi formed, soft yolks. The 1st gyoza was better than the 2nd one by leaps and bounds. The 2nd gyoza had a funky after taste to it (yeah, I’ve eaten that many gyozas in my life!). Definitely affecting the overall dining experience, 1st had a better and larger dining area. More chairs, better lighting, and ventilation. The 2nd one felt a little too crammed. 1st branch also had better crew, attentive and very helpful.

Verdict: (I feel like I need to have 2 here)
1st - SM Southmall branch: 3.5
2nd - Alabang Town Center branch: 1.5
They are just two very contrasting experience. On one hand, I had something I really enjoyed and on the other hand, I had something I would definitely take a pass on. Their signature bowl is a must try, maybe just put a little chilli flakes to it if you want a little heat. Their spicy bowl, I’d say is good enough, if served properly. Interesting fact: 1st trip was dated Jan 20, 2017. 2nd was Jan 27, 2018. 1 year and 1 week apart. Happy anniversary, IFR!

First of all, a warm welcome to 2018! And what’s the best way to celebrate it and crush any diet resolutions? Going in buffets of course! So, our 1st victim (or is really the other way around?) is Wakamatsu Yakiniku of Cebu. Flew all the way there to attend my 1st ever Sinulog Festival. Uh-huh, don’t judge. Wakamatsu is a Japanese eat-all-you-can restaurant, a la carte style.

After work, ReiMart, another friend, and myself met at the restaurant with no reservations at all. We’re brave souls, I tell you (but really, please call ahead and get one). We found ourselves waiting for around 15mins for a table to free up and when we got it, well, it wasn’t really a very private one. We shared the section with a Japanese group (or was that Korean, yeah maybe Korean). I just pointed out at some items I wanted to eat, like the beef and pork slices, shrimp for grilling, kimchi, and tuna sashimi. ReiMart just said 1 of each and the server went away. Amazing.

Disappointingly, the service was quite slow. Perhaps because there was a group pf 20 people that came in before us that ransacked the kitchen leaving us with just bits and pieces of the grand-looking dinner I had in mind. The ala carte dishes came in so slow and one by one, that we’re left with nothing else to cook or eat. Even the service water was hard to come by. Maybe if one of us dropped dead they’d notice they hadn’t given us any water, or still, maybe not. The ones that came, tongue, duck, some pork, and chicken slices, were sliced hastily but I’d say just about right with the thickness/thinness. But they all appeared just once. So yeah, so much for eat all you can. The sashimi were all sad looking, like they were standing on the counter for a while. And the maki were so poorly rolled out. Kimchi was ok but that’s not what we came at the restaurant for.


Verdict: 1/5
Sigh. This must be the worst review I had ever done and I’m thinking of scoring it lower, if possible. There was a variety of meats from their menu but sadly, just a few came out of their kitchens. The service was terrible. The ventilation wasn’t working properly, leaving us (or at least me) teary eyed from all the smoke (oh and yes we all smelled like barbecue afterwards). Both my companions said it was better during lunch time, but I don’t know if it’s worth another visit after this. Also, this was the 1st buffet I tried that didn’t make me full, at all, not even 1 bit.

It’s a nice feeling when you start your day doing all your errands and then finishing it off with a nice trip to a new restaurant you haven’t tried before. At a new mall along Daang Hari, stands the Evia Lifestyle Center, which gives off the European vibe here in the south. It’s a new mall, still lots of empty stalls, very limited parking (but I think they’re doing something about it already), and they have this huge activity grounds inside and at the very heart of the mall. It’s surrounded by stores in a circular fashion, glass ceiling for natural light which is very cool since they have this enormous Christmas tree as the main attraction. So why was I here? To visit Bagoong ni Sisa and hoard goodies haha. Mission accomplished on that one!


After roaming around the mall, my mom, sister, and I decided to eat lunch somewhere, some place new, as I’m trying to tear them away those fastfood joints they so love. And after searching online, I found this restaurant: Teppanya. A Japanese joint that has a tagline of “It’s not just dinner. It’s entertainment!” And they weren’t kidding. Customers are seated on a bar-like setting surrounding the iron griddle where the chef will cook your meal. In our case, since there were just 3 of us, we were grouped with a family of 5. The host gave us the menu and suggested items to order for first timers like us. So I ordered the set meal (came with salad, soup, and stir-fry veggies) for mom and sis, beef, chicken, and pork for protein, and I ordered salmon and uni nigiri for myself.

The chef then proceeded in cooking our food in front of us, staring with the fried rice. Interestingly, that took the most time to cook, as there was an assortment of ingredients in it. Eggs, carrots, sauces.. enter the eggs show. Chef did a number of tricks with the raw egg in shell, throwing it in the air with his ladles, catching it with his toque blanche, AND not breaking it (imagine if it broke on his head haha!). He also made some cutesy heart forms on the griddle, maybe that would be amusing if his audience were all couples (at this point, I was really thinking he’s just playing with our food, see I called us his audience already!). Then came the cooking of the proteins. First the pork, drizzled with a medley of sauces, making it sweet and tangy. It was cooked nicely, it wasn’t tough nor under-seasoned. The chicken came next, cooking it to perfection with what I reckon the same sauce as the pork. It wasn’t overcooked, still juicy. He cut both in cubes and continued cooking it for a few more seconds before serving. And the beef came last, before going any further he asked us what temperature should he cook our beef, I told him medium rare, and the father from the other group said well done and I winced in pain at that, even giving him a quick glance which initially I thought he didn’t see. I mean, I wanted to ask "did you not see how he cooked the other meat or do you really just want to eat rubber?" LOL and not 5mins after, just before the chef starts cooking their portion, he changes his mind and made it medium rare, too. Haha! That felt like that was a small victory for the steak gods.

Verdict: 3/5 
Considering the live show and the flavor and cook on our meat, this restaurant would have good marks. The crew were informative, helpful, and courteous. But I have to pull it down a little because I just didn’t like the narrow aisles inside the restaurant, customers were more or less bumping on each other. They also lacked proper ventilation, we pretty much came out the restaurant smelling like the food we ate haha! Lastly, I thought they could do something about the wait time before the service began. Maybe give it another go next time when they’re more accustomed to serving multiple groups of diners.

Earlier this year, construction of some new building started in front our office. One sunny Wednesday, as I was walking along ADB Avenue-Doña Julia Vargas, I noticed a new opening to the right of Podium, along ADB, confused as I knew there was a couple cafés at its place, but I kept walking. And then I saw a similar looking entrance along DJV, and I thought, they might be connected or something. And when I went back to the office, I decided to try and pass through and I was right haha! That, ladies and gentlemen, was how I discovered Nikkei, a restaurant offering Japanese-Peruvian fusion cuisine. And the day came to finally try it!

Looking at the appies, I decided to try the Scallop Mozzarella, because you know.. scallops and mozzarella? The cheese was grated and served aburi-style, with chopped onion leeks on top. These babies were served on 2 white soup spoons sitting on top of contrasting black stone plate. Looks nice, no? Disappeared fast, too!

For sushi, I ordered a medley of Uni and Salmon Nigiri. The uni was local, frozen day-old, but still fresh (yes, I asked the server all these details, because I don’t want to suffer through another disappointing sushi!). What I liked about this pair was they topped it with Salmon Ikura! Do you know how expensive that is here?! Haha! I also ordered Salmon Nigiri.. fish color was ok and tasted fresh which is great.


After all that, of course I still wanted more. Or maybe I was just super hungry then? LOL anyway I asked the server what maki roll they recommend and she said the Crispy Salmon Skin Maki, so I ordered that. Yeah, it was extra crispy, which the chef assured (I was sitting at the bar haha). They had some sauce (bbq?) drizzled on it, sweet and tangy.


Verdict: 2.5/5 
I’m giving this score because I liked the ones I ordered, but yeah I know I said earlier that it’s a fusion restaurant, and I didn’t try anything from the other side. LOL Sushi is good, quality is there, but of course you could get that from other restos, too. I like that the crew here are very attentive to your needs and questions, even made good recommendations. I’m leaving the other half of their menu unrated for now. Reason to go back, yeah?

When I think of bafun uni, I usually relate that to the best place on Earth, Vancouver. Yep. This is where I first had the taste of this very delectable, succulent seafood treat. And once you taste it, there’s no going back. Suddenly, the local version just doesn’t come at par with them. Imagine my delight when I found it here, in Manila! Just a stone throw’s away from my house! Miyazaki is a new restaurant in Molito Complex in Alabang. If you’re coming from the main road adjacent to Ayala Corporate Center, it’s easy to miss it because it’s on the left side of an uphill entrance to the vicinity. I had to walk back to get here under the scorching sun. I came in at exactly 11am and had to practically knock on their glass doors and beg them to let me in LOL. Little did I know, it will all be worth it. 


Servers came to my table offering me the menu, a glass of water, and just hovering here and there, a few steps away to give me my much needed space. I looked at their menus, they gave me two, 1st is with illustrations (maybe for someone who’s not Japanese cuisine fluent, so they know what they’re getting haha) but it was a little incomplete compared to the 2nd one, where it’s just a plain textbook from start to end. That second menu was packed with their long list of dishes, I know it’s a bad sign, because you might think they don’t have a specialty, but really! Let go of all your inhibitions. I hailed a server and ordered. Even for the price, I was expecting they will serve local uni, so I asked my server to confirm and not raise my hopes up at the same time, but she gave me an indignant and resounding “No, ma’am, we serve bafun uni!” I had to repeat it, those last two words, like a poor mimic, I’m pretty sure I garbled them too, but she nodded again “Yes, ma’am, bafun uni.” That’s great! I told her.


And now the wait, looking around the resto, there were wooden chairs and tables, and wooden decors hanging on the wall and ceiling. I’m thinking they’re channeling a small, cozy Japanese resto and I’m so glad I dined here. My Tempura Uni came first. These were rolls of bafun uni (for days) wrapped by a single sheet of nori, dipped in their tempura batter, and then deep fried. The exterior was quite crunchy and the uni inside was untouched and glorious! Still sweet and delicate and ugh. Any uni lover would love this. When it comes to tempura, this is the bomb.

And for my main dish, ta da! Salmon Uni Don. Its name is so great, I have to type it again like this: Salmon. Uni. Don. The salmon sashimi could easily and completely wrap your finger, no, two fingers! And you could tie it together with a knot! Evenly and uniformly sliced, they were arranged in a fan like manner on my bowl on top of that magnificent Japanese rice, which stood out on its own really, being properly cooked and seasoned. And of course, that bowl was generously filled with my personal favorite, bafun uni. And oh! I feel like I’m back in Vancouver (but nah)! This bowl was adorned with gari, wasabi, nori strips, and a green leaf. Ain’t she pretty?

I was really quite full from the meal even though I didn’t finish the rice, I know, please don’t kill me, but I just have to try their Matcha Ice Cream with Beans. When I asked the server for it, she said it was available and immediately went to get me some. And mysteriously it came to me, that sweet little pot holding the green, ice cream goodness, with dry ice making it more interesting as it comes nearer and nearer.. and well you just have to take a video of it first! Something to go up on Instagram LOL

Verdict: 4.25/5
I’d gamble that this resto is probably the highest rating I'll give to a Japanese restaurant here in Manila, scratch that, the whole Philippines! I need to check all my reviews for that, because as long as Japanese restos are concerned, this has set the bar really high. It’s a little pricey but you must pay up for something so valuable, yes? Overall taste was great and I’d guarantee you’d enjoy it here. I simply can’t stop thinking of it! Seriously. Please take me with you! Or come on, I'll take you!

If there’s one thing interesting with restaurants nowadays, it’s how they elevate a classic dish to something more relatable but yet still affordable. Not your average Japanese restaurant, Ooma dances on the doors of being nostalgic and adventurous.

Oysters are normally deep fried or eaten raw. Then comes Oyster Aburi Maki, an aburi topping for a maki, is just plain genius. Not only it is a mouthful, but when consumed in the right way, it gives exploding layers of flavor and texture in your mouth. The creaminess of that torched Japanese mayo hugging chopped oysters passing on its smoky flovor is a nice contrast to its subtle and sweet flavor. The rice, you’d expect to downplay the taste does no such thing when drizzled with teriyaki sauce and the crisp cucumber and sweet kani inside is your hold to the traditional maki.


Another favorite is the Soft Shell Crab Katsu. I’m used to have this plated as is, dumped on a plate right at the middle. Ooma’s take on this, however, is somehow like a barbequed soft shell crab. The crabs were split to two, made to look like it’s standing up the plate. Drizzled with sriracha mayo that’s not overpowering the crab at all.

Verdict: 3.5/5
I read in Ooma’s menu that the name of the restaurant was a play for the Japanese word “umai” which means “good.” You should pay them a visit one of these days at 3F Fashion Hall SM Megamall.

Rainy season in Manila! And you know what that means, even in the humid weather, we get to enjoy a nice bowl of ramen from your local ramen store. We reviewed a few ramen restaurants in the past months and so far my #1 is still undefeated.

Tucked in the newly renovated wing in Ayala Alabang Town Center, Hanamaruken Ramen is proclaiming to capture happiness in a bowl, and they have ingeniously named it as Signature Happiness Ramen. The ramen was served in a bowl with heels (as I would like to call them) making it appear bigger, but when I dipped my spoon into the broth, I was met with utter dismay that the bowl was quite hollow. But kudos to the presentation! The ramen noodles (could be a little harder, if they ask me), was donned with nice shoyo tonkotsu broth (a little on the salty side), fish cakes, onion leeks, my (additional) aji tamago, and an insanely huge slab (yes, slab) of slow cooked pork rib. Oh, and there’s that seaweed with some writing on it, which I would like to think means “happiness.”

I was able to finish the whole bowl, because that’s what I came for. The slab, I had to push down my throat, it was too big! The tamago, I would have liked it to be a little on the runny side, so yeah, it was a little overdone. That slab was so huge I had to find a light dessert in the form of an ice cream sandwich (which I really, really liked!).

Verdict: 2.5/5
All in all, I’ve had better. Mind you, this bowl is available for a limited amount of servings per day, so be there early if you want to try it. The dish celebrated the huge pork rib slab and because of that, it tear away from the supposed star of the whole dish - the ramen.

It’s the monsoon season (well, at least here in Manila) and that makes having ramen for dinner more logical. But no, not really, we just wanted ramen and it did rain but after dinner LOL and so, Ramen Yushoken just happens to be near my area, in Molito Lifestyle Mall, Madrigal, Alabang to be exact. This is a good place to dine because there’s a lot of parking spaces and a lot of new restaurants to choose from, showcasing different cuisines and the prices range from affordable to highfaluting amounts.

I ordered a side of Gyoza because it just makes sense that way haha! It’s also one of their bestsellers. It was such a nice treat because of its crispy bottom and was adequately filled.


The Miso Ramen is a must-try and that’s what I asked for. Unfortunately, the server informed me that they're already out of it. *sadness* So I just opted for Shio Ramen. This is their salt based ramen and the lightest among the broth flavors. It wasn’t spicy at all, so you have to add chili powder if you want it that way. But for me, flavor was ok as it is. The milky broth had ultra hard noodles (fun watching the cooks in the kitchen - I was seated at the bar), which didn’t become soggy even I left it in there for a while. A very generous serving of chasu slices topped the bowl, with thinly sliced bamboo shoots, minced onion leeks, and of course, aji tamago! Ain’t it pretty?

Verdict: 3/5
I’d like to try their Miso Ramen next time! I liked the Shio Ramen, so maybe they’ll do fine or better with their bestseller. So for now, they can sit at a 3/5. We’re coming back for you, elusive Miso!

Here we are with another Japanese restaurant in SM Megamall, at the 3F of Atrium wing this time. Botejyu is known for their okonomiyaki and okosoba dishes and of course I didn’t get those! LOL Somehow, the fantastic presentation of their All-Star Takoyaki and their very intriguing Potato Mochiyaki spoke to me more than anything else. So let’s begin.


I arrived at the restaurant early for lunch, to avoid the line, and I was seated on a booth. I knew what I wanted so I ordered that along with a refreshing Green Apple and Cucumber shake. It’s perfect after the walk under the hot weather. I love it because it’s not too sweet and yep, you guessed it, it’s green! 

After a few minutes, my Mentaiko and Potato Mochiyaki arrived. And it’s monstrous! Super thin deep fried potato strips sitting on top of a mentaiko mochi bed, topped with mayonnaise, mentaiko, and minced parsley. Cutting through it is a joy because it’s so light and crispy, it’s a little messy though because of the tiny bits flying off. The mochi bedding had the most mentaiko so it’s really flavorful and you must finish all that to get your money’s worth. Don’t get too carried away with the pretty potato haha!

And then my All-Star Takoyaki graced the table and wow! It’s as pretty as what they have on their menu! From top left to bottom right, here are the flavors: Salt Garlic Mayo, Spicy Mentai Mayo, Sauce and Mayo, Thick Spicy Sauce, Tomato Sauce, Umami Sauce and Mayo (although this really looks like the first one, or both could be this last one, I don’t know LOL). Each had real octopus bits and chopped veggies inside. They were also not too heavy for consumption, considering there’s 6 of them. I like the Spicy Mentai and Thick Spicy Sauce flavors most.


Verdict: 3.5/5
I gave a high rating for this restaurant because it’s evident they did not hold off on any of the ingredients, making it a good deal for your money. I have yet to try the best sellers, maybe next time we’ll do that.

Before writing this review, let me say this out right to save you the time, Tenya Tempura Tendon what? What’s this restaurant and what did I get there? I literally couldn’t remember a thing. So I had to backtrack my Instagram account (didn’t find anything there, uh-oh) and emails to get some clues. And I found it finally.


Tucked away in the “food avenue” of SM Southmall in Las Piñas city, this restaurant served tempura mainly. My parents love fried food, so in we went. Their menu had a very nice cover about how successful this restaurant was in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Philippines, looked promising. The server took our orders and went away.

My parents had the Classic Tendon (had tiger prawns, green beans, and sweet potato rempura) and All-Star Tendon (which had everything from tiger prawns, squid, salmon, kani, green beans, and mushroom tempura). I tried one item from either plates and was disappointed with the batter, they lacked the crispiness in my opinion. Like it was left standing on the counter for a while.


I ordered the Spicy Salmon Maki and I was excited on what spin they will bring to this dish, knowing that they’re a tempura and not a maki place. Will it have crunch inside when you bite on your maki? Little crunchy balls of wasabi for that extra spicy kick? Excitement died that when the server gave me a dish I didn’t order, apparently he got my order wrong, so yes, I had to wait for another 10mins or so for my food. When the right dish came, well, nothing much to see there. Bits of tempura batter was placed on top of my rather ordinary maki. Uh-huh.


Verdict: 1/5 
The service was terrible and painfully slow. The food wasn’t that great, because what can you really do with a tempura? Nothing aside from delivering a perfectly crispy tempura batter, that is. Sadly, this restaurant didn’t deliver anything worth noting.

Aaaaand we have another Japanese restaurant to review: Osaka Ohsho: House of Gyoza. According to online reviews of other foodies not like me (LOL), they serve the best gyoza in town. I recently dined in Ippudo and had a phenomenal time with their ramen (which Ippudo was best known for) and their gyoza as appetizer which could also belong in the high rollers (I believe, was exactly what I said).

Of course I have to order gyoza, but I also wanted to try other items in their menu and the chicken karaage set caught my eye. Gyoza and karaage! So you’d expect it to be so good, because house of gyoza, you’d forget all other restaurants that served you your best gyoza. And at first look, perfectly steamed dumplings with supple wonton wrappers, glistening with oil and you pick it up with your chopsticks and feel it lightly. Its light golden brown underside looks somewhat inviting and promises crunch on top of soft and lightly flavored filling, the sweet soy sauce playing around your mouth, moistening your every bite. But no, sadly I didn’t forget Ippudo’s gyoza. Somehow that was crunichier on the underside and perfectly seasoned filling on the inside. Osaka Ohsho’s filling was forgettable and too badly seasoned, so that’s why I let the remaining gyoza swim in soy sauce.

But oh, for a dish they claim to excel at but not really, they redeemed themselves with their chicken karaage which was served on top of a contrasting green lettuce, sprinkled with white and black sesame seeds, served with a bowl of fried rice. The dipping sauce is teriyaki style but too much on the sweet side. The serving is large enough for one person, but don't take my word for it, I might have just been overwhelmed by the rice.


Verdict: 1.5/5 
All in all, the gyoza was such a let down I don’t ever want to go back here anymore. The karaage is nice but please only go here if you really have nowhere else to go. And don’t believe the sign at the door. Please, don’t fall for it. Just to be sure, it's on the 3F of SM Megamall, Fashion Hall.

Looking for a new place to try around in Alabang, we found this very quiet restaurant tucked in Commercenter, Kessaku. Yes, another Japanese restaurant! Wait, you didn’t get the memo that we’re going to slay all Japanese restaurants here?! Since I recently tried ramen, it’s time to switch things up. And since I’m a fan of kaki and uni, those are exactly the ones I ordered.

But before that, the servers gave me an appetizer, part of their outstanding service mind you, a medley of kani and mayonnaise on top of cucumber slices. Refreshing and enough to open up the palette for more surprisingly delicious dishes from their kitchens.

My first dish came and it was jaw dropping. 7 insanely huge kaki tempura served on shells with streaks of wasabi mayo. The batter was light and the oysters were fresh, I just had the mistake of not asking the server to separately serve the wasabi mayo, and yes, that’s on me. At first bite, it drowned the light sweetness of the oysters, so I knew what to do with the remaining 6. Nevertheless, they were all good.

And then my next and final dish, uni nigiri. Too bad they only had local (but fresh) uni. I had the most unfortunate experience of trying a not-so-fresh uni from a different restaurant, so I had the knowledge to nit pick my uni nigiri before I put everything in my mouth LOL and suffer the same fate. And it’s sweet! Melts in your mouth and very refreshing. So what followed? An empty plate of course! 


Verdict: 3.5/5 
This place deserves another visit or two. The ambience was quiet and intimate. The servers are very well behaved, and keep their distance so you can enjoy your food in peace. I’m sure there are lots of other good stuff they can offer from the menu. So next time, let’s try more!

I’ve come to develop a fascination with Japanese cuisine by watching a lot of animé shows. One thing I’ve noticed there is how they showcase ramen. It doesn’t seem to change, whatever show I’m watching. Served on a simple ramen stand or small restaurant with wooden chairs and tables. Shout one order of ramen and that funny looking old man who’s best known for his ramen does his magic, glistening broth, firm noodles, delightful toppings, and what’s even crazier is how one bowl solves every problem there is in the world (yeah maybe they went a little overboard there, haha). I’m really excited now to find such a place in Japan and just try it for myself! Ugh.

But for now, restaurants like Ippudo in 3F Fashion Hall in Megamall will have to do. I arrived early for lunch as usual to avoid the crowd, and it’s such a nice time to visit, because all the servers are very attentive to your needs. Like there’s always a 3:1 ratio. They were quick to give me my house tea and glass of cold water, just in case I change my mind halfway in enjoying my ramen. And every time an order comes from the kitchen, they shout it out and I jump a little. I wrote that naively in the comments section, and what do you know, my server went to my table and explained how it was the culture in Japan. Of course. See? Attentive.

I ordered the Karaka Special Ramen, with deliciously spicy tonkatsu broth, extra hard noodles, amazing pork belly slices, the epitome of soft boiled egg, sheets of seaweed, and spring onion greens. And I can’t stress enough how I can’t find a single thing to criticize in that bowl (oh wait, I remember saying, this egg doesn’t look soft boiled and it doesn’t have that earthy color after supposedly being soaked in broth - but when I halved it, that egg was to die for, yes I ate everything bad I said about it).

I almost forgot about my appetizer - Ippudo’s Hakata Style Gyoza which also deserves a place in the high rollers. Hailing from Hakata, another region in Southern Japan according to research, they have perfected making their plump gyoza on cast iron, making the bottom part so crispy you’d think they fried it. The filling is very satisfying with its subtle taste.

Verdict: 4/5
So yeah, I finished everything. And going back to that phenomenon I was talking about at the start of this review.. Did it solve all my problems? No, but it sure did make me forget about them for a good while. I still believe the best ramen can be found in Japan, so I’m putting a huge difference in scores when I put 5 on that some unassuming ramen stand.. But while that’s still in the future, can we go back here please?!

Japanese cuisine has a lot to offer the world and maybe one of my favorites to-date. I haven’t been to Japan to try the food there but I’ve come to realize that there’s a lot of places you could get good Japanese food, if you just know where to look. Being sent to Vancouver for work and spending most bingeing times with poeticnook, we’ve uncovered these gems all over the city. And for me, that’s the closest I could get to authentic Japanese food for now. I don’t even want to try any here in Manila, because I’m sure it will not be at par with the ones we’ve tried.

But then, Sushi Ninja came. And to my surprise, it’s just near the place where I live. It’s situated at Westgate Center, Filinvest Avenue, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, which is just a 5min drive from our place. At first, I was really on the fence in trying this restaurant because of concerns of taste, quality of handling, and overall cleanliness. I guess curiosity killed my doubts, i mean the cat.

To start, I ordered the Tuna Poké from their special menu. I know that’s not so Japanese, it’s actually a Hawaiian dish, haha! But might as well hit two birds with one stone. Maybe the poké bowl was too much for one person, definitely looks like it’s for sharing. Or if you really dig poké I guess this is alright. The salmon was fresh and was tossed in some light teriyaki sauce, garnished with black and white sesame seeds and onion leeks. Next I had the Uni Nigiri. Now I’ve tasted uni imported fresh from Japan and golly, I will bet my life that this isn’t one of those but nevertheless, it’s fresh and had that sweet, delicate taste. Better than your average local uni.

The place had a Japanese vibe to it. Decorations made from bamboo lined the walls reminiscent of the animé shows I love to watch. The servers were polite and were all attentive. Food came in fast. Value for money is fantastic, I just paid a little over 500Php for the two dished I ordered.

Update: 
Didn't I say we’ll go back here? During my 2nd visit, I ordered 2 new dishes. First, the Grilled Salmon Belly. I’ve had grilled salmon belly in other restaurants and the servings were small or limited. So I had to ask the server about how small their serving was, and he was taken aback and using his two hands, measured what looked like more or less a half ruler’s length, about 6in. And it was my turn to be taken aback, especially when he said they had two of those. So I said yes to it. And it did not disappoint. Enjoyed every bite of it!


And then came my Mentaiko Udon, made from spicy cod roe and Japanese flour noodle. The mentaiko was mixed with Japanese mayonnaise, topped with chopped chives, nori (dried seaweeds) strips, and bonito flakes. The serving is good for 2, so I had some to take away. Leaving the verdict the same for now.

Verdict: 3/5
There are a few others in the menu that needs to be tried like the mentaiko noodles and chirashi. And since this is just close to my place, I will definitely go back.