Since our lunch-in-kimonos at Mimikou at around midday, Peach and I haven’t had a bite to eat, and we’ve been wandering all afternoon around Ginkaku-ji, then early evening in the Gion area (looking for a place to eat, incidentally), then bumping into Hazel, She and Jas, and heading off to Kiyomizudera instead. So it is a given that, by the time we parted ways at close to 9pm, the two of us were already starving. So we (yet again) did more walking through streets leading towards our hostel, looking for any open food place. At that moment, we were so hungry even a food stall will do. AND THEN. We came across Kiraku, which turns out to be one of the most recommended okonomiyaki places to eat in Kyoto. HUZZAH, cheered my empty tummy.
Continue reading “JapanEats: Okonomiyaki Kiraku (Kyoto)”
JapanEats: Nakau (Tennoji)
There is a downside to finding yourself with a little bit of free time on your hands: you don’t know what to do with it, and yet you can think of so many things you want to do but, for some reason, you can’t. So you end up doing what you did not really intend on doing. (Did that make sense so far?) Take right now, for example. Weather’s foul outside, I am in between writing projects, and there’s a bit of a window where I can opt to not work. So I clean up my hard drive, and stumble upon photos that I forgot existed. Like these ones taken of the fastfood/restaurant, NAKAU in Osaka. Continue reading “JapanEats: Nakau (Tennoji)”
JapanEats: Kyoto-Gion Mimikou
It felt like forever since I last made a food-related post, I’m feeling hungry. And I just finished watching all 17 episodes of tvN’s “Let’s Eat 2” which, I must say, has enough food porn to make me hungry every time I watch an episode. Darn all those Korean food; they all look sooooo sooooo good! I gotta make sure I taste some of them when I go to Seoul in a couple of months. 🙂 Until then, I’ll just have to flash back to some of the places we ate at when we were in Japan. This time, it’s this small, nondescript place in Gion, MIMIKOU. Continue reading “JapanEats: Kyoto-Gion Mimikou”
JapanEats: Daiki Suisan Kaiten Sushi (Dotonbori)
Think Japan, and one of the first things that will likely come to mind is sushi. In an earlier post, I shared about my first encounter with this quintessential Japanese food IN Japan when I hunted for Genki Sushi. That was an experience I enjoyed immensely, but that did not stop me from wanting to try a kaiten sushi place. And I’m glad I got to try it when I was in Osaka, right in the middle of Dotonbori.
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Chiba, Japan 2014: Chinahouse Keikarou
Another week, another bout with work, another batch of deadlines. Despite that, we have to start it right, and what better way to do that than to greet it with rainbows? Yes, rainbows. Granted, it’s just going to be one-fifth of a rainbow (….you don’t know what I’m talking about, do you, you-who-have-no-idea-who-Arashi-is? That’s all right, you get a free pass. This time.), but we all know there’s a lot of sparkles to go ’round, even from a single Arashi member. I’m talking about Aiba, and his family’s Chinese restaurant, Keikarou.
Continue reading “Chiba, Japan 2014: Chinahouse Keikarou”
JapanEats: Okonomi Yukari (Akihabara)
Japan is quite possibly the WORST place to be for anyone who’s dieting. It’s a good thing that word does not exist in my vocabulary. Imagine having to restrain yourself from giving your palate a workout when you’re in the land of the most amazing (and appetizing-looking) sweets, takoyaki, all kinds of sushi, taiyaki, and okonomiyaki, to name a few. It’s a crime, I tell ya. A crime, which is a punishment in itself.
JapanEats: Ramen @ Ikebukuro – Kohmen
Even after sampling Ikebukuro ramen the previous evening at Tairyuken Tokyo Ebisu, I did not give up on my hopes of sampling Kohmen ramen. It took some walking in the cold and drafty evening, and some disorientation, but I had my eureka moment and immediately set about having a taste.
JapanEats: Ramen @ Ikebukuro – Tairyuken Tokyo Ebisu
During my Tokyo trip, I opted to stay in the Ikebukuro area, which is a good decision, methinks, because it gives you easy access to everywhere. I only wish I had more time to explore the area, though, because it turns out to be quite huge (and has a lot to offer). One of them…. is that “cure-for-the-mother-of-all-hangovers”: ramen. And I first had my taste of Ikebukuro ramen at this small place called Tokyo Ebisu.
Continue reading “JapanEats: Ramen @ Ikebukuro – Tairyuken Tokyo Ebisu”
JapanEats: Marion Crêpes (Harajuku)
It was a no-brainer: if you go to Takeshita Dori in Harajuku, do NOT miss trying out the crêpes. And you have lots of choices, too, since there are many “crêpe stores” on this famous street. However, the most popular, and is touted as the “quintessential Harajuku street food“, is a crêpe sold by Marion Crêpes.
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KoreaEats: Close Encounters with Korean Food… in South Korea
On the first day of the year (Happy 2015 everyone!) here’s a bit of a blog post detour. How’s the holiday weight gain coming along? Personally, it’s making me nervous especially when I think about having to wear my office uniform when I go back to work in a couple of days. Until then, though, I had fun just pigging out during the holidays, and samgyeopsal was a bit of a “staple”. So I figured, why not make a post about it? Keep me company as I retrace my gastronomic steps and revisit my close encounters with Korean food during my trip to South Korea. Continue reading “KoreaEats: Close Encounters with Korean Food… in South Korea”
JapanEats: Genki Sushi (Shibuya)
When you say “Shibuya”, the first things that come to mind include shopping, Shibuya 109, the “scramble”, Hachiko, Tsutaya and Starbucks. Places to eat are almost an afterthought. But while checking out blogs of those who have been there, I stumbled on one that mentioned Genki Sushi. True, it’s not the traditional sushi place, with a “conveyor belt”-like mechanism, but it is more than enough motivation for me to check it out. Besides, I was keen on making sure I try out as much Japanese food as I can for the duration of my trip. Continue reading “JapanEats: Genki Sushi (Shibuya)”
La Trinidad Eats: Dinawis Cafe & Restaurant
I first caught wind of this place when I saw it featured on local (then national) television for their coffee, which is a mix of arabica coffee (Benguet’s version of the barako) and chili or capsicum (sili). To say that I was intrigued would be an understatement, but the place is not the most accessible (or practical) for someone like me since it is alllll the way in Shilan. See, I work at Km. 0, I live at Km. 6, and the Dinawis Cafe and Restaurant is located at Km. 11. See my predicament?
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La Trinidad Eats: Health101 ReSTOREant
I’m not a vegetarian, nor do I ever plan to be one. (That’s a huge “HELL, NO!” right there.) I love meat just as much as the next meat-loving person.
To be honest, I was one of those who used to equate “healthy eating” with “settling for so-so tasting food and being miserable about it”. That was then. Fortunately, we are now given more options on sumptuous yet healthy eats. And if you are from La Trinidad, you are even luckier, since you are practically in the heart of vegetable and fruit country. Hey, it ain’t the capital of the “Salad Bowl of the Philippines” (Benguet) for nothing! So this time, I’ll be sharing a little about Health101 ReSTOREant.
South Korea Pt 21: Seefood Diet at Street Market Village, Busan
I’m perpetually and proudly on a Seefood Diet: When I see food, I eat. Totally works.
On hindsight, there might be just a liiiiiiittle bit… well, OFF if, after you spend hours on end roaming around an aquarium, you head out to have dinner consisting of… seafood. Well? What do you think? Continue reading “South Korea Pt 21: Seefood Diet at Street Market Village, Busan”
The Fate of the Travelling Hallabong
Meet the “hallabong”, the dekopon fruit of Jeju, South Korea.
….
Say what?
I feel ya. Before this, the extent of my knowledge about this family of fruits is orange, mandarin, ponkan, and Sagada oranges. And it was either sweet or sour. Who knew there’s another entire orange-y world out there? Continue reading “The Fate of the Travelling Hallabong”