Rosanjin Japanese Restaurant: The Silent Fighter

Amidst the much-hyped shops and restaurants at SM Megamall's new Mega Fashion Hall, one restaurant, called Rosanjin Japanese Restaurant, seems to prefer to stay out of the spotlight and would rather let the food do the talking. Do a quick Google search and you won't really find lots of info about it; they don't even have a website, though they do have a Facebook page that only gets updated every few days or so. All I've gathered from a few minutes of research is that the restaurant is named after a Japanese artist who passed away in 1959.

We were at the restaurant during the supposedly busy dinner hours (on the Saturday right after payday) but as the photo above shows, the restaurant was fairly quiet. Would-be diners didn't have to deal with long queues and overcrowding, which may be off-putting to some people. 

I really loved the interiors! Everything about it screams "legit". It reminded me of some of the restaurants I saw during my trip to Tokyo earlier this year. 

Rosanjin has a fairly extensive selection of dishes, and they specialize in set meals (although you can also order some of the dishes a la carte). I was pleasantly surprised at how reasonable their prices are! Most of their set meals are at the P300-P400 mark. Click here to see their menu.

Not too long after placing our order (maybe around 5-10 minutes later), some of the food we ordered began to arrive. Very impressive!

I got to try a bit of my mom's Tonkotsu Ramen (P280) which is apparently one of their signature dishes. I absolutely loved it! 

Two pieces of Crab Stick Sushi (P120). Good, but nothing too special.

My dad's Grilled Salmon Set (P390). This set meal includes one main dish, two side dishes, a bowl of "Japanese stew", and unlimited rice.

My brother and I both had the Special Burger Steak Set (P390)  which also had similar sides. I just wish they had something for dessert included in the set though. 

Looks good, doesn't it? Their burger steak is made with wagyu beef which sets it apart from the usual burger steaks. The beef is juicy, tender and very tasty. The sauce on top of it is quite good, too. I highly recommend this one. Amazing!

Overall, dining here was a pleasant experience. While they seem to be happy not relying on hype to attract more customers, I think they should at least do something to step up their game--their Facebook page would be a good start. This place has a lot of potential.

I will be back for sure!

Rosanjin Japanese Restaurant

3/F Mega Fashion Hall, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City

Facebook: Rosanjin Japanese Restaurant

Tok-Yu Sushi Bar and Restaurant: Satisfy your Japanese food cravings

I must admit, I haven't really been trying out new restaurants these past few months--I guess that's one reason why I haven't really been blogging as often anymore. Lately, my family and I have been sticking to tried-and-tested places where we were sure we wouldn't be disappointed.

Recently, however, we were feeling a bit adventurous and wanted to try out something new for a change. Our destination? Tok-Yu Sushi Bar at Pioneer Center, Pasig City.

We didn't exactly have this place in mind when we were at Pioneer Center--we were just looking for somewhere to satisfy our hunger before visiting my grandparents at the cemetery. After looking at different restaurants, we decided to settle here. 

The restaurant's exterior is anything but imposing. Take away the huge sign and the hanging Japanese lanterns and you might easily dismiss this place as a cafeteria or a typical neighborhood carinderia.

Consistent with the exterior, the interior only reinforces the whole cafeteria look and feel of the place. I didn't mind it at all, though. I actually even felt a tinge of excitement since I rarely get to try these hole-in-the-wall places. These hole-in-the-wall places tend to hold a lot of promise. Case in point: Tim Ho Wan, the Michelin-starred restaurant famous for their baked pork buns, started out as a small, hole-in-the-wall place in Hong Kong. 

While they don't exactly sell their food at cafeteria prices (read: CHEAP), I wouldn't say their prices are at par with some mainstream Japanese restaurants. Food here is priced very competitively.

We started off the meal with some Tamago (Japanese sweet egg).

The Sashimi was good and I do like the thick slices, though I noticed a not-so-fresh piece mixed in. I was unfortunate enough to actually get the not-so-fresh piece.

My dad's order: a bowl of Gyudon which, at P145, seems pretty decent. He finished off his bowl without any complaints.

My eyes widened as my mom's order of Seafood Ramen was placed on our table. Just look at all that seafood! If you're into seafood then I don't think this will disappoint. The serving size was huge, too.

My mom also ordered some Ebi Tempura for sharing. It wasn't bad at all, but it doesn't stand out for me. The restaurant doesn't try too hard to please customers with elaborate food presentations. Some people may actually find the simpler food presentations more appealing. 

My brother and I each had an order of Pork Tonkatsu, at P140 each. Again, food presentation was simple, but wouldn't make you feel like the chefs don't care at all. While the meat wasn't really too tough to chew, I was hoping for that melts-in-your-mouth feeling with each bite. Not bad, though.

Verdict: While the food here isn't spectacular by any means and service could still be improved (it took about 20-25 minutes for our orders to reach our table, and we were the first to arrive before the rest of the lunch crowd trickled in), I would still recommend Tok-Yu Sushi Bar to those craving for affordable Japanese food and those just looking for something more different from the typical Japanese restaurants. 

Tok-Yu Sushi Bar and Restaurant

Pioneer Center, Pasig City

Facebook: Tok-Yu Sushi Bar

My First Morielli's Inn and Diner Experience

We had our company team-building session in Batangas recently, where we stayed overnight at a resort in the town of Talisay, just along the shores of the Taal Lake. Before travelling back to Manila, my co-workers and I headed over to Tagaytay for lunch, which is around 30 minutes away via a 9-kilometer long road with steep climbs and sudden twists and turns. After that slightly nerve-racking ride, we finally reached our destination: Morielli's Inn and Diner.

If you're travelling on the Silang-Tagaytay Road from Sta. Rosa, to get to the place you have to turn left upon reaching the end of the road. Travel a bit further on and you will see Morielli's on the right side of the road.

We--our large group of 14--pretty much had the place to ourselves. The restaurant was fairly empty except for another table occupied by a lone (male) diner. Since it was my first time to try this place (I've never even heard of it before--we usually turn right after reaching the end of the Silang-Tagaytay road), I'm not exactly sure if the place is normally empty, or maybe because it was a weekday.

The restaurant wasn't ostentatiously-decorated unlike some of the "trendy" restaurants we have nowadays. Decorations were simple and kept at a minimum, giving the place a homelier feel. I actually quite liked it.

Now, on to the food and drink:

Their "crowd favorite" (according to their menu) Bottomless Iced Tea (P55). It surely tastes different from other iced teas, but it was a little too sweet for me.

Dinuguan w/ 2 pcs Puto (P98). I think pretty much everyone in our group loved it that we had to order more of it. One of the best putos I've ever tried! 

Their Chopsuey (P189) is another one of their specialties. Yum!

I don't eat fish that much so I never got to try this Fried Tilapia w/ Side Salad (P140). Can't comment on this one.

The Lechon ala Morielli's (P190) was okay, but I felt like it lacked something to make it stand out from all other lechons. Nothing too special about it, really. I loved the achara though.

What's a trip to Tagaytay without having bulalo? Unfortunately, Morielli's Bulalo (P280) failed to impress me. It was bland and lacking in flavor. I had better bulalo at another place when I was at Tagaytay with my family a few days prior.

By the end of the meal everyone was already so full but I was one of the few who was brave enough to order dessert. They don't have that many choices for dessert, but Creme Brulee (P85) was one of them. Great way to end the meal!

It's apparently customary for Morielli's to give first-time diners a little present after the meal. Since all of us in the group were first time-diners, we all got this certificate with descriptions such as the origin of the person's name or a little description about that person. We had fun sharing to each other what was on the certificates! The descriptions were fairly accurate, too. Thanks, Morielli's!

Morielli's Inn and Diner

Calamba Rd. cor. St. Francis Drive, Tagaytay City

Restaurant hours: 7:30 AM-10:00 PM

Website: www.moriellis.com

Facebook: Morielli's Inn and Diner

Kyochon: Now in the Philippines!

Kyochon, one of South Korea's largest and most popular fried chicken chains with some of the largest names in the K-POP industry as endorsers, has finally opened their first store in the Philippines in late April. 

The restaurant chain was brought in to the country by the same company that franchised several other chains including The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, BreadTalk, and Chops Chicago Steakhouse. Kyochon, with over 1,000 stores in South Korea alone, is fast expanding abroad as well, with the Philippines as one of the target countries. 

One of Kyochon's main selling points is the fact that they only use natural ingredients, thus making their fried chicken healthier. They also offer more varieties, (four vs. the two of that other major Korean chicken chain whose name starts with a "B" and rhymes with Kyochon), to suit different tastes.

If you want to avoid queuing, it's best to arrive early (11-11:30 for lunch, perhaps). Prepare to wait in line if you come during peak hours!

The walls of the restaurant are decorated with posters of their fried chicken's primary ingredients, such as rice and honey. One side of the walls also has this large projector screen showing some Korean music videos. They also have Korean music playing in the restaurant as well. Overall, I particularly like how the restaurant looks and feels, although it is a bit cramped. 

Kyochon, by the way, is not a fast food restaurant. Like all other sit-down restaurants, you will be led to a table by a waitress and you will be given menus.

To start off, we got this Green Salad with Grilled Chicken and Orange Dressing. I absolutely LOVED the bits of chicken! The meat was very flavorful (a bit smoky, too) and tender.

The main agenda for the day: 8 pieces Chicken Drum Stick (original series). While I love the initial burst of flavor once you bite into the chicken skin (comparable if not even better than the "B" Korean chicken chain), I was hoping that the flavor would somehow last a bit longer. 

Thankfully, their Kimchi Fried Rice is quite tasty and helps further enhance the flavor of the chicken. 

Unlike the more commercialized teas out there that are loaded with sugar, their Green Tea is very natural. When you first take a sip, it feels like drinking water through a straw, but the flavor then kicks in not too long after. The flavor may take some getting used to though, but this drink is really refreshing.

Kyochon 

Ground floor, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City

10:00 AM-10:00 PM daily

Website (under construction): www.kyochon.ph

Facebook Page: Kyochon

Instagram: kyochonph

Twitter: @KyoChonPH

Coca But Not Cola: COCA Restaurant at SM Aura Premier

SM Aura Premier at the Bonifacio Global City is fast becoming one of Metro Manila's top foodie destinations. Over the past year since the mall's opening, so many restaurant chains previously not available in the country have opened, giving Metro Manila residents a wider variety of restaurants with different concepts.

COCA Restaurant, which was founded way back in 1957 in Thailand, is one of them. Founded by Mr. Srichai Phanphensophon and his wife, this restaurant has built its reputation around its Thai-style "Suki" (hotpot) steamboat dining. Today there are several branches found in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Japan, Korea and now, the Philippines. So far, their restaurant at SM Aura Premier is their only location, and they do not really have any immediate plans to open another branch. 

The restaurant is actually quite spacious. We didn't get to go further in though, since we were seated at one of the tables close to the entrance near the glass windows.

Our appetizer: Seafood Durian Spring Rolls. The creamy durian filling was a bit overpowering, but I actually liked it. Do not forget to order this one when you drop by!

The Sweet and Sour Pork was just right--not too sweet contrary to what I was expecting, judging it based on how it looks. The meat wasn't too tough, either.

The Stir-Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts is also worth a try.

I don't really like shrimp that much but I still had some of the Prawns with Salted Egg that we ordered. I only ate a little bit of the prawns but I did eat A LOT of salted egg, which went well with the other dishes. It's just so good!

It's too bad we didn't get to try the Thai suki (hotpot) which this restaurant is supposedly famous for. I'd love to give it a try when I do get the chance!

COCA Restaurant

Sky Park, SM Aura Premier

Facebook Page: COCA Restaurant Philippines

Japan Trip: Food Escapades

One of the best parts of travelling is trying out all sorts of food. For me a trip to anywhere (especially out of the country) is never complete without sampling local dishes and snacks. As much as possible, I would prefer to avoid eating at the usual fast food places, although they're always a good go-to place when all else fails.

When in Japan, having Japanese food is a must. Although Japanese restaurants are fairly common here in the Philippines, nothing still beats having authentic Japanese food in Japan. Food is taken very seriously in this country, and the number of Michelin-starred restaurants in Tokyo alone can attest to that. You can also see it in the way the Japanese prepare their food. A lot of measures are taken to ensure that the dishes are made with the finest and freshest ingredients.

Let me take you on a virtual food adventure during our trip to Japan:

Philippine Airlines

We left Manila shortly before 7 o'clock in the morning. We were served breakfast--beef curry with rice, along with a fruit cup and cake from Perfect Endings for dessert. It was decent, but not exactly too memorable. 

On the other hand, lunch on the way back to Manila was INCREDIBLE! I chose the Beef Yakiniku with rice, a bread roll, and salad made with tofu, meatballs and some vegetables (not sure which ones). The beef was very tasty and the rice was drizzled with nori (Japanese seaweed) on top which made it very flavorful.

The salad up close--I actually had two of these since my brother (who's not into veggies at all) didn't touch his. It goes really well with the main dish!

After the meal, the flight attendants began distributing these small tubs of Japanese vanilla ice cream for dessert. What a great way to end the meal--this was definitely the best in-flight meal I've ever had! Good job, Philippine Airlines!

Around Tokyo

Walking around Tokyo Disneyland surely made us hungry! We bought these smoked turkey legs for our mid-afternoon snack at Y520 each (around P200)--much cheaper compared to the turkey legs they sell at Universal Studios Singapore which cost $13, or around P400,

On the day of our city tour around Tokyo, we stopped for lunch at this Parisian-inspired food court called Marche de Metro, located at a train station (underground) at Omotesando. I bought this Ratatouille Curry dish at one of the food stalls called Bistro Lyon. It was a bit (but not too uncomfortably) warm at the time, so eating this spicy dish did make me sweat a bit more. The food was still quite good, though.

Too cool off, I got this chocolate milk tea drink from this nearby stall called Vietnamese Cyclo.

On our third day in Tokyo, we had dinner at this place called Tonkatsu Wako, located at the Sunshine City Alpa, one of the two major shopping malls connected to our hotel. 

My mom's Ebi-Furai Gohan (around Y1188 or P510). Each tray comes with a bowl of rice, pickles, miso soup, and cabbage. They also serve complimentary green tea.

My dad, brother and I each had an order of Rosukatsu Gohan (also priced at Y1188). By the way, the rice, cabbage and miso soup at this restaurant are unlimited so you can keep asking for refills! The staff here are very friendly and helpful (but then again, who isn't in Japan, really?), and the waitress, despite her slight struggle with English, patiently explained to us the different types of dressing for the cabbage that we could choose from.

Other Food Photos

KitKats are extremely popular in Japan, and they come in all sorts of flavors--from the tame ones like Strawberry or Green Tea to the more quirky ones like Wasabi or Soy Sauce (you read that right). We also got to buy a small box of Baked KitKat (yep, that's right) which are ideally eaten only after being put inside the oven toaster for a few minutes which is supposed to turn into something like a crispy cookie. We tried to do that and it turned out to be a failure--I guess we were really just not doing it right.

In case you're wondering why KitKats are so popular in Japan, it's because it sounds very similar to the Japanese phrase "kittu katsu", which is synonymous to "good luck". Students usually eat KitKat just before an important exam for good luck.

Aside from doing some extra shopping, we finished off our remaining Yen at the Narita Airport in Tokyo (before flying back to Manila) with a quick meal at this place called Asian Cafe Bowl Bowl. I got these fried octopus dumpling balls and also got some of the ramen (on the left) which my mom and dad ordered for themselves. These dumpling balls were served piping hot.

Check out the rest of my Japan blog posts here:

Japan Trip: Random Photos Around Tokyo Disneyland

Around Tokyo: Ikebukuro and Shibuya

Around Tokyo: City Tour

Around Tokyo: At the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace

Japan Trip: Mt. Fuji and Hakone