Shokuji Bar and Restaurant

It was such a stressful week for Boyet and me, both professionally and personally. I haven’t also been feeling well which makes me a little agitated most of the times. So just to take some time off, we mutually agreed to have a quiet dinner last Friday. We were both tired to walk to Greenbelt so I thought of going to a restaurant near our office.

I came to know Shokuji during one of our team-building lunches. It is located in quite a secluded area opposite the busy Ayala Avenue.

We walked into the place and were greeted by a nice waiter. I was quite pleased when I noticed that there were only three customers inside which would give Boyet and me the chance to talk. But I noticed right away that the small place has a partition which divides the room into two. It turns out that a small group reserved it for a private function. And yeah, they were really noisy.

The place has a wide array of food which made it a little hard for us to choose. It was nice though that the waiter was so accommodating in answering all our questions.

Boyet and I shared the Dobin Moshi Soup. It was really hot which soothed my itchy throat. I forgot to give it a little blow for the soup to cool a little so I ended up hurting my tongue. I loved the flavors of the shrimp, fish and the leeks.

Dobin Moshi Soup Php75

I decided to get Philadelphia Roll. The sticky rice was a nice base for the salmon and the cream cheese. The sesame seeds added texture and a nutty flavor to the rolls. It was also noticeable that the Bonito flakes were not fishy unlike other Japanese restaurants use. Boyet told me that I should eat all of them but before I knew it, he has already eaten four rolls.

Philadelphia Roll Php268

Boyet got a cup of Chahan. It was so flavorful from the mixture of ground beef, egg and vegetables. I commend Shokuji because the rice wasn’t oily at all.

Chahan Php65

I decided to get their Shitake Beef Rolls. Juicy shitake mushrooms wrapped in very tender sirloin beef. The combination of the beef and mushroom was perfect. It was served with onion rings on the side. Boyet hates onions so I ended up eating the onion rings while I kept on convincing him that it was sweet and would probably not cause him bad breath. And then he started mumbling about what if he eats onions and then he gets to ride a cab with a beautiful and sexy woman who would later on seduce him. That guy does not have the slightest idea that I would not let that happen even in his dreams!

Shitake Beef Rolls Php325

Boyet made a last minute additional order of Ika Yaki Yakimono. Tender and perfectly-cooked squids topped with a tangy teriyaki sauce. I hate how other restaurants make me pay for eating rubbery squids.

Ika Yaki Yakimono Php210

Shokuji Iced Tea Php52

Boyet got their special lemon tea mix while I opted to have their fresh calamansi juice. You have the option to have your calamansi juice hot, lukewarm or cold.

Calamansi Juice Php70

Shokuji Bar and Restaurant

Ground Floor LPL Center

San Agustin corner Sedeno St.,

Salcedo Village, Makati City

Gerry's Grill

Boyet and I had an impromptu lunch last Monday. He was supposed to have a meeting at their Ayala office so that gave us some time to have lunch together. It wasn’t our first time at Gerry’s Grill and we haven’t been there for quite some time. Their food is great but I have two problems. First, the mixture of smoke and food odors stick to my clothes as what usually happens to restaurants with poor ventilation. And second, their service is really slow.

We checked out the place and saw that it wasn’t crowded. It is expected since restaurants are busier during Fridays and paydays. We took our seats and were then approached by a waiting staff to get our orders. Sorry for the bad shots. It was an unplanned lunch so I only used my camera phone. :)

I badly needed some hot soup to calm my nerves and ease my itchy throat. I would have wanted to try out La Paz Batchoy but I was worried that the serving would be too big for two people so I settled for Nido Soup. The soup was topped with mushrooms, leaks and a splash of sesame oil.

Nido Soup Php65

Boyet was craving for kare-kare so we got one. It came on a big bowl which made me realize that we were not going to finish it. Being one of my favorite dishes, I have to admit that I am a little too critical with this one. Boyet seemed to like it but I think it was too sweet. I could taste that the sweetness was coming from the canned peanut butter.

Kare-Kare with Bagoong Php255

I was in-charge of choosing the appetizer. An appetizer is called such to stimulate someone’s appetite. It is supposed to start the meal but our order came after numerous follow-ups. I wasn’t having fun with the kare-kare so I was hoping that the Coco Fish Fingers would be a treat. Fortunately, I liked it. The fish was coated with the usual breading and coco flakes giving the dish a distinct texture.

Coco Fish Fingers Php145

The fish is tender and it comes well with the special dip. The blend of peppery, salty and garlicky flavors from the dip accentuates the fish.

Gerry's Grill Insular
Mezzanine Level, Insular life Bldg.
Paseo corner Ayala Ave., Makati

Hershey’s Chocolate Ice Cream from Ministop

Summer came earlier than the usual. It’s as if the sun gets more powerful each day as it scorches my skin. Everybody hits the gym to achieve the perfect shape as they flaunt their body on the beach. But for me, it is a perfect excuse to eat ice cream! I don’t care whether it’s FIC or just dirty ice cream as long as it satisfies the cravings of the child in me.

Ministop offers affordable ice cream that quenches my cravings. I recently tried Hershey’s chocolate ice cream for only Php15! :)

Rai Rai Ken Ramen House and Sushi Bar

We were not supposed to go out last Sunday to have my brother’s birthday celebration. He is graduating this March so his tight schedule did not permit it. But he had a last-minute change of heart. It was already late so we just went to Robinson’s Place Manila.

My mom begged off for pizza so she suggested Super Bowl. But since it was my brother’s day, we followed his wish for Japanese food.

We have been passing by Rai Rai Ken for so long but we didn’t have the interest to try it out. We arrived a little before 7 p.m. so the place wasn’t crowded. One trivial thing that caught my attention is that the waiting staff is not familiar with the menu. She wasn’t able to offer us any useful suggestions and she had a hard time answering our inquiries.

My dad asked if they have free soup. They served us four bowls of tasty soup which warmed our stomachs. I badly needed something hot because of my dry and scratchy throat.

Complimentary Soup

Having the appetizing soup for starters made us set our expectations high. When we asked the waitress how big the serving was for the rice, she said that it’s good for 4-5 persons. Being big rice-eaters, my dad got their Yakimeshi Platter and ordered for another cup of extra rice.

It seems like my dad miscalculated it because we weren’t able to finish the platter. It’s either the serving was really big or the Yakimeshi was just unappealing to our palates. My problem is that the top part was really tasty because of the pork toppings. But it got blander as I dug deeper into the rice.

Yakimeshi Platter Php255

My dad suggested we get Yakisoba instead of ramen. Well, that was a bad decision. The noodles were glistening because of too much oil and our lips started to hurt because it was too salty. If there’s one thing nice, it came really well with the tasteless Yakimeshi.

Gomoku Yakisoba (Regular – Php155, Large – Php315)

I was curious with their Salmon Balls so I gave it a try. It came to our table and my eye feasted on it until I found out that it was salmon with bits of potatoes and lots and lots of salt wrapped in a breading. Now I know that my curiosity gets me into trouble. If I die of kidney failure, you know who the culprit is. Haha!

Salmon Balls Php65

We also got Mixed Seafood Furai - squid rings, breaded fish, breaded crabsticks and salmon rolls. My head exploded thinking that we all had to bear the salmon rolls again. I would have appreciated it if the waitress had just given us a heads up that the Mixed Seafood already includes salmon rolls. It was nice though that it wasn’t salty, aside from the salmon rolls of course.

Mixed Seafood Furai Php215

Japanese dining is never complete without maki. We weren’t adventurous that night so we settled for California Maki. Thank God this wasn’t salty so I enjoyed this the most.

California Maki Php145

I told my dad to ask for water but I made a joke saying that I’m scared to ask because they might give me saltwater. After dinner, my dad had the courage to tell the waitress that most of the dishes were salty.

I know I might be too critical with Rai Rai Ken but you have to taste it to believe. I’m just giving them the benefit of the doubt that maybe we got those that were not their specialty. :)

Rai Rai Ken Ramen House and Sushi Bar
Level 4 Robinsons Place Manila

Holy Cow

I wasn’t really impressed the first time I tried Holy Cow. We decided to give it another shot thinking that things might have actually improved since it just opened its Robinson’s Place Manila branch when we first visited. Service was definitely better because it only took them approximately 5 minutes to serve our orders.

Boyet decided to try root beer float. It’s typical root beer with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Rootbeer Float Php75

Next to arrive was the County Mushroom Soup coming with a slice of garlic bread. It was fine but I honestly think that it was just gravy disguising as soup. The soup had a nice creamy texture and a sour aftertaste from the mushroom.

County Mushroom Soup Php85

Lonestar Grilled Porkchop was Boyet's choice. The thinly sliced pork chops were marinated and perfectly grilled. The steak sauce was the ideal accent for the dish as it gave more flavor and aroma to the pork chops. Boyet opted to get plain rice and potato croquet on the side.

Lonestar Grilled Porkchop Php240

I wasn’t really hungry so I stayed away as much as I could from the steak. I decided to get a pasta dish which I later on regretted. I ended up eating the pork chops because I didn’t like what I got. The menu said that the pasta has beef sauce topped with mozzarella, quickmelt and parmesan cheese. It was a feast in my eyes but exactly the opposite for my taste buds. It was bland that I had to ask for extra parmesan cheese. But my effort was useless.

Waddie Wagon Pasta (Solo) Php160

Holy Cow Steak Ranch and American Grill
Level 1 Midtown Wing
Robinson's Place Manila
Level 1 Midtown Wing
Robinsons Place Manila