#danielaeats: ooma

Finally got to try another Moment Group and Chef Bruce Ricketts restaurant that's been on my "to visit" list for a while now. Ooma, I finally got to you!

I've been hearing a lot about this place and have seen several photos of the different dishes on my Instagram feed, so when I got there I sort of had an idea of what to order. I went with Anton and we both wanted to try out different dishes so we decided to share everything.

A few things to know:
It's not as expensive as you'd expect (Php 200 - Php 500 dishes)
Unlimited white rice
You brush your kikoman on the maki. They served this sauce in a small cylinder with a brush, unlike other Jap restaurants where you dip your sushi in a small kikoman sauce bowl.

Salmon Skin Aburi Maki Php 265

We were choosing between this and another best seller with tuna, but since we were also getting the Spicy Tuna Maki, our waiter suggested we try the Salmon Skin Aburi.

I'm not usually a fan of complicated maki (I always go for the basic toro, shake or kani), but this one will have to be an exception. This maki contained torched salmon, crispy salmon skin, cheese, asparagus, and some sauce, and altogether it was actually really delicious. It looks a little heavy but the sizing of the maki just makes it right so that you don't get so stuffed from the dish.

Spicy Tuna Maki Php 245

This would have to be closest to the Nihonbashitei Spicy Toro Maki because of the sauce. It's a good thing that they don't make the maki drown in it so you can still taste the rest of the maki without the sauce overpowering it. It didn't really stand out among the dishes we had, but it was still delicious. I just always need my spicy tuna fix in any Jap restaurant so I had to order!

Uni Udon Php 495

This Udon is probably the most photographed dish from Ooma that I see on my feed. I was so curious about it so it was a sure order when we went. Upon getting the bowl, I was surprised to see that it's much bigger than it looks in photos. I wasn't surprised though that it was freakin delicious. No wonder it's a must have when visiting Ooma.

Note: It's also really heavy and rich. If you do decide to order this, it might be too much to have only this for your meal. I suggest you share it with 3-4 people while enjoying other dishes because with this alone, you'll be stuffed and probably tired of the taste before you're halfway.

Hanger Steak Php 495

My favorite! Because it has truffle, of course! The steak was so soft and the serving generous, I was absolutely happy upon seeing it because I thought it would come out small. Luckily it was just enough for Anton and I to share without feeling bitin. The meat's cut into small bite sizes and sightly thin, so it's easy to eat and doesn't make you feel heavy after several bites. A good main to have when visiting the place!

Another must-visit Jap resto, down. I don't live near the area so making the visit to Megamall is a bit of an effort (with the traffic nowadays, extra effort!). But it's a good thing the end of a trip was Ooma. I suggest you try it too when you're in the area.

Until next time #danielaeats!

#danielaeats: part of japan

Before I share with you some photos of Japanese food I had in Osaka, I have to let you know that this post might come out as a disappointment to some of you who have been to the place. 

1. I didn't get to try their Kobe or Matsusaka
2. Because of the limited time we had, we rushed all our meals so we could get on our feet again and explore places
3. Conveyor belt, Family Mart, conveyor belt, Family Mart
4. Non-Jap meals (shame!)

Nevertheless I am sharing this still for those who would like to get some ideas when visiting Osaka. 

Family Mart. 

Here's what we had on our first night. We got to our place in Namba past 12 midnight and were not familiar with the area, so we went straight to Family Mart just a street away from our building. Though it's a shame we had this several times during our trip, I have to say that Family Mart there is the bomb. If the quality of food in the ones we have here were the same as Japan, I'd have it for all my meals. We got there pretty late but the maki was still so good, the rice soft and still moist inside. Probably even better than what you would get in some restaurants here that serve it to you as you order. The soba was just okay, not so sure if that's how legit Japanese noodles really are or if it had an off taste because it was sitting in the store almost the whole day, but it had this flavour I didn't enjoy so much.

Dotonburi restaurant with the hand holding the sushi. It's hard to miss because you'll see this in the line of restaurants along Dotonburi along with big octopus and crab figures outside other restaurants. This was one of the conveyor belt restos we ate in during the trip. It's about 100 yen (around Php 40) per plate for fresh, delicious sushi (their uni still tasted like the sea!). It's crazy how affordable Japanese food is here! A lot of people think that going to Japan is hella expensive because the quality of their food is so much better than in Manila, but really you get good quality at such low prices. It makes you wonder why it's so expensive in Manila (for some restaurants) when the fish isn't even that superb. 

For every conveyor belt we ate in, I managed to consume eight plates (some salmon, tuna, uni, shrimp and others I tried). That's eight plates with two pieces each of fresh, hearty, delicious sushi. 

Photo inside the restaurant with the big sushi hand. Sorry no name, there was no English translation outside.

Another conveyor belt we ate in in Kyoto is Kaiten Sushi. It had pretty much the same servings as the one above but had some extra noodles with soup (not ramen). According to @bookymanila, Genki Sushi (pioneer of Kaiten Sushi) will be opening at Bonifacio Stopover!

I couldn't help myself. I was starving that day (we had lunch almost 3pm) so I took a bite before taking the photo and forgot to take more photos of my meal because I was too busy stuffing my mouth.

This conveyor belt was cool because each table had a machine to order in case what you're looking for doesn't come out. On top of the revolving belt was another belt also connected to the kitchen. Once you input your extra order in the machine, it will appear on the top belt in five minutes or less. 

Noodles with Soup. It's not ramen, it's noodles with soup. We stumbled upon this "ramen" place (so we thought) that had a long line during the day. When the late night munchies called, we walked to Dotonburi and looked for a place that was open, and this so happened to be the first one we came across. My first taste of it brought me to Pho Hoa. It tasted and had the texture of Vietnamese noodles, different from the ramen that we were expecting. On the side you have the option to add extra garlic and kimchi to add more flavour. After putting in a generous amount in my bowl, I was more satisfied with the flavour and enjoyed my first "noodles with soup" experience in Japan.  

Noodles with soup

Sisen Ramen. My friend recommended that we try out the ramen place across Swisshotel (Namba station) so we made a stop there before heading home one night. It's probably one of the less known ramen places to visit in Osaka, but I highly suggest you try it out. I'm not so fund of Tantanmen (mostly because I get tired of the flavour halfway through my bowl), but when I ate here I devoured the whole thing. Their gyoza was also really good and had the right cook on it - slight crunch at the bottom and a soft top. I really regret not making a second trip. 

Sisen Ramen

Ichiran. One of the more known ramen places to visit (long lines in the two branches we came across) but also worth trying. They only have one flavour of ramen here, but the strength of the flavour, the cook on the noodles and the level of spice is determined by you before giving in your order. Also so delicious!

Ichiran

Food on the street. We spent our nights in eating areas around our place. The restaurants were very small and could seat less than ten people at a time. Even these small restaurants had good food, and we would munch on some sashimi or takoyaki balls along with our Asahi. 

Don't forget to enjoy the Kirin, Asahi, and Sapporo while you're there.

We were expecting to have Family Mart almost the whole trip because we thought we'd be spending a whole lot if we ate in restaurants. It turns out food there isn't as expensive as some restaurants in Manila. You can get good quality food in the smallest and simplest restaurants, and not have to pay a premium for it. If i'm not mistaken I think I spent about Php 1,600 on my first day just for food, drinks and some transpo (we used the train to get around, forget the taxi). It's really so much more affordable than I expected, and if you don't splurge on these things like I did, you might even end up spending less in a day. Crazy! Time to book that trip to Osaka! I'm definitely planning another visit next year.

Until next time #danielaeats!

#danielaeats: mecha uma

Scallops on kropek -- which Chef Bruce made using the rest of the scallop parts

Tanigue fish on Monggo. The ultimate favorite!

Eel liver on rice

Three out of the ten absolutely amazing dishes we had at Mecha Uma.

I took a shot of almost all the dishes we had but the lighting (and maybe my phone camera) just didn't do justice to the beauty of it all. So here are the "best" ones I'm willing to share.

Anton and I were able to enjoy the ten course meal thanks to Nicky, who had ten seats at the bar care of Chef Bruce Ricketts since Nicky directed his video for Madrid Fusion Manila.

Everyone that joined us that night went to Mecha Uma expecting to be mind blown after all the hype it's been getting. Indeed, it did not disappoint. Every single dish we tried there was out of this world amazing that we wished we had a second round each. It's really crazy how such small dishes could be so technical and hold all that flavour and texture. Unfortunately, they were all really small that I was still hungry after the ten dishes. The dishes were all too good that my plates were wiped clean by the time the waiter got it. It's a shame though that I wasn't able to take note of everything the dishes were made of and take better photos, but luckily Sarie, who also joined us that night, was able to properly capture the plates and note down the magic that went on behind the bar. Check out her post on Mecha Uma here.

If you're expecting it to be like Sensei Sushi because it's also Japanese cuisine, it's not. It far beyond what Sensei is (which I also enjoyed, by the way), and it's not the type of meal Chef Bruce could just have someone else prepare. All ten course meals at the bar are done by him, and can only be served when he's around.

In case you plan on trying this out, Mecha Uma does their ten course meal only from Friday to Monday, twice in one night (6PM and 8PM). The menu is unpredictable, and if you decide to return a week or two after your first try, you might be served something else depending on the availability of ingredients (the more reason we should return!). You may also opt to walk in and order a la carte, but i'm not so sure about the menu they have for that.

Try it out! It's located on the ground floor of the RCBC Savings Bank Corporate Tower, 25th corner 26th, BGC.

Until next time #danielaeats!

#danielaeats: sushi to go in taiwan

One thing I was shocked about during my visit to Taiwan was the number of Japanese restaurants around. You could find one at every corner, sometimes serving good quality, pricey Japanese food, or low end decent ones. Being the Jap lover that I am, this thrilled me, and I couldn't resist the more affordable sushi and sashimi that I had maybe three or four meals while I was there. One of the Jap stores we visited was at the train station. It was a sushi to go kind of place with no chairs, just a big cooler with packed sushi and a counter to pay.

I had a difficult time trying to decide which one to get because I just wanted the basic salmon and tuna sushi. But after going through the whole cooler, I saw that we actually had the option to choose exactly what we wanted.

Packed little sushi! So cute. It was just 10 Taiwanese dollars for each, that's about Php 15.



Since this is on the more affordable side of Jap food, you can't expect excellent quality. It was decent though, and is still much better than the cheap Japanese we have here in the Philippines, so I was satisfied. Most of their cheap Japanese food are actually okay (well, those that I ate in), so I'd say it's safe to munch on them while taking a break from your shopping spree. How I wish we had a sushi to go place here!

Until next time #danielaeats!

sushi ninja

Just a few weeks back I was finally able to try Sushi Ninja. It's been such a hype amongst friends and southern people in general, so I've been wanting to try the place.

Tsukiji Maki

I was surprised (in a good way) when this arrived because I didn't expect it to be a lot. I almost got this just for myself but it's a good thing Anton and I decided to share because it was more than I expected.

It consisted of 8 consistent rolls, all with the right amount of rice, tuna and cucumber. I love it when I receive food and see that hindi ako tinitipid. It's just sad when the rolls are small and are dominated by rice. Sushi pet peeve!

As a whole it was delicious, albeit a bit more spicy than I expected. I enjoy my wasabi a lot and can take the spice of it, but the spice from the mayo mix was a bit too much for me so I had to take breaks in between each maki just to make the spice in my mouth settle.

Spicy Salmon (Right)

Of course, it's never a Jap meal for me without my Spicy Tuna or Spicy Salmon. I must say that I'd consider this and Kessaku's spicy tuna to be my two favourites in Alabang. The fish comes in big chunks, the dish isn't too dry, the serving size is bigger than others and the flavour is just right.

Gyuuniko Sute-Ki Don

Once the steak dish arrived I was satisfied to see that it came with a good amount of rice and meat. I bit into the meat and found it too tough, probably overcooked a bit so it wasn't pleasant trying to eat the rest of it. The taste was okay but I was too bothered about it being tough so I didn't really feel like eating the rest of it. Anton though enjoyed his choice of dish (I forgot what, but it was meat too) and didn't experience the same thing, so it probably was just the one served to me.

Despite the disappointing main dish, I'd still go back to this place to experience the others they have on their menu. Their maki was delicious anyway, and their spicy salmon, one of my favourites!

#daniealeats: the genji-m and banzai experience

After many months (years, actually) of feeding Anton Japanese at every birthday, graduation, anniversary or any celebration for that matter, I finally got him Jap crazy. To be more specific, salmon sash crazy. Because of this, every Japanese sulit meal that came across our Facebook feeds or any slight craving for it brought us to the closest Japanese restaurant in the area. It just so happened that a few months back, two new Japanese buffets that offered affordable prices for unlimited Japanese feasts, opened. Once we saw this on Facebook, we scheduled a trip.

Genji-M

Genji-M, Makati Avenue

The first one we read of online was Genji-M. We saw on a blog that it had a promo of P250 off the bill of customers that printed out the Genji-M coupon and brought it when dining in. That's P250 off per head, provided that each person had their own coupon. 

When we got there we were asked to choose between three menus: (1) one with just rolls and sushi, (2) another with rolls, sushi, and sashimi, (3) there was a third but I don't really remember what extra it came with. We chose the menu without sashimi since it was more affordable, and we thought that unlimited maki and sushi would suffice since the list we were handed had quite a hand full of choices. How it goes is they serve you your first platter which contains all the available choices, and after tasting the variety, you get to pick which rolls and sushi you'd like to have again.

I don't really remember the names of all the rolls we tasted, but of course we had the basic tuna and salmon roll. I wasn't so happy with the two because their tuna and salmon rolls had ham and other extra ingredients in it which I don't really like. I usually like them simple with the rice, good sashimi, nori and a little bit of wasabi. Aside from that, the slice of tuna or salmon laid on top of the roll was extremely thin that the other ingredients of the maki sort of took over the flavour of the roll.

From the bunch, one roll that stood out was that maki with cheese on top--yes, cheese. I don't know if this is normal, but never in my life did I eat Japanese maki with cheese on top. I did not like it. We also had California maki in that first platter which I didn't like either. I don't like any California maki anyway, wherever it may be from.

For the sushi, I've had better. The rice that came with it was almost shaped like a ball and was way too compressed, so when biting into it, it didn't feel like rice. Our seared tuna sushi did not taste fresh at all, and the other sushi choices were OK, nothing great. The serving sizes were much smaller than the photos I saw online and again, the rice just wasn't done right.

In the end Anton and I were disappointed with our meal. I don't know if we just so happened to visit on a bad day because according to others, Genji-M is okay. But we weren't happy with the maki and sushi that we got, and I forgot to mention, my Miso soup tasted like water. 

Banzai

Banzai, Mall of Asia

Banzai, Mall of Asia

Banzai, Mall of Asia

Banzai, Mall of Asia

A few weeks after Genji-M, we decided to try out Banzai, the new Japanese buffet in Mall of Asia, Seaside Boulevard. This buffet is kind of like Sambokojin with a more Japanese ambiance, and a slightly wider range of choices. It included unlimited zaru and cha soba (which they don't have in Sambo), pizza, steak and others I was not able to taste. My meal as a whole was actually okay. I had my regular: sushi, sashimi, spicy tuna, zaru soba, tempura, gyoza, steak, Miso soup, and picked on a few meats from Anton's plate. I remember the steak and the Teppanyaki to be good, and the quality of the sashimi, sushi and the cha soba to be mediocre. The noodles of their soba didn't slide off each other once you try to pick them with your chopsticks; they clung to each other like sticky rice. I had a taste of their spicy tuna but didn't go back for a second round (as I usually would) mainly because the sauce tasted more like regular mayonnaise on tuna sashimi.

For the price though (if I'm not mistaken, about Php 899 per head for dinner on weekdays), I'd have to say I'm pretty happy with what I got. It's not great Japanese with regard to the raw dishes, but I'd say the cooked meals are pretty good.

Until next time #danielaeats!

food love

Here's a mini food post on the things I've been munching on lately. If you're an Instagram follower, you've probably seen the lot of food photos I post almost daily. Today I'd like to share with you some details on the food behind @danielamgamboa and #danielaeats (yup I made a hashtag!).

Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza at The Palms Country Club

I don't know why I always opt for Margarita pizza when this exists. It was my first time to try it this year (SO.LATE.) and I absolutely love it. The Palms pizzas are cooked in a brick oven so the slightly burnt taste you get from the brick oven cook makes it extra good. I also always have my pizzas come in thin crust because I enjoy the little crunch you get at the end of eating a slice as oppose to the thick, filling crust, so I was happy that that's what I got for this one.

Spicy Tuna Salad, Sea Breeze and Cha Soba at Omakase

I don't even need to explain! My heaven. 

Dumplings at Mandarin Palace

I'm not really a Chinese food lover, but I can eat a whole lot of dumplings. Pork Siomai and Hakaw forever! And Mango Sago. YUM. I also enjoy jellyfish once in a while, but I didn't like the one they had here. 

I forgot the name of this dish, but it's from Bamba Bistro in BF. That place has such good food. It may appear tiny in serving, but I shared this (and a few other dishes) with some friends, and we were stuffed! I suggest you share different dishes when you visit so you can try out more than one. And order a Sangria!  

 Huevos from Bamba Bistro

This was my favorite. The chorizo + ground beef + chilli + egg (and a few other ingredients I might be forgetting) was so good! The burger I posted above actually also contains Huevos that's why I really liked it.

Pizzookie from Bamba Bistro

The perfect end to the Bamba experience. Freshly baked chocolate chip cookie topped with Vanilla ice cream, coated with some salted caramel syrup. It also comes in a small serving size but it's actually perfect since you'll be so stuffed from the main dishes. It's a must for anyone that visits Bamba!

Random, but now that I think about it, the Magnum dessert I had a few days ago in Magnum Manila is somewhat like this. More on this in the next food post!

Sambokojin in SM Southmall

Okay, not exactly the best Japanese place in the south. It's no Omakase or Hanakazu, but I love eating here because it's affordable (Php 600-700 if i'm not mistaken), it's a buffet, and it's a fusion of Japanese and Korean food--my two favorite cuisines. Just a side note for those who plan on eating here - watch out for their sashimi. I've visited this place I think more than ten times, and most of my visits were pleasant. It was just maybe twice or thrice that I encountered tuna sashimi that didn't look fresh. I didn't even try it to spare myself from a bad stomach, so I just requested for a new batch and they replaced it with fresher looking fish. 

Sukiyaki from Krazy Katsu in BF

Sweet! I think this is the sweetest Sukiyaki i've ever had but I kinda enjoyed it. Anton also liked it but we agreed that you need to have an order of something else to alternate it with so you don't get tired of the taste. I got some of Anton's meal to get a taste of something else in between, and I enjoyed the Sukiyaki more that way. 

That's it for today! Here's a random food quote I saw on Tumblr today:

"People who love to eat are always the best people" -  Julia Child

I agree!

the prize

In case you were wondering, I did end up getting my free Dynamite roll and Miso soup from Omakase! Happy happy camper.

ps. If you decide to join the contest (and win), and would like to avail of your prize, they require a print out of the coupon, not just a photo on your phone. It's something they failed to inform me in the email, but it's a good thing I decided to print it anyway.

jap happy

For the first time in my life I am actually admitting to Jap food overload.
Last week, I ate in Sambokojin with Anton. We were just craving so we decided to eat there for dinner.

Last Monday, my sister treated us to Sambokojin for her birthday.

Yesterday, my sister invited me to join her and her boyfriend for dinner in Palms and I decided to order Spicy Tuna salad and Zaru Soba.

In between all these meals, I would occasionally get Jap cravings (still), and would munch on some crab sticks with kikoman and wasabi at home.

Madness I tell you! I don't want to put blame on the monthly cravings (if you know what I mean), but it IS partially to blame + I think I really have some sort of addiction.

And to top it all off...

I got one more Jap meal waiting in Omakase! A few days ago I saw on my FB news feed that Omakase posted an Instagram photo that won the @IwantOmakase photo contest. I immediately searched the page for the mechanics of the contest and found that by simply tagging your Omakase food photo or experience with @IwantOmakase and #iwantomakase, you have a chance to win a special treat from the restaurant. I'm not really one to join online stuff (may have done it twice or thrice in the past and never won), but I just decided to tag all my old Omakase photos on my Instagram.

And I won!!

I had no idea what, but I was happy anyway. I had to send some details to an email and when I did, I got a reply with a free Dynamite Roll and Miso soup to my name! I was the happiest kid ever.

I just checked the Omakase page now and it says that the contest is still on going. So if you want a chance to win a treat, tag away!

d-day dinner

Part of what dinner was tonight. Japanese again! Initially my dad chose Omakase, but the family went for convenience instead and ate in Nishijin at Palms just so that we wouldn't have to wait in line for a table.

My Jap favorites!

Thank you for another delicious Jap dinner mama and papa bear!

ps. I really think we need to start eating different cuisines for the upcoming celebrations. I keep taking photos of the same food!

23 years

Last February 3, my family and I celebrated my parents' 23 years of marriage over our favorite cuisine: Japanese! The unexpected mini celebration was spent in Omakase, followed by dessert in one of the family's favorites, Frutti Froyo. It was unexpected because a special night that has yet to happen has been planned in celebration of the birthdays of my dad and sister, and the anniversary of my parents. Luckily, my parents decided to treat us out and celebrate since we were all available for dinner on that Friday night (which nowadays rarely happens). Happy Anniversary! :)

Here are a few pictures that I took over dinner using the iPhone. I have to say that I'm actually pretty happy with the quality of the pictures that I take with it. Initially I was attached to the camera of my Blackberry because the photos I took there were clearer than any other cellphone camera I've had in the past. But after living with an iPhone for almost two months, I gotta admit that I am very much satisfied with it!

BEHIND THAT PATCH. I've been walking around school and other public places with that patch on and I'm pretty sure some of you are wondering what's behind it. Well, I got a stye. I don't really mind saying it here because I know by the stares and double takes that the patch attracts much attention and curiosity. Styes don't often come out bad enough to have to put a patch on it, but unfortunately my eyes are so sensitive that it leads to the swelling of the whole eye. It doesn't look pretty and is very sensitive to dust, so I decided to cover it up. It's day 4 of wearing a patch, and I'm really itching to leave my house without it because I am so tired of bumping the people walking to my right. Hopefully by this week I'll be patch free!