Nanbantei of Tokyo

I"ve seen this restaurant for ages in Greenbelt but it was only last week that we got to try it. The other establishments beside it have closed shop and there are new ones sprouting but Nanbantei of Tokyo is still there so it must be serving the good stuff to withstand the competition.

We had a heavy lunch of baby back ribs so we just focused on the best sellers of Nanbantei and that would be their yakitori. I thought yakitori was meant for chicken alone but here aside from the skewered bite size chicken pieces , they have beef or yakiniku , pork , seafood, vegetables like grilled corn, eggplant , shitake mushrooms  and even grilled rice balls.

We ordered the chicken balls , the salmon balls and the cuttlefish with shiso leaf.

Grilled Chicken Balls

The chicken balls are made of ground chicken meat so it tasted like a chicken burger. It was ok , a bit ordinary but it was good with the teriyaki sauce.

Salmon Balls

I like the salmon balls better , drizzled with teriyaki sauce also, it's like salmon teriyaki on a stick haha..

Cuttlefish with Shiso Leaf

The cuttlefish was a bit dry and I didn't like much the shiso leaf.  Overall, Nanbantei is okay, specially if you're a fan of the grilled and skewered stuff and they do offer your reliable maki, tempura , kani salad and other Japanese staples to go with your yakitori. And looking at how packed the place was that night, it looks like it's here to stay.

Moshi Moshi

This a super delayed blog on Moshi Moshi, a Japanese casual resto or fast food located at the Regis Center, the new lifestyle building along Katipunan , which also houses Bon Chon, Brother's Burger, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Red Mango, Mom & Tina's, Peanut Butter and Co. and Saint's Alp ( a milk tea place).

Moshi Moshi serves the usual donburi ( gyudon, katsudon etc..) , maki , tempura , gyoza but they also have takoyaki , okonomiyaki among other goodies and they sell Kitkat Green Tea chocolates as well. For that lunch, we ordered their takoyaki ( I love takoyaki! ) , miso soup, gyoza, ebi tempura, katsudon and oyakodon.

Takoyaki

Their takoyaki is really good, I'm not sure about the price now but they were on soft opening that time and each order was only P40.

Gyoza

Their gyoza is ok too, nothing spectacular but I like it, 3 pcs for P65 and P95 for 5 pieces.

Ebi Tempura P105 for 3  /P150 for 5 pcs

 The tempura is okay, crispy but a bit oily though. I ate it with the oyakodon.

Oyakodon P120

 I ordered the oyakodon but I didn't like it as much because some of the chicken slices still had their skin on them,  I don't like non crispy chicken skin so next time better to order the chicken teriyaki don because the chicken slices or fillet are fried to a  crisp.

Katsudon P135

Marco said the katsudon is okay and I agree, it looked more appetizing than the oyakodon.

Prices are affordable since it obviously targets the student lunch crowd on allowance and well, for the takoyaki alone ,  I will definitely go back  plus they have a new menu so more stuff to try and don't forget the Green Tea KitKat !

Manila Maki

"I think I just died and went to maki heaven",  this is what I told Alain Panlilio, managing partner/owner of Manila Maki after trying their Laguna Roll, one of their premium rolls. Manila Maki is this cozy Japanese Filipino fusion restaurant tucked at the ground floor of Elizabeth Place along HV Dela Costa, Salcedo Village in Makati.

This is the Laguna Roll, crispy salmon belly with kesong puti in sushi rice and bacon bits topped with spicy salmon. Divine. Love at first bite.  The taste is nothing short of heavenly. It even comes with this special sauce but the Laguna Roll in itself is really good already.

Laguna Roll

Laguna Roll

We also tried the Manila Maki - nilasing na hipon with mango and kani salad in garlic sushi rice topped with fresh tuna and a special mango dressing. This is another brilliant creation and equally good but if I will be forced to  choose between the two  I will pick the Laguna Roll but this is a must order too!

Manila Maki

Manila Maki

Before the rolls, I had a bowl of their miso soup. I can't start my meal without a bowl or cup of soup and their miso soup tasted so fresh ,  you can actually  taste the hint of tamarind they added to give it a Pinoy flavor.

Comforting Miso Soup

Aside from the premium rolls, there's the  Sabahi Belly sushi. Crispy bangus belly in teriyaki sauce on sushi rice. Mmmm... I love it.

Sabahi Belly

And of course , no Japanese meal would be complete without the Ebi Tempura. I like it, crispy, not oily and the sauce was okay. It was perfect with the rolls.

The last ordered dish is the Sisigdon. Oh my god if you love sisig, you have to order this dish. It's real pork sisig and when I say real, not the sisig that's mostly chopped chicharon they put on sizzling plates. Their sisig has that sweet Japanese sauce,  on top of Japanese rice with chicharon bits and a few chili flakes for a bit of heat. I super duper love this dish that I almost finished it to the last grain because I just love Japanese rice and the sisig itself was simply delish.

Sisigdon

There was very little room for dessert that's why we weren't able to finish the yummy banana fritter ala mode that Alain sent to us. It tastes as good as it looks. 

Drool!!!

I was beyond happy, imagine I had tempura and sisig in one meal with a pretty darn good maki and a sinful dessert ..sigh. Thank you Alain and Manila Maki for a wonderful meal.

Hana Kazu

After having lunch at Mona Lisa , with a few hours in between to burn the calories, it was time to go Japanese for dinner. Dinner was at Hana Kazu, a small restaurant along BF's Aguirre Avenue and since I'm a northener , it was actually my first time to try a restaurant in this southern area.

Being a family dinner , in celebration of Marco's Lola Lettie's birthday,  we ordered a variety of dishes from the appetizer to the main course.

Potato Salad

I didn't order this but they said it was ok with the Japanese mayo and nori on top.

Salmon

Hamachi 

The salmon was ok , they said the hamachi had that fishy taste but the server told us the taste should be like that ..hmmm..of course not..

grilled squid 

Special California Maki

I love the special california maki, instead of kani, they used ebi tempura inside , I'm not really sure but it was crispy , maybe it was kani tempura..

Toridon

The toridon is actually my main course. It was ok.

Tendon

Some ordered the tendon. They said it was good , they dipped the tempura into the sauce already but you can ask for additional.

Chirashi Set

The chirashi set looks so cute, isn't it? Ria said it was good and healthy. There were lots of dishes we weren't able to take pictures of coz' everyone started eating but everyone was happy with their food.

Kamirori

Kamirori needs no introduction. It's the go to place in Katipunan or Katips as we fondly call it ,  for your Japanese fix  for the past 20 years. Students from the surrounding schools and universities have been flocking to this place for a good meal at a very affordable price, a break from the cafeteria food and the fastfood joints dotting the strip. It's also a favorite among residents of the villages and condo dwellers with the place packed to full seating capacity each time we eat there.

Kamirori is simple, straightforward but good Japanese food . It's not trying to be some fancy, high end  Japanese place given the price points that are within budget if you're on a student allowance. I guess that's what makes this place charming all these years, just mention the name and for sure you will elicit happy memories , that it reminds them of their school years here in Katips.   And can I just say ,  I love the new location , just outside our village gate at Petron Square , that means no more u-turns for me!

Top favorites are the tempura ( ebi, kakiage, kisu ) , tofu steak, tempura udon, kamirori special maki and the donburi ( gyudon, katsudon, beef brisket, tendon among others).

When we ate there last week, we wanted to have a light meal after having a heavy lunch of steak and pasta.

Fresh Mango Shake P65

The weather was so hot and humid that day the ripe mango shake was perfect to cool off. And for just P65. Our light dinner consisted of miso soup, assorted maki and fish teriyaki.

Miso Soup P35

Kamirori special P168  and Spicy Tuna Maki P128

Fish Teriyaki P130

The soup was ok, your typical , no fail miso soup. The rolls were good too , not bad given the price. The fish teriyaki  is one of my favorites, crunchy with the panko breadcrumbs and they always put the sauce on the side. 

It was a light and perfect dinner, typical of Kamirori. So next time you're in the area ,  it's time to re-visit an old reliable favorite for a heartwarming meal without having to break the bank. 

Ninyo Fusion Cuisine

Ninyo is considered Katipunan's best kept secret. But after eating there twice and looking at the numerous awards and features the place has been getting , I won't be surprised if it's within the radar of all foodies out there already. For one thing, the place has that rustic charm , being an ancestral house built in the 1950s converted into a fine dining restaurant and wine lounge right smack along Esteban Abada.
  If you're a Katipunan denizen like us, you'll feel right at home in the place, not to mention the owner is a fellow Knoller.

You can choose to stay indoors or dine alfresco..The wine lounge is at the second floor.

It was our third visit last week, a dinner treat from my bff and we wanted to order items we haven't tried in the menu.   

They give you their complimentary home made bread and herbed butter. But don't eat too much so you can enjoy everything from soup to dessert.

We had the french onion miso soup to start. Well, this isn't really new  since we usually order it but it's really good and a must!

French Onion Miso Soup P295

Love their version of the french onion soup and the thick coating of parmesan cheese.

We had uni balls for appetizer. Fresh uni wrapped in crispy fried puff pastry in balsamic wasabi mayo dressing.  The uni balls were great! It's a different take from the usual sushi or maki rendition.

Uni Balls P395

For our salad, we got the shitake confit salad with honey ponzu dressing sprinkled with crispy tofu strips on a bed of mixed greens. This is really , really good. I highly recommend this salad and they can split it since an order is good for two.

Shitake Confit Salad P395

For the main course, we tried the Chargrilled Tiger Prawns with Japanese Paella. This is good. It has a unique twist to the paella with generous servings of not just prawns actually but fish, squid and even clams. The rice was perfectly cooked.

Grilled Tiger Prawns with Japanese Paella P680

Carla Laus (sister of Chef Nino and owner) gave us complimentary chocolate vodka but no alcohol for me! Thanks much Carla! It went well with our dessert, the Mango Pavlova, a meringue topped with vanilla ice cream and fresh mangoes.

Mango Pavlova P245

It was definitely a wonderful meal. I highly recommend Ninyo because unlike other fancy restaurants which are really overrated , it  executes fusion cuisine really well without going over the top.