Makati – Anne Goes to Places

Foodgasm episode 10: Little Tokyo (Shinjuku and Kagura)

The last day of October 2012 meant that my family would be commemorating the 40th day since a relative of mine passed away. We had mass in Ascension Columbary followed by a small salu-salo. My aunts and uncles decided to celebrate All Souls’ Day yesterday since there would be fewer people in the columbary.

With the BIG family… not complete though :p

And finally, after x number of months (or years?), Eyong’s dinner treat happened. Haha! We chose to eat authentic Japanese food for dinner and the best place to go to is Little Tokyo in Makati City. Shinjuku Ramen House was our first stop for the night. The staff were so friendly and very attentive to any customer need. We had to ask how big was a regular bowl of ramen since we were planning to eat again after our food escapade in Shinjuku. They said that a regular ramen bowl is good for two people if both are not super hungry. We decided to order two ramen flavors — Chashu and Wantan.

I did not regret ordering Chashumen since it was so yummy. The meat was very soft that it actually felt like it melted in my mouth. The noodles were firm and for me, it was good that the veggie was chopped into small pieces rather than huge chunks of ‘em.

With Eyong — we ordered the Chashumen! 🙂

My sister and cousin opted for Wantanmen because of the siomai -ish in the ramen. I asked how it tasted and all they said was “Delicious!” They put lots of chili powder in their ramen to make it spicyyy and they told me it was good that the powder did not change the taste of their food.

We were expecting though that our ramen would be really hot — a sip would be enough to burn your tongue. However, that was not the case and we were quite disappointed with that. Still, the ramen was so good that we kinda forgot about the ideal temperature for the food. My cousin suddenly remembered that we did not order sushi. I am not a big fan of this since my three previous experiences with this food were all bad. He insisted that it was really good and maybe California Maki was just not the right sushi for me. He ordered Spicy Tempura Maki, which got Eyong and Chippy excited since they looove spicy stuff.

One bite of this sushi and I was converted. My first and immediate reaction was “Oh my gosh! Sobrang sarap lang!” It was that good!

We went to Kagura afterwards, which boasts their okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese dish that resembles a pancake with a variety of ingredients, such as pork, shrimp, and tuna flakes. Besides offering the regular okonomiyaki, Kagura also offers a modern type of okonomiyaki, which has noodles as an added ingredient. We ordered two types of modern mix okonomiyaki — one has tuna flakes while the other has chicken skin.

Chicken skin — modern mix okonomiyaki (PhP260)

Tuna flakes — modern mix okonomiyaki (PhP260)

I preferred the okonomiyaki with tuna flakes since I could really taste the tuna inside. My cousin jokingly said after his first bite, “Uy! Century Tuna!” He told me that indeed, the tuna okonomiyaki was better than the chicken one. Both dishes were really good that we vowed to go back there when we have enough money again.

I thought we were going home after the Little Tokyo trip when my cousin said that we would go to Tagaytay. I thought he was just joking but when I saw that we were on the road to Bicutan….. He wasn’t kidding. Talk about a spur-of-the-moment roadtrip! And so, our Little Tokyo trip extended to a Tagaytay trip.

It was a good thing that I wore my beanie yesterday and I accidentally brought my mom’s sweater with me. Fortune teller, chos!

I’m the type of person who is afraid to do unplanned things because of possible reprimands or consequences. I was happy that the people with me were game na game with the roadtrip. It was hard not to be “infected” by their happy vibes. 😉 Guess where we chilled out in Tagaytay? Starbucks! Haha! We actually thought of going to Bag of Beans but it was around 9PM already so the resto might already be closed.

starbucksmodels — Feeling Starbucks models!

Cheers to the sudden but happy roadtrip!

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Shinjuku Ramen House: 2277 Chino Roces Ave., Legazpi Village, Makati

Kagura: 2277 Chino Roces Ave., Legazpi Village, Makati

Foodgasm episode 9: Chili’s (Power Plant Mall)

The first Gift Gate warehouse sale happened yesterday at the NBC Tent (Bonifacio Global City). Products were up to 80% off and they were not limited to Sanrio characters only. Items with characters from Disney, Bandai, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Pokemon, etc. were also available during the warehouse sale. The event started at 10AM but we arrived there at 1PM. I thought that I would be able to buy some stuff for myself but to my disappointment, all of the good stuff were gone. 😥 Most of the items left were either too shabby for my taste or fitted for kids only. So, my little niece was very lucky since all the items we bought were hers. 🙂

We were surprised to find out a veeeeery looooong line for the cashier. After almost an hour in the line, the management decided to open cashiers for people with ten items or less. About time they thought of that! Still, it took us three hours before we were able to pay for our stuff.

All that waiting and standing left me, my cousin, and my little sister very hungry. We were thinking where we could grab merienda and the final decision was to eat in Chili’s. We headed to Power Plant Mall, which was where the nearest Chili’s was located. Since we got there at around 7PM, we opted to have dinner there instead of snacks. My tummy was really excited since it would be my first time to eat there. 😉

For our appetizer, we had Bottomless Tostada Chips. Their tostada chips were not only warm and crispy but also a little bit salty. This beats tostada chips from other restaurants / food chains, which are bland. Two dips came along with these chips — their homemade salsa and cheesy dip. The salsa was quite spicy and I’m not really a fan of spicy food. But, it was really good so I kept on dipping my chips in it. The homemade salsa is the only dip that is bottomless so if you want to have another round of cheesy dip, you’ll have to pay for it.

_MG_0761 — Bottomless Tostada Chips with homemade salsa and cheesy dip (PhP330)

The next dish that was served was the Fire Grilled Chicken, Bacon and Ranch Quesadilla. I went nuts over this to the point that I forgot to take a picture of it before we messed it up. 😆 The tortilla was toasted perfectly and even if I placed pico de gallo, salsa-ranch dressing, and sour cream over it, the quesadilla still tasted superb. It was actually more delicious, for me.

_MG_0763 — Fire Grilled Chicken, Bacon and Ranch Quesadilla (PhP430)

My cousin also suggested that we order Grilled Shrimp Alfredo Pasta. And so, my little sister and I agreed to order it. The sauce was creamy and I was glad that they were generous in the amount of sauce they put. There were diced tomatoes, Parmesan, and green onions on top which gave the dish more color and flavor.

_MG_0771 — Grilled Shrimp Alfredo Pasta (PhP525)

We were contemplating if we would order dessert but we were too full already so we decided not to order anymore. We just bought ice cream in the supermarket then ate it on our way home.

It was indeed a tiring day but I had a lot of fun, especially during dinner. Gluttonous girl. 😆

Before I end this post, I would like to share this photograph I took in Power Plant Mall. I saw this old lady who was playing the piano. She was reading notes while playing the said instrument and mind you, the notes were not ~~musical ones~~. They were literally notes, as in phrases and sentences. I was quite far from her so I was not able to see what was really written in that little notebook. I did not notice that I was already tapping my foot to her music while listening in a corner. I wish that more people will learn to appreciate music even if it’s just for a few seconds. Kudos to this madame and I hope that she will continue to play and create wonderful music.

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Chili’s (Power Plant Mall): P1 Unit 36 Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati City

Foodgasm episode 7: Escolta (The Peninsula Manila)

It has been more than a month since I last posted here… I was too busy with university stuff these past few weeks — readings, case studies, novels, and thesis. 😦 So, I was really happy when my mom told me that we were invited to my tita’s (English translation: aunt’s) birthday celebration. Nomnomnom. XD

“Freedom and Homeland” — little flag in front of Escolta entrance

We had a dinner buffet at Escolta, which is a restaurant located in The Peninsula Manila, and I was quite frantic when we started to get whatever food we want since there were a lot of choices. I was not familiar with a lot of dishes there so I relied on my sense of sight and smell to help me decide which food to place on my plate. Haha!

I can’t remember what were these dishes called… I can only remember that there was a dish made from veal, another dish made from duck, and a different dish made from sausage. I was too hungry to bother remembering the names of the dishes I ate during that night. I don’t have additional pictures on what were the other dishes I ate but I remember that my favorite was the “Chicken in Ginger Broth.” I had three bowls of that — perfect for the cold weather!

I actually have pictures of the desserts I ate. I pigged out on the French macaroons and fruit tarts, which my cousin noticed so he joked that I should just get the tray and bring it to our table to save me the time and effort of going back and forth to the desserts area. Whew. I’m getting hungry again. Haha!

It was my first time to eat these desserts, except for the cheesecake, and I was veeeery happy because they were all delicious. Looks did not deceive me. Yay! I don’t have any idea how much per head for the dinner buffet but I highly recommend this place, especially for those who have a big space in their stomach. :> Let me leave some more pictures before I end this post. 😀

Happy birthday to my aunt (she’s the one in red)!

(L-R): The birthday celebrant, my mom, my little sister, my cousin, and my niece

My sister and I decided to dress up similarly… just like when we were kids!

Happy birthday tita Susan! Cheers to a longer and healthier life! 😀 Aaand, thank you to my cousin since she was the one who paid for our dinner. 😉

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Escolta (The Peninsula Manila): Ground Level, The Manila Peninsula Hotel, Makati City