Feeling Japanese!

“Can I buy you extra rice??” if you’ll use that pick up line to me in a restaurant, you’ll surely turn me on. Haha! I’m one of the average Filipinos who can’t live without rice. Let me help you picture it out. Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino food are for the main meals of the day while Italian, American, Mexican etc food are for snacks.

On a fine day, I woke up craving for something Japanese like miso soup and sushi but this time I know where to get it. I believe that you can only say that you know the taste of the authentic Japanese food if you’ve been to the streets of Japan but the thing is I haven’t been to Japan and I don’t want to spend much money to fancy Japanese fine dines so I checked some Japanese fast food and restaurants around Makati area.  I may not compare it to the authentic but I can tell if the food is good or not, like if it is Japanese-ish haha!

I tried to compare the Japanese fast foods and restaurants around Makati area. Miso soup and sushi, I never fail to ask for that when I’m in a Japanese restaurant.

Tokyo Tokyo- This is a massive Japanese fast food. There’s nothing really special about their miso soup, just tofu bits and spring onions with no nori or wakame seaweed at all. If you’ll get the chance to taste other Japanese’s fast food’s miso soup, you’ll say that Tokyo Tokyo’s miso soup is lousy. Sushi- not bad but they don’t use Japanese rice so I guess that says it all. It is the cheapest Japanese fast food that you can find around but I can’t say that it is value for money because of the quality of food they serve. RATING: 1 spoon

Tempura- I tried Ramen, sushi and miso soup. Their miso soup has almost the same price with Tokyo Tokyo but it taste better. Sushi- we tried their maki, there’s nothing really outstanding about it but it is far better that Tokyo Tokyo. Ramen- I’m not sure if I’m just hungry that’s why I finished it or its really good that’s why I almost take it on the bowl. The service is not so fast, you’ll really have to wait for 10 to 15 mins before they serve your food. Value for money- not cheap but not too expensive just enough for a regular employee’s budget on a payday. RATING: 3 Spoons

Teriyaki Boy- Their miso soup serving is just like the Tempura and Tokyo Tokyo’s servings but this is the best so far. I’m not sure if it is wakame or nori seaweed but I thought it was really good, not too salty and not too bland, just enough savory taste to satisfy your Japanese food craving.  The prices are almost the same like in Tempura. Their sushi is a little expensive probably because of the QP mayonnaise on top of it. I’d say that it is not bad at all. Value for money- still affordable but not that cheap but I don’t think that you’ll mind because of the good service and quality food they serve. RATING: 4 spoons

Sumosam- I went to their Greenbelt branch. If there is a must try in that restaurant, that will be their Spider sushi, soft shell crab sushi. For a seafood person like me, i’d say that it was a feast for my taste buds. It’s a bit expensive but it worth its price. The miso soup in Sumo Sam has the same price with the one in Teriyaki Boy but they serve it in a big bowl but I thought my kidney will explode after I had it. It was too salty that I wasn’t able to finish it. The ambiance of the restaurant was really good with the attentive waitresses on Japanese street fashion clothes I’m sure you’ll have a good dining experience.

Little Tokyo - A group of Japanese restaurants near Makati Cinema square. I went there for lunch and unfortunately the restaurants inside the compound were closed so I tried the restaurant by the main road. The compound mimics the classic Japanese street well, with the heavy wooden chairs with low back rest, wooden tables, hanging lamps, Japanese marking all over the place. I’m sure the place will be just perfect at night. But the thing is, I went there for lunch and I don’t want to put my efforts of going there to waste, so I looked for restaurant that’s open and fortunately, the restaurants outside the compound were open. I tried Shinjuku, they claim to have the best ramen in town. I tried manten, miso soup and sushi. The manten was creamy and good but I can get almost the same ramen in Tempura at a lesser price. The miso soup is expensive but I thought Teriyaki boy has better miso soup. I tried they’re Maki but it has the same taste as in Teriyaji Boy. There’s nothing extra special about that restaurant. The service wasn’t good at all. You’ll have to wait for 30 mins and they’ll serve your food one at a time in 5 mins interval and you’ll need to remind them of the napkins and the utensils etc... Bad service period. I don’t want to ruin my views about little Tokyo just because of Shinjuku. I’ll definitely go back and try the ones inside the compound. I’ll make sure to go there for dinner to feel the ambiance.

I hope this blog helps in any way to suit your Japanese cravings. It’s all about fulfilling your cravings without spending too much.