a bite of brownie

Because I don’t want to give up on something that easily (or probably because I need to make a mistake more than once so I really get it, haha), I am trying another poké-sushi fusion food stand! Sushi Nori is at 5F of SM Megamall Fashion Hall. I’m not sure why they call it that when all they have there are restaurants, haha!

And this time I didn’t go for that create your own bowl stunt, and I chose a signature dish that’s yelling “try me, try me!” from their menu. Just to make sure I don’t get slammed with an “I’m sorry ma’am but this and that is not available”. It’s just too hard to bear. LOL

So I chose this sweet little bowl from their signature bowls line up: Aburi. From the name itself, aburi style sushi refers to partially grilling (usually flame-torch) the topside of a nigiri. This bowl came with aburi salmon and tamago, topped with seaweed, bonito flakes, and roe. The salmon was a tad lesser than the tamago, which was dressed with some Japanese mayo for an extra umph.

Verdict: 2/5
It's a good deal if you want something filling, but at a closer look, they flame-torched the mayo more to give out that nice caramelization, which is funny. The tamago was really just scrambled eggs (seriously). The overall taste was good, it came together well.

It’s quite hard to look for sushi bites here in Manila if you’re after quality and whatnots. For a time, I was afraid to eat out here because you can’t be too sure if the preparation is quite right or if it’s safe, even! And what’s more rare than sushi?! Poké! This Hawaiian delight is truly a treat if you find a store that’s really doing it justice. But hey, we found this stand, Poké Poké, located at SM Aura Food on Four.

Looking at their menu, my eyes were greeted with their ready made flavor bowls, but having tried this in Vancouver, of course I went for the Create Your Own Bowl! For 350, it’s not so bad. But what disappointed me is the availability of the ingredients they have on their menu. I had the following marked accordingly: mixed greens (I know, should be rice but I just had a snack lol), (+) tuna salmon, (-) crabsticks, (-) uni, +) poached shrimp, (+) peppers, (-) white onion, (+) cucumber, (+) seaweed, (+) tomato, (+) nori powder, (+) garlic sauce so chose kimchi aioli, (-) avocado, and (-) croutons. Hmm.. yeah maybe a little overpriced, I had to pay for some other ingredients that’s sadly not available in CYOB feature. Weird. They shouldn’t have placed everything then in the checklist.

Verdict: 1/5 (can I rate lower than this?)
The overall taste is so distant from what I had before and it’s just so sad they might as well pack their bags and stop selling “poké” really. This is an abomination, please stay away.

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.

During my Cebu visit for lola’s 103rd (or is 104th?!), we went to this not so new mall, Robinsons Galleria Cebu. Not so new because it has been there for a while but in the inside, there’s still a lot of empty spaces waiting to be rented by local or foreign shops. I even remember teasing ReiMart how they have so many malls in Cebu for such a small area. And like the SM SeaSide, we decided to go around the mall and visit every floor to see what’s out there. So yeah, just a lot of empty spaces, but hey! They have this huge guitar on display on the ground floor!

 After walking around, thanks to poeticnook’s fast screening of all the restaurants there, we end up with 3 stores to check in total. Sans Rival for sylvanas, Bohol’s Bee Farm for ice cream, and Byron’s Back Ribs for dinner. Whenever I think of ribs, I remember Casa Verde, which is a local Cebuano restaurant too! And Byron's Back Ribs hail from Bacolod, so let’s see how it fares.

We ordered the Half Slab of Ribs because yes, ReiMart and I can finish anything by this time! The ribs came on a simple wooden board with 2 dipping sauces of sweet and spicy flavor. It was quite a treat because of the serving size and it’s really tasty! The meat was tender and packed with flavors but all the while I found myself wishing they had served it on the bone. It kinda takes away the ribs feel from the dish, as they served it in small bites. Maybe to make our dining experience easier? I’m not sure.

And for the side dish (not that we needed any LOL), we ordered their Pork Sisig. This is an interesting dish because they gave it a twist by adding cheese toppings! At first we were staring at the dish and asked “Is that cheese?” Trying desperately to mix it in our minds, because sisig and cheese, if you think about it, just don’t go together, right?! But when I tasted it, I flipped. The cheese won me over. Now I want cheese on my sisig every time!

Verdict: 3/5
I can’t think of anything bad to say about their serving size, taste, and price. Maybe just a little something on their presentation of the ribs. I would have wanted it served on the bone and I would have wanted to have a little battle with it taking all the meat out. I like that they didn’t drown the meat in sauce and just placed it on the sides if ever we wanted more. Definitely worth another visit.

During ReiMart’s visit to Manila, we went to Century Mall (which reminds me, he should have written restaurant reviews from there!), we passed by this upscale food court, Hole in the Wall. Inside, we saw a variety of chef-owned fast food joints and it’s quite refreshing to not see the usual fast food chains (but I don’t hate any of them, really) like that one with a red, life sized bee for a mascot, or that one with a creepy clown who have oversized red shoes, or even where fried chicken, I have to agree, is finger lickin’ good. One of the joints there, Bad Bird, offered umami fried chicken that might just click.

And I guess they are making a name for their own because that very fast food joint is now at the 3F of SM Megamall’s new wing, the Fashion Hall. Looking at the menu, they offer umami fried chicken in 3 spiciness level: Safe, Spicy, and Chemical. I got the Corn and Coleslaw Plate because I just wanted fried chicken in all its goodness, no rice or other carbs to make the flavor any lesser. That came with two umami fried chicken and they let you choose two different flavors, too! I looked the server in the eye and asked about their chemical and there was warning in her eyes that told me not to take it (or maybe I was just a little chicken LOL). So I asked for the safe and spicy.

When I got the plate, I was pleased with the serving size. Two umami fried chicken (safe was the lighter colored one), a bowl of steamed and buttered corn removed from the cob and topped with bonito flakes, and a bowl of kimchi coleslaw. I started to eating the spicy fried chicken so I’ll have the safe fried chicken on standby in case my tongue gets fired. However, the spiciness for me was just ok, not really that spicy to blow me away so by then I kept wondering how spicy was their chemical one. It’s also reminiscent of another fast food joint’s fried chicken which sadly until now, I can’t remember. Anyway, as I moved on to the safe fried chicken, it was more lackluster than I expected and somehow reminded me of Pritos Ring chips (anyone remember how that tastes like?). The corn was under seasoned and the coleslaw was ok.


Verdict: 2/5
Definitely overrated by the reviews online. They have a nice wall art and interiors in the restaurant but the food is just so-so. Oh and I want to note their serving plate/paper, it was oil resistant! Haha! Anyway, apart from that, this meal is something I would switch for the fried chicken from Kentucky any time of the day. It’s just way overpriced for something so ordinary. Proceed with caution, or I guess to just try the chemical fried chicken.