Kokoro Ramenya: Authentic Japanese Ramen Restaurant in Manila

Kokoro Ramenya is the latest Japanese Restaurant that opened in Manila, located along Roxas Boulevard in Ermita. It prides itself for having a great selection of popular regional Japanese ramen prepared by Japanese head chef and ramen connoisseur, Susumo Murata.



Kokoro Ramenya takes ramen-making seriously, it even has its own Japanese noodle-making machine to ensure noodles are of the highest quality and served fresh daily. Aside from ramen, the restaurant also serves popular ala carte dishes, sushi platters and affordable special lunch set to provide a delectable Japanese dining experience to everyone.



Chef Murata highly recommends the Karakuchi-negi, Seafood Sapporo Ramen, Gomamiso, and Kokoro Ramenya original, Hakata Classic – rich and creamy Tonkotsu noodle soup boiled for 18 hours topped with kikurage, chashu and soft-boiled egg.


Kokoro Ramenya started with two Japanese friends who were chatting over their Japanese instant noodle lunch when they suddenly, they had a great idea of putting up an authentic Japanese ramenya in Manila. After a year of research, various cooking experimentation, food tastings and a few Filipino friends’ support, Kokoro Ramenya was born.



It was the passion for perfecting the quintessential hearty Japanese meal, the RAMEN, that made Kokoro Ramenya what it is today. Soup broth is cooked meticulously for 18 hours to achieve its unique delicious flavor and ramen noodles are made fresh daily to ensure the right creamy texture and flavor. All this for a slurpingly good meal in Kokoro Ramenya.

Octoboy's Sizzling Japanese Pizza

My cousin Lujean wanted us to try Octoboy, a restaurant famous for their Sizzling Japanese Pizza, she said. At first I thought it was little bit weird, because "Japanese" and "pizza" do not really go well together, or not at all. But a few weeks ago, Ly and I got to try Octoboy at Tomas Morato, Quezon City.

Yabu House of Katsu revisited

Yabu Philippines has been receiving a lot of raves from fellow foodies, food writers, and people who have tummies and appetite for good Japanese Katsu. I would not be surprised at the accolade Yabu Katsu is receiving because of their really mouthwatering and delicious pork and food line-up.



It was me and my cousin Lujean's second time to eat at Yabu: The House of Katsu (click to read our first experience). This time around, we brought with us our artista cousin, Gretchen Ho (who recently became a trending topic over at Twitter), who despite of her busy schedule set time to be with her cousins for dinner. :P



Since Lujean and I have tried their Kurobuta Pork Set and their Rosu Tonkatsu Set (the best choices in their menu if you were to ask the both of us) the first time around, we opted to try their Katsudon Set (Php 265) and Rosu Katsu Curry Set (Php 285) respectively.



The Rosu Katsu Curry, protected by trimmings of fat, is juicier than the Hire version. "Savor the porkloin drenched in the Japanese curry that’s thicker, sweeter and milder than usual curries. Yabu’s homemade curry is made with 45 ingredients and slow-cooked to perfection." One can opt for the level of spiciness he wants. I got the spiciest one. Winner!



On the other hand, Gretch tried their Hire Tonkatsu Set (Php 285), pork tenderloin cut, without the trimming of fat the Rosu Tonkatsu has (In my opinion though, tha trimming of fat the Rosu has makes it even more yummy and succulent!). This dish is served with Japanese rice, miso soup, Japanese pickles, unlimited cabbage, and a bowl of fruit (which came this time!)



Besides that we got the potato croquette, which costs Php 100 for 2 pieces. It was alright, nothing special, but tastes good nonetheless.



Also check out: Yabu The House of Katsu Food Review

Yabu The House of Katsu Food Review

After hearing and reading a lot of good reviews about Yabu: The House of Katsu, the newest authentic Japanese katsu place in Manila, from fellow bloggers and Twitter friends, my taste buds became really excited to try it out. And when I could not contain my katsu-craving, I called up my cousin Lu Jean, drove to ABS-CBN to fetch her, and went to SM Megamall Atrium, just to try this awesome Yabu katsu restaurant and what they have to offer.



Yabu The House of Katsu's entrance greeted us with this saying: "The only thing more delicious than eating authentic Japanese katsu is the anticipation that comes right before it." Anticipation to eat good food and good tonkatsu. It was definitely a busy night for Yabu, jam-packed, but luckily we didn't have to wait for a long time to get our seats.



We also did not have a difficult time ordering because we simply tried their bestsellers, the Tonkatsu Sets, which comes with Japanese rice, miso soup, Japanese pickles, unlimited cabbage with sesame dressing and a bowl of fruit.

I ordered the Premium Tonkatsu Set or the Kurobuta Pork Set 120g (Php 515) - 3/4 inch thick, juicy, flaky pork. Kurobuta, also known as Black Berkshire pig, is the world's finest pork, due to its rich marbling, softness, and flavor. Truly, it's the finest pork I have tasted, and it's rich in flavor.




While Luj got the Tonkatsu Set or the Rosu (Pork Loin) Set 90g (Php 280) - 3/4 inch think and juicy: 'rosu' is Japanese for pork loin, wherein the slice of pork has a trimming of fat with it. She added a side order of Prawn because she also wanted to try the prawns out. The tonkatsu was really soft and melts in your mouth, it's also tasty, probably because of the layer of fat (which I don't mind eating) that comes with it. One word: succulent!



We both were not served with our bowl of fruits, which either of us noticed, because we were much too preoccupied with our tonkatsu :)) I just noticed it when I was writing this blog post. The experience was great anyway; it's probably because Yabu The House of Katsu is currently on soft opening.

To further enjoy the Katsu and the Katsu experience in Yabu, you have to remember to grind, pour, mix and dip - steps on how to make the Katsu sauce. First, you have to grind the sesame seeds until it is powdery, then you pour the Katsu sauce, mix both, then dip your Katsu in the Katsu sauce. Enjoy! :)



After tasting the Kurobuta and the Rosu Tonkatsu, we instantly agreed that Yabu is definitely pig and pork heaven. We definitely have to go back to try out the other items in Yabu's menu.

The only setback it has is that the tables are quite small, I hope they do something about it. Other than that, the place is perfect. I crave for more Katsu! :)



The Yabu Difference

When you are served our Yabu Katsu, you can tell the difference right away - the katsu is so crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, you can slice it with chopsticks.

The secret lies in our fresh, quality ingredients, and our method of cooking:

Our coating is made from fresh panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) everyday in our restaurant, ensuring that the bread flakes are long, light and crispy.

Our oil is 100% natural canola oil, which contains omega 3, zero trans fat and zero cholesterol. This oil keeps our breading crisp, while allowing flavors to come through.

Our meat- we use local pork that comes from our trusted partners that is delivered fresh to our kitchen, never frozen. We also use Kurobuta, US premium pork, also known as the Berkshire Black Pig. This pork is heavily marbled, pink and known as the “kobe beef” of pork.

Our seafood – for non-meat lovers, we also source fresh seafood both locally and abroad. Our oysters are huge and succulent, sourced directly from Hiroshima Japan; our scallops are sourced from the United States.

The result is authentic Japanese katsu, so delicious and soft, it literally melts in your mouth. Enjoy!



The Beginnings of Katsu

The word katsu is an abbreviation of the world "katsuretsu," which means "cutlet." It generally refers to a sliced piece of meat that it breaded and deep-fried. The dish was introduced to Japanese culture in the late 19th century during the Meiji period whne Japan opened its doors to Western culture. In the beginning, beef cutlets were used, but pork eventually became the more popular choice of meat by the 1900s, eventually giving to the dishes such as tonkatsu ("ton" is Japanese for "pork").

Today, katsu is considered one of the classic dishes in Japanese cuisine, inspiring many chefs to find ways to elevate this beautiful dish into a high level of culinary art.

'Katsu' in Japanese also means 'to win' or 'to be victorious,' and as such it has become a tradition for Japanese students to eat katsudon the night before taking a major exam.

Yabu: The House of Katsu
2nd Floor, SM Megamall Atrium
Mandaluyong City, Philippines
Monday to Sunday, 10am – 10pm
Tel#: (632)576-3900
Follow: Facebook and Twitter

Crazy Katsu along Maginhawa

While driving down Maginhawa Street in Teachers Village, Quezon City with my family last week to satisfy our craving for Moon Leaf Milk Tea, we saw this brightly lit restaurant, Crazy Katsu, which, judging by its name, is a Japanese restaurant. We wanted to try it, but we already ate dinner that time.



I got the chance to try it some days ago, after work, with my colleague/friend Ly. We were hungry and craving, and decided to try Crazy Katsu, for the first time. Parking might be a problem, if Maginhawa is jam-packed with diners, but I am sure you will be able to find a parking spot. Patience is a virtue. :)



We were really hungry by the time we got to Quezon City, so we went straight to ordering. I got the Chicken Katsu, while Ly ordered the Tonkatsu. We also ordered the Gyoza. All orders of the "Katsu" came with a bowl of rice. The Chicken Katsu is fried boneless chicken strips, really spicy because of the chopped chili on top of it, marinated with a sour-spicy sauce over a bed of chopped cabbage. The food was good, nothing extraordinary, but for the price, it is something worth trying.



Ly got the Tonkatsu, which she says is okay. Nothing special, but I guess it satisfied her hunger. Fried pork strips, over a bed of chopped cabbage. It came with rice. Tonkatsu sauce and Japanese mayo were also served, which the customer gets to put them on top of the food, as much as he/she wants.



Crazy Katsu is located at #81 Unit I Maginhawa St., Teacher’s Village U.P., 1101 Diliman, Philippines. You can contact them at +632-435-0030. I would suggest that after you eat at Crazy Katsu, you go a few blocks down to Moon Leaf Tea Shop to try out their milk tea selection, which you would definitely go back for. ;)



All Photos are taken using an HTC Chacha, and the Camera360 application. Sorry for the quality of the shots.

I love Yoshinoya Blog Contest Winner!

After being stuck trying to select the best among the entries, with the help of Hannah Co and Jethro Koon, food and literary bloggers respectively, I was able to narrow down the selection to 2, and chose the winner. The winner for the "I love Yoshinoya" blog contest, who will receive Php 500 Yoshinoya gift certificates, is.......... *drum rolls*

And this winner is Migs Eslava's (migguee) "Why I Love Yoshinoya ^_^x" post. According to the judges, he had the most sense out of the rest. He answered the question, was straight to the point, and related his entry to his life experiences. Congratulations!


Please wait for my email notification on how to claim your prize. Thank you to all those who submitted their entries and joined the contest! :) I hope you guys join once more should I have other blog contest. THANK YOU VERY MUCH! :D

I love Yoshinoya, Japan's #1 Beef Bowl

Yoshinoya dates back to 1899 at Nihonbashi, Tokyo where a Japanese man named Eikichi Matsuda created a delicious recipe of beef and rice known as Gyudon beef bowl. This recipe became popular worldwide and sparked the expansion of Yoshinoya in over 1,000 outlets in Japan, US, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and the Philippines.

In the Philippines, it was franchised by Century Pacific Inc., makers of Century Tuna, in 2001. To date, it has 7 branches, serving quality authentic Japanese fast food, in Metro Manila. Yoshinoya is available at Parksquare 1, SM Megamall, Robinsons Galleria, SM North EDSA, Greenhills, SM Mall of Asia and Sta. Lucia.

Why I LOVE Yoshinoya

Yoshinoya, unlike any other Japanese fast food restaurant, serves the best beef, which is simmered in a special broth of herbs and spices. Once it has reached your bowl or plate, and is on top of steaming white rice, you'll forget you're in the Philippines. A lot of people claims it tastes exactly like the Yoshinoya in Japan.

The photo above is the JUMBO-C (Gyudon + Ebi Tempura). The beef is so soft and tender and very juicy. You don't need anything to compliment its taste. It may look dry and bland, but wait until you've tried it. You'll surely love every bite. The Ebi Tempura was awesome as well. :)


Some of the other dishes you may want to order in Yoshinoya: Japanese Fried Chicken (Php 80), it was like any other normal fried chicken, maybe the least Japanese-y of them all; Mixed Tempura (Php 125); Chicken Teriyaki, which comes in regular (Php 90) and large (Php 125) - said to be the healthiest option in Yoshinoya; and the Shiitake Shu Mai and the Kani Shu Mai (Php 50) - the Shiitake is love. 'Nuff Said.


Jumbo Plates at Php 165: JUMBO-A (Gyudon + Chicken Teriyaki); JUMBO-B (Gyudon + Beef Yakiniku); and JUMBO-C (Gyudon + Ebi Tempura)

CONTEST MECHANICS

1. Write a blog post in your own blog (wordpress, blogspot, tumblr, multiply, etc.) on "WHY DO YOU LOVE YOSHINOYA?"
2. Link this entry "I love Yoshinoya, Japan's #1 Beef Bowl" in any part of your post.
3. Comment at this entry by posting the link to your blog post and your email or any other means I can contact you, should you win :)
4. Deadline is on February 26, 2010 (11:59pm). I will close the comment box after that.
5. This contest is open to Mega-Manila residents only.
6. I will announce the VALID* winner based on content and how you answered the question, on Sunday, February 28. :)

*VALID - meaning you blogged and answered the question, you linked this post, you commented below by putting the link to your post and your email/means for me to contact you, and you're from MEGA MANILA.

PRIZE = Php 500 worth of Yoshinoya Gift Certificate

Sushi during New Year

One out of a lot of dishes we had during New Year with the Ong Family at my lola's house in Fairview was this sushi platter. It was perfect and filling. I took some photos before they attacked and finished the whole thing :P