Sakura by Edo-San at Alphaland Tower

Sakura by Edo San at Alphaland Southgate Tower in Makati is an offshoot of the Japanese restaurant of the same name at the members-only private island club Balesin.

The restaurant's location is not the best (read: EDSA)  but those who will brave the traffic will be rewarded with a completely satisfying Japanese food experience. 

Complimentary Appetizer

Such a unique and kawaii complimentary dish of Japanese popped rice! 

Uni Sashimi (195php)

Very fresh and good value for money. The taste of uni always reminds me of the sea.  

Shake Sashimi (385php)

Just like the uni, our salmon sashimi was fresh with a buttery texture. 

Edo San Maki (672php)

Eel, cream cheese, avocado, and crab are some of the components of this maki. Beautiful colors and big on flavor!

Sukiyaki (560php)

I liked the paper for pot concept but this was a complete miss.

U.S. Tenderloin Steak (878php)

Perfectly cooked and great quality beef. The steak had strong mushroom flavors though so it's best to have the vegetables separated.

Sakura by Edo San also offers desserts that utilize ingredients that are distinctively Japanese:

Macha Creme Brulee (175php)

                     

Black Sesame Ice Cream

Bottom line: Skip the sukiyaki and enjoy everything else!!!

Sakura by Edo-San is located at Alphaland Southgate Tower, 2258 Chino Roces cor. EDSA Makati. For more information, call 310 5677 or click here.

Lunch Sets at Mangetsu

If you happen to be in Makati at noon, a good place to have lunch is Mangetsu.

Mangetsu started as a hole in the wall restaurant at the Creekside Mall but has moved to a thoughtfully decorated space along Jupiter when it changed management. 

It has an extensive menu with over 200 items to choose from. We didn't have trouble ordering because they also offer lunch specials which were all under 400php. 

Murtle had her go to Japanese dish: 

Gyudon Lunch Set

The beef bowl passed Murtle's standards. Meat was tender and flavorful.

Nina ordered one of Mangetsu's most popular dish:

Chicken Karaage with 3 Kinds of Salt Set

Chicken was bland without the salts. Not my favorite but I loved the kropek.

I was craving for sashimi:

Sashimi Sampler Set

Mangetsu has a Japanese sushi chef and it shows with this beautifully prepared fresh serving of tuna, uni, and salmon. 

Undeniably, Mangetsu has one of the best deals in town for lunch. Food quality is better than most Japanese restaurants and price points are very reasonable. 

Mangetsu is located at 38 Jupiter St. Bel-Air Makati. For more information, call 4783292 or click here.

Say It Ain't So: Ukokkei's Shutdown

Sad that as of this writing, Ukokkei Ramen Ron remains closed after being involved in a little controversy. 

For now, I can only reminisce dining at the joint that serves the best ramen in town.

Makati branch

I have to admit that one can skip the non-ramen offerings because it's nothing to write home about:

Gyoza (120php)

Ebi Mayonnaise (220php)

Beef Saikoro Steak (260php)

It's really all about the ramen...

Aji Tamago(160php)

Order some eggs  to go with your ramen.

Tantanmen (390php)

Limited bowls every day so make sure to be at the restaurant early. Very rich with deep, complex flavors. 

Tonkokkei Ramen (360php)

Clean broth perfect for a rainy day. The simple broth made me appreciate how fresh the noodles were. 

Ukokkei Miso Butter (360php)

The broth was not as rich as Tantanmen but not as simple as Tonkokkei. I guess this was just right? lol

For now, we at least have the Malate branch to go to, but it's just not the same. Here's hoping to the reopening of the Makati branch asap!

Update: Good news folks! As of September 20 2012, Ukokkei Ramen Ron Makati has reopened.

Ukokkei Ramen Ron is located at 822 Aranaiz Ave. San Lorenzo Village, Makati. To check if it's already back in business call 8564588. The Malate branch is located at 888 Gateway Plaza 2126 A. Mabini St. Malate Manila. For more information, call 5165511 or 09154635286.

More than Ramen at Nomama

Heard a lot of good things about the cooking of Chef Him Uy de Baron so I was eager to try his recently opened casual modern Japanese restaurant, Nomama.

I thought it was all about ramen at Nomama, so it was a pleasant surprise to discover that Nomama has an extensive menu.

Edamame (90php)

Healthy appetizer!

Soft Shell Crab Salad (260php)

I remember the dressing being sour. I didn't care for the soft shell crab though.

Nomama Seafood Tempura (360php)

These were not greasy!

Thai Green Curry Ramen (310php)

The flavors were there albeit in diluted form. I wish the chef used a heavier hand in spicing this dish.

Ox Tongue and Chili Tofu (290php)

A more successful bowl of ramen with a flavorful stock. Just make sure to like ox tongue and tofu.

Roasted Chicken with Ponzu Cream (330php)

My favorite dish of tender chicken and creamy carbs.

Apple Gyoza (275php)

An interesting dessert worth trying. A bit heavy though after a full meal.

Kitkat Bar (175php)

The most popular dessert at Nomama. If you have room for only one dessert, order this. 

Do note that we dined at Nomama during its soft opening. I'm sure food served is even better now!

Nomama Artisinal Ramen is located at G/F, FSS Building, Sct. Tuazon cor. Sct. Castor Quezon City. For more information, call 9214913 or click here. 

No Place Like Omakase

Omakase for me is comfort food! Whenever I’m having a lousy experience trying out a new restaurant, I long for nothing but to be transported to Omakase where I can indulge in simple but good food. I recently got my wish and ordered some old favorites.

American Dream (195php)

The dish that made me love Omakase. It’s so good that I never fail to order it on every visit. Words really can’t describe how much I love this crunchy delight which has two of my favourite food ingredients: cream cheese and salmon. Best to try it yourself and don’t forget to dip the roll in Omakase’s addictive secret sauce.

Everything Tastes Better with This

Spicy Tuna Salad (220php)

The tuna is usually fresh with just the right amount of spiciness to keep this dish interesting. Unfortunately, I found the salad served this time lacking the usual kick it had. An off-night maybe?

Chicken Bento (335php)

This was Nina’s order and she had trouble finishing it as the bento was carbo heavy with servings of fried rice, California maki, & breaded shrimps. She was also disappointed with the tiny portion of Teriyaki chicken. A scoop of ice cream comes with the bento by the way.

Gyudon(240php)

Murtle was generous enough to let me have a taste and this was better than other gyudons I’ve tried. It was flavorful, tender, and not dry at all. A good dish to recommend to rice lovers.

As always, Omakase didn’t fail in delivering a comforting dining experience. Other dishes in Omakase that I recommend are Jurassic Maki, Oyster Butteryaki, and Aspara Beef Roll.

If you have been living under a rock and have yet to visit Omakase, do yourself a favor and head to the nearest branch right now.

Omakase is located at Upper Ground Floor Il Terazzo Sct. Madrinan Corner Tomas Morato Quezon City 3324115. It has other branches in Libis, Alabang, and Greenhills.

Perfecting Mediocrity at Origami

We decided to give Origami, the newest Japanese restaurant in Greenbelt 5, a try. As I was full from a meal I had earlier, I just ate some maki from the platter our group ordered.

I was able to sample three kinds of maki and found all so-so. Nothing really bad about it but nothing to rave about either. It was safe, ordinary, and forgettable.

As it isn’t fair to judge a restaurant with just one dish, I also asked my friends to give their opinion about Origami.

PRISTINE: I didn’t like the food at Origami that much. The sashimi at Omakase is better while Konbini has better Ramen.

TEEJ: Origami has ordinary food that’s not delicious. Menu was also vague. So unremarkable that I almost forgot that we ate there. SNOOZE. Origami is also expensive when you consider the quality. My Onigiri had too much rice that easily broke when I was eating it.

VICS: 3 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed the salmon maki. My Tamago however wasn’t as memorable and soft as the one I had at Seryna.

WAMIE: I feel happier eating at Omakase. My order of Uni on Rice had too much rice and too little uni.

It turns out that it just wasn't me as everyone was underwhelmed with Origami. Origami could have fared better in a different location but there’s no bigger crime than having uninspired, bland food in Greenbelt 5 where restaurants that have something to say are aplenty.

Origami is at located at the 1st floor Greenbelt 5 Legaspi St. Makati.