The 5th Taste

The 5th Taste, what's that? I only know four- sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. The 5th taste is Japanese in origin though and they call it "Umami," or pleasant savory tastes (according to Wikipedia).


Smoked Mackerel Maki. The smoked mackerel adds some "punch" to our beloved maki, staying true to its 5th taste.

Yutaka Izakaya, A Hidden Gem

We've been dining at this quaint Japanese restaurant called- Yutaka Izakaya since daughter was still a wee one but I haven't really blogged about it much. I mean, it is such a gem that I still don't want to share it- hahaha. But I know that a lot of foodies out there are already familiar with this restaurant.

And because its almost Christmas, I am sharing my fave Japanese restaurant. :)

California Maki. 12 pcs of goodness costs around P160 and you can order half if you're on a diet. I know I can't eat this anymore since I've stopped eating rice but it used to be my favorite. They don't scrimp on ingredients especially the "tobiko" or the orange fish roe. The maki also has a generous nice tasting Japanese mayo. Skip the soy sauce and wasabi because you don't really need it. Trust me.

NEW RESTO ALERT: Chef Samurai In Subic

Chef Samurai is the brainchild of Bambi and Michelle Meer whose kids happen to love Japanese food- that's why they came up with their very own Japanese restaurant. The location in Subic was their old Surf & Havaianas Shop which transferred to the nearby mall so they have this "free" space to work with. But they're not really neophytes when it comes to food business especially Bambi who is at the helm of Meat Plus Cafe, also located in Subic.

The restaurant is just a few days shy of celebrating its first month but it has already attracted the attention of locals and tourists who both agreed that Chef Samurai doesn't only serve good Japanese food, but it is reasonably priced as well. *** Hope they open a branch here in Manila soon. :)

Kimono Ken: Japanese Fusion At Its Finest

I have high respect for those restaurant that maintains the quality and standard of their food as the years go by- and one good example is Kimono Ken. My first time at Kimono Ken was in December 2006 at the Tomas Morato branch. Then another meal a few months after at the Blue Wave branch. Both times, I fell in love with the food; not only it was delicious but because it was nicely presented, too.

Fast forward >> I didn't know that Kimono Ken has a branch in Podium (its obvious we don't frequent the place much), but we're familiar with the one in Shangri-La Plaza and have several memorable meals there, too.

FOOD FINDS: Ongpin Edition

January 18, 2013

I have some errands to do in Ongpin today so I texted C & J if they want to join me for lunch at WaiYing. However, something came up in-between and I left the house a bit later than planned and C needed to go back to the office. Also, J already ate at LingNam (she got hungry while waiting for me!). Uh oh!

Lunch will have to wait, then. J and I met somewhere in Soler and she mentioned about seeing a Hello Kitty store just in front of WaiYing. Wow, have-to-visit-that-store. Saw a lot of nice looking items but we didn't buy anything (I wonder why?). There's even a cutey camera case that J wanted to buy except that its too small.

Kimono Ken

Another long delayed post. Around 4-5 yrs late. :P


Had lunch at Kimono Ken somewhere in Macapagal Avenue because we plan to go to Mall of Asia afterwards. Can't really remember what happened (senior moment!) but I know that we hoarded a lot from Bread Talk. Hahaha.

Kani Salad.
 

Tempura.

Chicken Terriyaki.

Gindara. I think.

Kani Salad

So simple to do, but guaranteed delish!
Simple add Japanese Mayo or any preferred mayonaise to you salad.



Other variations include ripe mangoes. See here