Hokkaido Santouka

Because reunions with good old friends over Ramen is always a good idea - especially when you both share the same love for the Japanese culture :)

Which is how we found ourselves at Hokkaido Santouka (at the Old Promenade in Greenhills) for lunch with my best friend from Grade School :)

She was the one who recommended Hokkaido Santouka so instant plus points right there.

Unlike other Ramen Houses where there are panels to separate the customers and offer a more private dining experience, Hokkaido Santouka had a more open ambiance to it (for their Greenhills branch at least). It was rather irregularly shaped for a restaurant, having a more alley way like entry but there was a bigger space at the back. There were even those vendos with the toys in what seem like Poke-balls in them - adding to the Japanese theme of the restaurant :)

We loved that the menus had Set Meals (like the ones in the photos - it's a set meal) complete with a Matcha flavored cupcake which Paul just shoved in his mouth in one gulp. 

We had one of their set meals (which range at around P470.00-P500.00+)

Our Set Meal included: 

Small Ramen and you get to choose what flavor - we had the Shio Ramen (Salt Flavored) It's just weird that there was a date in there, Fried Salmon and Prawn and Small Rice Bowl. There were also some vegetables, a small portion of salad, warm tea and the cute Matcha flavored cupcake. 

Mixed Fruits with Purin 

Dessert was Mixed Fruits with Purin (P170.00) which my best friend Greta and Paul shared  You will recall that I'm not really a big fan of fruits and that dessert to me is only chocolate or cake :P 

Cool and Chilled Iced Tea - Sailor Moon approves. 

The Iced Tea was in a really cool presentation with blended/ literally iced tea on top :P 

It was just disappointing that their local beer was priced at P150.00 a bottle - I mean seriously -  it's local beer - we know the suggested retail price. Their Shin-Aji Ramen (P320.00) looks interesting it's cold noodle with hot dipping sauce. Might try that next time :) 

Their ramen or at least the Shio Ramen we had was good :P Might try a whole ramen bowl the next time so we can fully explore the taste - like I said earlier the date in their was weird though :P 

Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen

For all my fascination and admiration of Japanese Culture I'm not a big fan of their food, I really am more of a pizza, pasta, meat and potatoes kind of girl and my lack of being adventurous when it comes to trying out new food is what makes me or rather what doesn't make me a Food Blogger. 

I'm not a big fan of sushi or raw fish and I would take a pizza any time of the day over sushi. 

So it was no surprise that by the time Ramen became the "new milk tea" I still haven't tried a bowl, not one, and as I am writing this I just find that too strange considering my love affair with Japan. 

So a big "Arigato Gozaimasu" to my good friend Haru (not her real name but a nickname we gave her in High School and yes- it's Japanese) for treating us to Ikkoryu for some long over due Ramen! 

When I saw that the restaurant was awarded the 2014 Philippine Tattler Best Restaurant I was really excited. Upon entering the restaurant the interior just took my breath away it was beautiful and really had that authentic Japanese feel. There were wooden panels with Japanese characters written on them separating each table adding to that authentic Ramen House feel.

Since it was our first time to try Ramn, Haru suggested that we have the Ajitama Tonkutsu which according the Ikkoryu website is described as: "Topped with a special half boiled egg that is fully marinated with a special blended soy sauce." Can I just say that I loved that egg! It was nothing I have ever tasted- it was soft and absolutely delicious! 

For p380.00 per bowl, I would say that it's well worth it! Will definitely go back given the chance and I'm now ready and let's say more adventurous when it comes to Ramen! ITADAKIMAS! 

Kampaii Sushi Bar

So for our 9th Aniversarry, Paul and I had originally planned on attending Blogapalooza (it's the biggest Business to Blogger event with over 500 Bloggers registered) but because of Typhoon Mario the event was cancelled and suddenly Paul and I had our Saturday open with nothing to do. 

Roads were still flooded and impassable Saturday morning so we just decided to stay within the confines of our home on a mountain in order to stay safe and dry from the floods. 

Paul suggested this Japanese Restaurant near our place- like 5 minutes and I thought - hey why not? It was our anniversary and I guess it was about time we stopped eating at Pizza Hut for our anniversaries (did it for the 5th and the 8th) I'm pretty much a creature of habit, especially when it comes to food, I'm not really that adventurous when it comes to trying out new food (I stick to what I know) and for all my love of the Japanese culture, I'm not a big fan of their food. All of my aversion to trying out new food is a cause for great dismay for Paul who is the more adventurous one when it comes to food. 

Kampaii Sushi Bar is in a narrow building, upon entering the restaurant, all the tables were already filled with diners, two tables joined together to accommodate a large family, and a couple in another table. We were ushered to the second floor, which was only used when the first floor was already full. The AAC Units were turned on, the second floor had more tables and also were the Comfort Rooms were. It felt weird staying there, because it didn't really feel like a restaurant since it was just Paul and me there but then a Korean couple also took a table next to us, and the space suddenly started to feel more like a restaurant. 

We ordered their Chicken Teriyaki and Tempura meals. Paul and I both decided to come back and try their sushi and ramen which got good reviews on their social media sites and recommendations from friends. 

I was just a bit disappointed with the staff, specifically our server who can obviously use more training and here's why: I wanted to order the Tempura Bento but was instead served with a Tempura ala carte plate, so I had to order additional rice. 

Paul ordered their lunch set meal, but we weren't informed that the miso soup that came with the meal set was not available. She should have at least told us that before we ordered. 

The dessert that came with the set meal was apples with Cherry Syrup, I didn't expect to like it but it was pretty good! :) 

With my disappointment in their service said and done, I can go ahead and say that I did like their food. The batter in the tempura was good, in the first bite you can already taste the flavors of the batter. Paul's Chicken Teriyaki was pretty good too. 

We loved the presentation and the plates that they used. The ice tea was at least blended, so it's not the usual powdered type. Since it's a Sushi Bar there was a lot of different kinds of cocktails and liquor for sale (much to Paul's satisfaction) he ordered a Rum and Coke (which probably weirded out the staff since we ate at Lunch time) there are probably more patrons who order liquor in the evenings. 

Paul and I have decided to come back for the sushi and ramen and we have now decided to make a conspicuous effort to feature more local businesses. :) 

Tokyo Bubble Tea's Milo Series!

My Japanese Cheese Cake MILO Drink - this one doesn't have any black pearls and Coffee Jelly, that's coz I'm very picky with food :P I still enjoyed it very much and I'm sure if you have it with the pearls and the Jelly you guys would love it too! :) 

For 90s kids, 'making papak' Milo is a guilty pleasure that brings back a lot of childhood memories. The 'growing up with Milo' tag line is not just a tag line since most 90s kids really did grow up with the delicious chocolate drink. 

Tokyo Bubble Tea is bringing back those Milo childhood memories with their brand new Milo series of drinks. 

Here are their amazing drinks in the MILO series. 

Almond Milk Tea
M- P145.00 
L- P155.00

Mocha Milk Tea 
M- P.145.00
L- P.155.00

JCC (Japanese Cheese Cake) 
M- P.155.00 
L- P165.00

I got to try this one and it was super oishi! There was that familiar Milo Taste which I loved so much! Paul tried the Almond Milk Tea and he liked it too. :) 

It is also a great way to introduce the well loved chocolate drink and flavor to a younger generation whose guilty pleasures include the love of milk tea! 

For those of you hiding under a rock and missing out on this delicious Japanese Restaursnt, Tokyo Bubble Tea is actually a local brand which features Japanese fusion cuisine and an extensive line of bubble and milk teas! 

Vancouver Maki :)  

We just love hanging out at Tokyo Bubble Tea! For someone who loves Japanese culture I love the songs that they play in the restaurant, I would totally get a CD that features songs from the trendy Japanese Fusion restaurant. Since I work in Eastwood we mostly hang out in their branch there but we recently got to visit their Katipunan branch and I loved it too! 

It had a lovely interior and the staff were very accommodating and they even have a Vallet service!  Right from when we parked our car, the security guards assisted us with such joyful service :) 

Along with their delicious Milo drinks we also got to try some of the amazing dishes that they serve and boy did we get stuffed and satisfied! 

Vancouver Maki 

Breaded prawn, spicy tuna and teriyaki sauce, now I don't usually east sushi or sashimi, that's more Paul actually but I really enjoyed it! ^_____^ 

Samurai Burger