Ippudo - Try The Gyoza.

I was roaming the mall today and nothing appeals to me for lunch.  I resorted to ratings online to determine which restaurant to try.  And Ippudo came up with almost five stars.

There was so many raves about this restaurant.  When I got there, they couldn't give me a seat inside because I was still waiting for my company.  The receptionist didn't even offered the menu so that I could make up my mind of what to order while waiting inside.  

I'm sure their food was great and wanted by a lot of people (who are aware of their existence) but then why make it harder for people who are already there and ready to take a whiff of their much talked about dishes.  

Well, kudos to the server who knows all about their menu.  For first-timers like me, I really rely on their recommendation.  And he offered a truthful one.  It's like they actually tried it themselves.  They should.  And it's a must.  They should know what is good and what will make their customers come back.

 I'm not a fan of gyoza.  It hasn't impressed me from previous dining experiences.  However, theirs was different.  There were two types of gyoza that they're offering and for the life of me, I don't remember which one we had chosen.  The photo above shows (you) the readers which one. And I highly recommend it to those visiting.  

I'm supposed to rave about the noodles. However, my mother chose the ramen herself and denied me of the chance to choose the spicy ones.  She chose the "creamy" ones instead.  I had to order the rice topping, Unagi - another recommendation.  And so, I have to come back for the ramen that I wanted. 

And I'm going back there for the Gyoza too!

Ambiance: 5 out of 5

It really looked like a Japanese レストラン (resutoran) considering that Malay-looking Filipinos are serving our food.

Taste: 4 out of 5

It was truly a burst of flavours. Authenticity is a must if you're trying to eat food that you can only get if you travel miles away.

Service: 4 out of 5

The servers know about the menu. However, it took time because when we ordered additional food, they failed to note it down hence, we have to ask for it twice before they made it appear on our table.

Cost: 2 out of 5

I'd have to say it was overpriced. We paid around two thousand pesos - the amount for a week's grocery for one bowl of ramen, two order of gyoza, two rice toppings in a hot metal bowl. It was just too much. The servings were really good for one.

Stuffed Pimientos

My hubby prepares my lunch that I bring to work.  Yes, I know how to eat food and I know how to criticise them but I don't know how to make them.  Shame on me, I know.

Sometimes it becomes a problem for him - thinking of what to prepare for me.  And so he, resorts to You Tube or Google for ideas.

One morning, he left me with this.  I opened it up at work during my lunch break and it was a pleasant surprise.   I love spicy food but this one just gives an impression that it is.  The pimiento and the tuna meat inside was good!

I'm thinking he could put something else inside another time.  That would be nice!

Raw For Dinner

We couldn't decide what will be for dinner.  He couldn't come up with anything from what we had in the freezer.  It was basically because we weren't hungry.

He decides to go out of the house and visit the wet market at around 5pm in the afternoon.  He came back with Yellow Fin tuna.   Hooray for fish!  I didn't want any more pork or beef.

He made Kinilaw for dinner.  At first I was kind of anxious about him preparing and eating raw dishes because he hasn't done that for all 5 years that we were together.

Amazingly, he did it pretty well.  So much ginger and green chilis! I LOVED IT.

I didn't eat with rice though.  I didn't think it goes well with steamed rice.  I ate it with Magic Flakes crackers.  To each, his own.


 

Tokyo Cafe: Omurice

Valentine's Day is a big deal for me and my husband.  We make sure that we stay out of the house and join the rest of the huge population of Manila to dive in all that traffic and long lines in the mall.

Even if we are on a very tight budget, we were able to spare some for a movie and a late lunch.

This year, we decided to dine in the relatively long-standing small Japanese restaurant in the bridgeway of Megamall: Tokyo Cafe.

I had previous encounters with omurice in other restaurants but it didn't make that much impression on me as much as their version of the dish did.

Sticky rice was made more stickier with the chicken ala pobre that they mixed in their omelette rice.  It was so tasty that it was good by itself.  The serving is for two to three people.  The egg was cooked just the way I liked it - cooked midway to well-done (if there's such a thing).

Ambiance:  3 out of 5
I prefer to dine in a quiet place to enjoy the food and company.  However, it is in the most crowded part of the mall and the restaurant is so wide open, you can hear the noise from outside.  However, I love their white furniture against the white walls (and from what I remember, some apple greens).  The seemingly clean place is totally appealing.  

Taste: 3 out of 5
I haven't tried all of their dishes.  The omurice gets the 5 out of 5 score.  However, the food presentation in the photos in their menu (particularly the sandwiches) wasn't the actual thing you'd get.  We also ordered the interesting-looking sandwich, but when it came to our table, it was poorly prepared.  It was a far cry from the photo in the menu (which was the main reason why I ordered it).

Service:  5 out of 5
I didn't have to ask for anything.  They provided all that we needed.

Cost: 3 out of 5
The price is affordable.  However, if the other dishes was like the sandwich we got, then they are over-priced.

Home-Made Pizzas

I'm a fan of fast food as much as anyone could be.  I admit that I even think that McDonald's serve the best ones.  However, my parents would like to get my attention towards health food.

The only way they could convince me is put health food in the junk form.  And the cook just did that in the best way possible.

I was skeptic when I saw it for the first time in my lunch box at work.  When I took the first crunchy bite, I was so amazed that it came near my favorite Shakey's thin crust pizza.  I seriously loved it.  I seriously am grateful to our cook.  

I hope she makes my next favorite - potato chips!