common ware holiday

For all those doing their Christmas shopping, don't forget to pass by Common Ware. We now have our minimal gift wrapping available to make the gift giving a lot easier (and prettier) for you. 

#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!

l'officiel: philippine fashion fest

Did a mini editorial for L'Officiel's website last week to feature some of the pieces by talented Filipino designers for Philippine Fashion Fest. Head to the L'Officiel website to read more. 

Photos by JL Javier
Makeup and Hair by Byron Velasquez
Styling by Andrea Ang and Mags Ocampo

good eats and health talks

After today's yoga class at the neighbor's, we went to a classmate's house for some healthy eats and a talk by Dr. Escalona.

We were greeted by a generous assortment of greens, toppings and dressings, and a green juice shot of cucumber, pineapple, kale and turmeric.

Green juice shots

Healthy eating isn't always as appealing as full blown buffets, or meals of meat and carbo overload, but with hosts like Joy who are in the food business and know their way around the kitchen, you're surely in for a delicious healthy treat.

Today's talk was conducted by Dr. Escalona who shared with us the importance of overall wellness that most of us nowadays neglect because of the fast pace lifestyle that we keep. Some new things my ignorant self learned during this talk:

1. Milk is good to take when you're young. As you get older, it's something to avoid because our body can't absorb it as well. You can get your calcium from other fruits and vegetables, or take more healthy alternatives like almond milk.
2. What you do everyday is more important than what you do once a week. So 15 minutes of running everyday is healthier and more effective than one 10k run a week.
3. When getting a second round during meals, wait 20 minutes before you do. This helps your body digest all the food you're eating and gives it time to register in your head that you don't need more food, you've had enough.

Something to keep in mind the next time #danielaeats!

#danielaeats: halal guys

The wait is over. I finally popped my Halal cherry!

I was so intrigued by this "Halal Guys" I kept hearing about from my friends that lived or travelled abroad. It came up pretty often in our discussions about visiting NY or midnight snacks, and eventually I learned that it was a food cart that was everyone's go-to in NY for a delicious quick fix to a shawarma craving. And midnight munchies.

The famous food cart finally made its way to the Philippines, and yesterday, it officially opened its door to the public in Megamall.

He takes is Instagram more seriously now. Don't bother.

I got the opportunity to get a taste of it before it officially opened, and I ordered the regular Beef Gyro on rice because I enjoy beef more than I do chicken. It came with tomatoes, lettuce, the beef, slices of pita, rice, and a bag of white and hot sauce. 

The usual question you get when eating in Halal Guys is, "Is it the same as the one in New York?" Truth is i've never tasted the original one. This was my first platter of Halal ever, and what I can share with you is that people I know who have tasted the NY Halal say it tastes the same. This is because the ingredients of the Halal Guys in Manila are imported, and are exactly the same ones you get in the States. The only difference of Manila Halal over NY Halal is that they use Jasmine rice in Manila.

The critic from a first timer: I guess I was expecting the taste on the beef and white sauce to be a bit stronger. It's good, and I enjoyed my platter a lot but found the flavouring to be more on the safe side where it's not too strong that one can easily get tired of the dish. I place a lot of the white sauce for more flavor, and just a bit of the hot sauce because it's extremely strong. But also so good! The white and hot sauce come in packets bigger than your usual ketchup from Mcdonalds, so you get more than enough for your meal. In case you want more, you can just order extra packs.

Halal Guys officially opened last October 13, and plans on opening up more branches around Manila soon. Try it out when you're in Megamall! Definitely won't disappoint.

Until next time #danieleats!

a new place

One thing you don't really see on Instagram or Facebook are the difficulties in life one goes through. Ya, some people do their ranting online which isn't really the best way to deal with it, but others seem to go through life without hardships at all. The truth is we only really see a small part of one's life through our screens, but the heartbreaks, hardships, discontent, hangups, fear, and other negative emotions are all kept away from the social media world and are contained inside our heads and our hearts. I for one can say that my IG feed looks like i'm having the time of my life eating all the food I want, but in reality there's fear, stress, hangups and discontent lingering behind those posts. I get stressed and turn to vices to relieve me from it, but I've come to realize that these things only relieve me temporarily and are not the best ways to deal with it.

After much convincing from my wonderful sister, I gave in to ashtanga yoga and fell in love with it after my first session. It relieves me from any difficulties or heaviness I encounter in my day, and also gives me a really good workout so I end my day feeling lighter than ever. We attend classes at a neighbor's house so it's very convenient, private, and less intimidating for newbies like me who are still learning.

Sorry for the bad quality, it was dark in the place and I didn't want to insist on turning on the lights.
My face is also extra red because I ran before the class (which was a bad idea because it ended up being 50 minutes of cardio!)

I still do my regular workouts at the gym but yoga has become my go to for extra workout, relaxation and peace. I hope that if you're going through any difficulties in your life, big or small, you find a place to release, find peace, and feel content amidst the chaos of life.

#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!