Pinoy Life At Large

So there I was with my two bosses, hungry as hell and in desperate need of sustenance. We might not have realized it, but our arguments were becoming pointless and downright silly. Ah, it is so hard to think about work when your stomach is throwing a fit and constantly battles for your attention. Apparently, I was not the only one to feel the lunch fever pinch. Boss Direk finally decided to have lunch at the Oishiitei Japanese restaurant, located at the second floor of the building beside HSBC at the Fort.

It was something we didn’t plan. I was actually fantasizing about possible buffet freebies at the Kamay Kainan, but apparently my bosses couldn’t wait as they, too, were struggling with hunger pangs. The ad for the Bento Express at the ground floor was more than a shove that made us go there to dine. Surprisingly, it was not disappointing.

I remember Boss G once said that this Oishiitei place had good Japanese food. Personally, I thought it wasn’t as good as the restaurants in the Little Tokyo area (Makati Cinema Square) but wasn’t so bad either. So here are the yahoos:

1. Service was fast, the staff was courteous and accommodating. I personally believe that in a restaurant, service is as important as the taste of the food. I commend the staff for their fast and efficient service. No order took longer than five minutes. Bravo!
2. The Tofu. I hate Tofu but when they served this really soft, airless tofu square, I became a believer. I still can’t forget about it. It was amazing!
3. Not expensive! The Bento lunch cost around P200.00 (US$4.88) per order, including taxes. Each order had pickled veggies, a pair of that super delectable tofu square (must-try!) chicken teriyaki (boneless chicken) steamed Japanese rice, piping-hot miso soup and creamy ice cream. Not bad, right?

The booboos:

1. They failed to upsell. I know a lot of people hate this, but it’s the only way for me to know their house specialty. If they don’t offer us their best fare, we wouldn’t know what it is. I prefer those restaurants who upsell. You can always turn it down graciously.
2. No washroom. Maybe there was but I didn’t see it. I think you will need to go the building’s toilets if you need to answer Nature’s hotline.

Here are the awaited pictures!

This is the wonderful tofu I was talking about. Make sure you try this when you go there.

Chicken Teriyaki without the bones! Delish!

Before the storm. It is a lot larger than you think. Trust me.

A moment of “galit-galit”. We all raved about the tofu.

Try this restaurant. If you are looking for a convenient Japanese restaurant inside the Fort, Oishiitei is for you.