Frannywanny

It has been almost a year since my colleague told me to try this really good Japanese restaurant called Mangetsu . Back then, the restaurant used to be located in Mile Long along Amorsolo street in Makati. Time flies so fast that we have been so busy and before we know it, Mangetsu in Mile Long closed down to relocate. Shucks. I can't believe we just let one week pass after the other and just like that, the year has ended without us being able to try this highly-recommended restaurant. Fast forward to the start of 2012, I learned that Mangetsu is finally open again and this time it's located along Jupiter street, a place I am very familiar with. We wasted no time and there we were a few days ago to have dinner with two of my favorite food bloggers Jin and Leslie . We agreed to meet early, too early that we were the first batch of customers to arrive for dinner time. Good thing too as we got the full attention of almost all servers. Of course, I did my research by aski...

My ever dearest Papa turned 66 this year! To celebrate, we decided to try Izakaya Nihonbashitei in Makati as Papa just lovesss Japanese food. Since his birthday fell on a holiday, I made a quick call to the restaurant to make sure we have a table reserved for us to lessen the waiting time. It was past lunch time when we arrived and with our tummies growling loudly we began with a couple of sushi choices that my family loves: California Maki -- I love the plump sweet mangoes and that the sushi roll is well-covered with ebiko however I somehow find the maki roll lacking in filling and flavor. Definitely, Kikofuji or Kimpura wins in this category. Futo Maki (Php. 250) -- My Kongkong loves Futo Maki and having had a dozen futo makis whenever he would go to Japan on business trips before, it really would take a highly skilled sushi chef to wow him with our local version of his favorite rice roll. I'm glad that he enjoyed Nihonbashitei's futo maki which has passed his t...

This particular lunch was set a month in advance when one of our business contacts invited the entire team to dine out. The venue was at 7 Corners in Crowne Plaza . Due to the sale madness happening around the area, we were a bit late for our lunch date and we arrived apologizing profusely to our host. After our HIs and HELLOs he invited us to visit the buffet spread and to start the feast. One thing I learned about buffet dining is to survey the complete spread first and to plot out my route to avoid over-eating. I began from the entrance where the pizza and dessert area were located followed by the fresh salad station and the sushi bar. After this was the long line of main dishes featuring Indonesian specialties as this was the promo for the month. After reaching the end of the buffet line, I went straight to the sushi bar -- my favorite place to start. My mouth waters at the sight of the Philadephia Roll and the numerous platters of maki roll and sushi. While busy...

I remember days before the wedding, I found myself majorly craving for Omakase . Oh how my mouth waters at the thought of its creamy Uni Sashimi and crunchy Seafood Dumplings. Since our schedule has been hectic and we left the country shortly after our BIG day, it took me a while to be reunited with my favorite Japanese dishes. When my good friend A invited me out to dinner to catch up and plan for her upcoming wedding, I suggested that we go to Omakase as nothing beats bonding with your friend over good food. We were both hungry that evening that we ordered a feast! I began with my favorite Uni Sashimi , which I requested that they served extra chilled as recommended by my sister -- a fellow Uni lover. Since A does not eat raw food, she allowed me to indulge and enjoy the plate the Uni all by myself. I love you A! :) As usual, Omakase's Uni is one of the best that I've tasted so far, it's so creamy and it does not have a slimey texture that can become pretty overwh...