Happy New Year to all!

Saying goodbye to 2011 was easy as pie. That year had been a complete roller coaster ride for me. Sobering up from the highs, lows and rock-bottoms had taken so much of my time and energy.  That was mostly the topic of my conversations with my sister when we had New Year’s Eve dinner at Nihonbashitei. Not for any special reason, but this was the only restaurant open for dinner on the evening of Dec 31, 2011, aside for Hai Shin L0u Seafood Restaurant. It was a good dinner. The service was good, as usual in a Japanese restaurant. Nihonbashitei looks like an 80s...

Hana Restaurant: a Little Tokyo treasure

If I were to make a list of restaurants that I consider to my perennial favorites, Hana Restaurant in Little Tokyo will definitely be part of the top 5. I so love going back to this restaurant! At first it was all about the Takoyaki; a Japanese savory dumpling made with batter stuffed with baby octopus, pickled ginger and other good things topped with brown sauce, Japanese mayo and fish flakes. Back in 2008 when I first came to Hana, it was owned by some Japanese guy who did the Takoyaki himself. According to the staff, it was his own version of the Tokyo-style...

Red Kimono’s Better Than Buffet

Here are some tips on how you can best enjoy Red Kimono’s ala-carte buffet.

Maruchan: where to find great ramen

The condiments to a good start, these bottles are found in every table at the Maruchan Japanese Restaurant. It is situated smack in the middle of the Japanese district in Makati City. Right across Makati Cinema Square, Maruchan is heaven for ramen lovers. For your information, there are four basic kinds of ramen: 1. Shoyu – where the soup is usually chicken-based but with a clear brown color. Soy sauce is the predominant flavoring and usually has curly noodles. 2. Shio – where the soup is the stock of chicken, fish and seaweed. The soup is light colored and...