Sunday, April 27, 2014

Sunday Treats No. 34

Kyo Hachi Bento Box - Php380.00

~o~o~o~

Kyo Hachi Japanese Restaurant
EPZA Diversion Road-Bacao
General Trias, Cavite, Philippines

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Curry Bee + Mini Pies & Tarts by Chef J. Tesoro

Blue Bay Walk is now home to the first and only overseas franchise of the famous Bee Japanese Curry Shop from Hongkong. Established in 1996, the restaurant specializes in curry and an assortment of Japanese favorites like noodles and katsu meals. It was actually our first time to dine at Curry Bee here and in HK so I can't really compare the menu and taste from the original.

We were welcomed by the courteous and friendly staff of Curry Bee as soon as we entered, then ushered to the comfortable couch by the window. I was still undecided on what to order so the staff excused herself to get us drinks. I love restaurants that give customers some space and time to think about their order as too much hovering turns me off.



What we ordered

Beef Omelet Curry - Php228.00
This reminds me of my favorite lunch meal in school but so much better! Curry Bee offers a wide-variety of curry-based dishes that filled half of the menu. The sauce was thick but not overpowering and the beef was tender and plentiful.


Shrimp Katsu Bento - Php240.00

Fyi, that was not a typo error. Curry Bee's Shrimp Katsu Bento at under Php300 is a filling and complete meal with Miso Soup to warm your tummy before the main course, four decent-sized Shrimp Katsu and a bowl of rice. I love the sesame dressing they offered to go with the shredded cabbage! If only they offered a free refill then I would be the happiest girl on the planet.

The Cold Ramen was delicious but the serving was too small that it looked like a side dish on the big bowl it was served in.

Cold Ramen - Php210.00

After our early dinner, we moved next door to Chef J. Tesoro's Mini Pies and Tarts place for dessert. I was surprised that the prices ranges from Php35 to Php 45 only!


The tarts are perfectly sweetened and the size was just enough for a quick sweet fix. You can order 6 or 12 pieces of these that they will put in an elegant box making it an excellent gift idea!


Another night of laughter and good food to remember!

~o~o~o~

Curry Bee
Cluster C U142-144 Blue Bay Walk
Metropolitan Avenue Bay Area, Pasay City
Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel.: (632) 785-0737

and

Mini Pies and Tarts by Chef J. Tesoro
Cluster C U145 Blue Bay Walk
Metropolitan Avenue Bay Area, Pasay City
Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel.: (63999) 854-4383

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Banzai: The Great Teppanyaki Theater

"You had me at unlimited Uni."

With so many eat-all-you-can restaurants opening left and right, one must be unique to stand out and maintain a competitive advantage among the rest. An addition to the growing industry of luxury buffet restaurants in the Mall of Asia's Seaside Boulevard is called Banzai, owned by actor Marvin Agustin, which prides itself as the biggest teppanyaki restaurant in the world!


Catering to a maximum seating capacity of 300 people, Banzai: The Great Teppanyaki Theater, has a colossal area of 1, 200 square meters so you'll never feel cramped even if the place is packed. Interior is modern Japanese with clean-cut lines and minimalistic design.



All ingredients that they use are imported from Japan living up to the idea that Banzai only offers authentic Japanese food, nothing less. I love that the dishes are neatly set-up and organized per food station: Salad, Cold Soba, Yakitori, Tempura and Tonkatsu, Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki, Ramen, Sushi and Sashimi, Teppanyaki, Desserts and Beverages.

Salad

Spotted: My favorite Spicy Tuna Salad!

Cold Soba

Make-your-own Salad

Yakitori

Takoyaki

Ramen

Sushi and Rolls

Sashimi

Teppanyaki

Since we arrived early for dinner, the chef was able to prepare some ready-to-eat Teppanyaki dishes served on heated plates. But if you prefer fresh and off-the-grill, you may request them to cook it for you while you wait or have it delivered to your table.


Yasai Itame and other cooked dishes

Cakes and Pastries

More desserts

Beverages

Hot Tea and Coffee

Some of the dishes we were able to try

Spicy Tuna Salad

The Spicy Tuna Salad was really good I had about 3 servings of it. Another must-try is their Seaweed Salad -- refreshing, healthy and virtually fat-free. Both appetizers made an impressive stimulation to prepare my appetite for a night of pigging out.

Assorted Sashimi and Sushi

Whenever we go to any buffet restaurant, Japanese food always occupy at least 3/4 of my plate. So when I read that Banzai offers unlimited Uni, there's no thinking twice and I immediately reserved a table for two. A few hours after I fantasized on having fresh sashimi courtesy of incessant posts on my Instagram feed (that's 15% discount off your bill if you liked them on Facebook or followed Banzai on Instagram and Twitter), I was already asking for my third serving of Uni Sashimi.

So yes, dreams do come true if you have the courage to pursue them. *wink*

Uni (Sea Urchin)

My own version of Hiyashi and Yakitori

I have always loved Hiyashi. They don't offer it in Banzai but upon seeing that they have the ingredients to make one, I just grabbed them all and concocted my own. It felt like I was in my own kitchen preparing my (my one and only) specialty using my limited skills and knowledge in cooking.

Japanese Pizza

Banzai never scrimp on ingredients. And true to its word because everything we tried were good and lived up to the hype of authenticity and quality. I was never a fan of pizza to begin with but the burst of flavors and crunchiness of the crust made me ask for another slice.

Fried Rice

Desserts

By the time I get to the dessert section, my tummy was already complaining of feeling full! But for the sake of having a complete meal, I tried a few slices of the cakes from their wide-spread selection. It was a hit or miss as some were okay while some were a waste of extra calorie-intake.


Aside from the delicious buffet and great service, customers must look forward to the "Teppanyaki Show" featuring Banzai's talented chef cooking teppanyaki but with flying spatula, eggs thrown in the air, shakers juggled, and stove set on fire!

Buffet Rates:

Adult
Weekday Lunch - Php699
Weekday Dinner - Php899
Weekend and Holiday - Php1, 088

Children below 4.5ft - Php499
Children below 3.5ft - Free

~o~o~o~

Banzai: The Great Teppanyaki Theater
Bldg. J, By the Bay Leisure Park, Seaside Blvd.
Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City
Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel.: (632) 552-7368 / (63915) 524-5705

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Sunday Treats No. 33

Gyudon - Php200.00

~o~o~o~

Kimono Ken 
Unit H, Bluewave Macapagal
Macapagal Avenue, Pasay City
Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel.: (632) 832-8851

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Unlimited Sushi and Sashimi at Genji M

I've been seeing mixed reviews about this certain Japanese restaurant in my timeline for weeks already so when our schedules freed up, we decided to take a chance and see for ourselves what the buzz was all about. We met up at the restaurant a little past 11am and I was surprised that we were the first customers there because from what I've heard, waiting usually takes an hour or more. I was too scared that this lunch will turn to a disaster so I insisted on playing it safe by arriving early for lunch and we'll get the first dibs on what they have to offer.


We were ushered to one of the private rooms by the courteous staff and upon confirming that we'll get the unlimited sushi and sashimi for Php699 each, he gave us several copies of this where we can choose as many rolls, maki, sashimi and sushi that we can possibly consume.


The waiter came back a couple of  minutes after and laid all of these on the table! He told us that everyone gets to try the Chef's Recommendation so we can taste their best dishes that day.


Assorted Sushi

The sashimi were not the freshest (some were still frozen) so instead of dipping it in the usual wasabi and soy sauce, I tried it with the Korean spicy sauce and it tasted so much better.

Mixed Sashimi Platter

Chef's Special

We were surprised that they have Scallops Sushi on the menu of the regular buffet (unlimited premium cuts costs Php1499 per person). It was fresh, sweet and delicious so we tried ordering again and lucky us that they gave several pieces of Scallops Sashimi!

Scallops Sushi

Tuna and Salmon Sushi

Saba Sushi

Bulgogi Roll

Tuna  Sushi

Fatty Salmon Sushi

Baked Tofu Sushi

(Raw) Saba Sushi

Big Salmon Maki

We definitely enjoyed our buffet lunch at Genji M and contrary to the reviews, their service was outstanding. I'm guessing that they got overwhelmed by the response on the first few weeks when they offered the promo but our experience is an unbiased testimony that it has improved now. So if you like Japanese food like I do, go ahead and call Genji M to reserve so you can try their Unlimited Sushi and Sashimi available during lunch and dinner times:
 
  • Unlimited sushi and rolls – Php 399.00
  • Unlimited sushi, rolls and sashimi – Php 699.00
  • Unlimited sushi, rolls and sashimi (premium) – Php 1,499.00

~o~o~o~

Genji M Japanese/Korean Restaurant
845 Kalayaan corner Makati Avenue
San Lorenzo, Makati City
Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel.: (632) 804-2883
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