A Taste of Japan in Tondo: Hapon Suzuki Japanese Carinderia

Paolo felt a bit adventurous so off we went to find Tondo's treasured Japanese carinderia.

We had a bit of hard time looking for the place since the sign board was tucked inside their makeshift room made out of tarpauline(?) my memory is pretty hazy with the roof. But we found it and we were so happy.

Ordered tonkatsu, katsudon and yakisoba. The orders are small but hey, so is the price so you can't complain much.

Tonkatsu coating is crunchy, the meat is soft and tasty  haven't tried the katsudon though. The yakisoba is super yummy, there's not much sahog but they compensate it with a fried egg. Reminds me of my college days when I'd snack on Lucky Me pancit canton with a fried egg on top 

The downside is that it's in a carinderia setting, you'd eat with tricycles passing you by and the place mildly smells like sewer. If you're not so picky with the place or you just feel adventurous, then you'd enjoy this cheap thrill.

Hapon Suzuki Japanese Carinderia

Clemente St. cor. Hermosta St. Tondo, Manila 

Piping Hot Pepper Lunch on a Rainy Night

Paolo Sy was craving for Tajimaya but it slipped our mind that it was a Saturday and we should have called for a reservation so we didn't get to eat there. Him being one heck of a creative person I know, we went to Pepper Lunch instead. Little did I know what he had in mind to get his yakiniku fix: Ordered the usual beef pepper rice and ordered extra beef on a separate sizzling plate. Taddah! Parang yakiniku narin! 

Beef slices were thin and easily cooked on the sizzling plate. And because I'm getting fat, I deliberately removed the fat but I ended up eating all the rice. I can't resist the butter, corn and honey brown sauce mix in my rice.  

Hot beef pepper rice on a rainy Saturday night is perfect.

Ajisen Ramen

I was having colds when I craved for Ajisen Ramen. The thought of sipping warm broth entices me to sooth my nasal discomfort. Good thing there's an Ajisen Ramen in Sto. Domingo, Quezon City!

I got the house specialty Ajisen(Php235) and it hits right on the spot! Even though I can't fully taste the soup, I can still appreciate the different seasonings used to make this bowl of ramen. All the Ajisen oil, pork broth, Okinawa natural sea salt and the "Ajisen powder" mixing together to create a flavorful soup, mmm! 

The noodles kinda looks like pasta doesn't it? Unlike other Ramen places that serves chewy and uneven ramen noodles, this stands out because this is smooth and cooked al dente! Really looks and feels like pasta noodles. Perfect!

The shredded fungus, leek and slices of cabbage adds more crunch and texture in this dish. Chasu is a bit fatty but super tender and tasty nonetheless. Egg is tasty and flavorful on it's own, was it cooked in a certain kind of broth? Seems like it, yummy! Egg yolk is best when mixed in with the soup to give it a thicker consistency.

My father doesn't like drinking soup from restaurants because he said he doesn't know what kind of seasoning or how much MSG is thrown in so I also don't drink soup from restaurants but this one I'll make an exemption, I managed to slurp my way down to the bottom of the bowl leaving not a single drop. *feeling guilty*

Ajisen Ramen
43 Tirad Pass St. cor Sto. Domingo St., Quezon City
Tel.: 3549235

Tajimaya Charcoal Grill in SM Mall of Asia Review

Beef lovers rejoice. The Mall of Asia(MOA) branch offers unli beef!!! Almost tried the Rockwell branch but luckily we didn't push thru because Rockwell does not offer the unli beef. 

Price is at Php580 per head to avail unli beef, pork, sausage, shrimp, squid, Japanese rice, salad and appetizers. There is a cheaper price for non beef eaters, I think it's around Php420.

For the appetizers, I really like the lettuce with sesame oil dressing and beansprouts laced with sesame oil. Kimchi is a bit too hot for my taste since I really shy away from spicy food. Squid was sweet and tender. There are other food choices such as fresh shrimp, sausage and pork slices but we mainly concentrated on the beef. Beef is fat marbled, I personally don't like fatty beef, I grew up throwing fat away because I think it's icky but Paolo Sy really loves marbled fat beef so I also dug in and lived a little lol, dip it in the sauce provided before grilling. Yum yum! Smells really nice and heavenly. Now I understand why people love their beef with fat, it's sinful but it's really melt in your mouth goodness. I just downed green tea when I got home to wash the grease away.

Tajimaya Charcoal Grill
2137-2139 2/F SM Mall of Asia
Tel no. 5568929

Stuff Yourself Silly at Sambo Kojin

Finally, a reasonably priced buffet offering fresh and quality ingredients 

Price is Php659 for Sat/Sun/holidays plus Php85 if you want to order unlimited drinks. 

The Good

• Shrimp with a solid slab of butter and minced garlic and leeks wrapped in foil, this is the most interesting thing I grilled and the garlic butter seeps right through the shrimp, heavenly! 
• Marbled beef dipped in BBQ sauce before grilling 
• Pork slices dipped in sesame oil with salt and pepper
• Yabu style tonkatsu, you get to grind the black and white sesame seeds and pour tonkatsu sauce over it
• Shredded cabbage with sesame oil dressing 
• Fresh sushi 
• Korean glass noodles tastes really yummy
• Tempura's shrimp is superb and fresh 
• Gyoza packed with a lot of meat and less filler 
• Ice cream with marshmallow and candy sprinkles, yum!
• Cakes from Red Ribbon(?)
• Brownie with a large marshmallow on top is superb, the brownie is chocolatey and dense
• They offer slices of kiwi! To think kiwi is quite an expensive fruit 

The Bad

• Blueberry 'cheesecake' isn't really cheesecake, more of gelatin lang 
• Saw a small cockroach lurking on a chair and informed the attendants, kudos to them they immediately disposed the cockroach 

So far I can't think of any more downside since this is a really good dining experience for me. =)

Sambo Kojin- 15 West Avenue, Quezon CityTel. no. 3728846 or 9212873