japanese – The Jellybeans Edit

3 reasons to go on a family food trip at DADS World Buffet, SM Megamall

It’s so nice to finally be able to eat out, right?

During the height of the pandemic, community quarantine restrictions specifically prohibit buffet-type setups due to the difficulty in maintaining physical distancing, especially as diners tend to congregate in various food stations to fill their plates.

Nowadays, however, all-you-can-eat buffets are making their comeback. One of these eateries is DADS World Buffet.

Having been around for over thirty years, DADS was among the first dining establishments to make buffet dining popular and accessible to more Filipinos.

Growing up in the 90s, I recall that most of my family’s celebrations such as birthdays, reunions and more were held at DADS. Its a great way to ensure that everyone can eat their fill of their preferred menu items, while keeping to a budget. DADS’ group and birthday promos also came in handy to this end.

Fast forward to today, I can say the DADS has not lost its appeal. In fact, I can cite three reasons why the family’s food trip should be held at DADS World Buffet.

1. It’s easily accessible.

Located in SM Megamall, DADS World Buffet is a short ride from most parts of the metro (not counting traffic, that is!). Also, anyone who’s organized a family party know that half the battle is getting the people to the venue. Since this restaurant is situated in one of the city’s most popular malls, getting lost along the way won’t be a problem.

2. It offers a world of culinary choices.

DADS World Buffet brings together celebrated dishes from all over the world, including local favorites. These include:

Philippines. A delectable curation of Kamayan’s roster of heritage dishes.
Asia. Includes dishes from Chine, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand
The Mediterranean. An epicure’s dream which includes dishes from Spain, Italy and Greece
The Americas. From hearty all-American viands from the United States to South American favorites from Mexico and Brazil.

Personally, the sheer magnitude of food choices available at DADS World Buffet have the added benefit of eliminating food envy. That’s the feeling of looking over to what other people are eating and wishing that you ordered the same. At DADS, you can easily load your plate with whatever catches your fancy.

3. Its promos will give you more bang for your buffet buck.

Walk-ins are charged P958/person but you can enjoy savings when you dine at DADS World Buffet by taking advantage of these offers:

Fully Vaxxed Reservation Promo: Php758/person Mondays to Thursdays | Php858 Fridays to Sundays and Holidays
Birthday Promo: birthday celebrants eats for free if accompanied by two adults at Php958/person
Group of 10 Promo: for every group of ten, one eats for free while the other nine are charged at Php958/person

Kids also enjoy discounted buffet rates at DADS:

0 to 3 feet: FREE
3 feet to 4 feetL Php330
4 feet to 4’6″: Php380

Senior citizens are also charged the discounted price of Php684.29/person.

Note: These promo prices require no leftovers. Leftovers are charged Php200.

So go ahead and take a journey of culinary discovery at DADS World Buffet!

This DADS World Buffet branch is located in the Fourth Floor Bridgeway, SM Megamall, Epifanio de los Santos Ave, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City, open Mondays to Thursdays from 11am to 3pm and 4pm to 8pm and Fridays to Sunday from 11am to 9pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 86363785, +63 2 86331758 or +63 917 8961757.

Another branch is located at 523 Merchant Building Padre Faura Street corner Adriatico Street, Ermita, Maynila. (Tel: 63 2 85281724 or +63 917 8971722).

DADS also collaborates with Saisaki, Sambo Kojin at Kamayan, featuring over eighty dishes at 15 West Avenue, Quezon City (Tel: +63 2 89212873 or +63 917 8988844).

To know more about its promos and offers, follow DADS World Buffet on Facebook and Instagram.

Unli Japanese fusion dishes at Hodai, West Triangle

Considering I work in Quezon City, it’s a wonder I’ve only explored a fraction of the gastronomic choices the other side of Quezon Avenue has to offer.

This is why I grabbed at the chance to dine at Hodai together with my foodie friends.

Located in a sprawling renovated two-storey house along Examiner Street which was originall built in the 1960s, Hodai offers a cozy and comfortable atmosphere for its diners, perfect for group get-togethers and family outings. The decor is minimalist with bits of Asian accents while windows throughout the dining area let in a lot of natural light.

“Hodai” translates to “all you can” in Nihongo, and really, you can eat to your heart’s (and tummy’s) content of Japanese cuisine (with some Korean food thrown in) in this resto.

Curious on what you can enjoy at Hodai? Feast your eyes on these!

Fish Teriyaki

Japchae

Rose Cream Pasta

Tempura

Sushi Rolls

Korean Fried Chicken

Kani Salad

Kimchi Gyoza

Tonkatsu

Cheese Cream Spicy BBQ Bowl

To get your fill of these delicious dishes, choose from two value-packed meal sets:

Silver Set (Php499). Includes Teriyaki, Japchae or Rose Cream Pasta, Tempura, Sushi Rolls, Korean Fried Chicken, Kani Salad, Kimchi Gyoza and Tonkatsu.

Gold Set (Php599). Includes everything in the Silver Set plus Cheese Cream Spicy BBQ Bowl.

Note: Unli rice and miso soup are also provided on a self-service basis. Guests are also given Korean frozen sweets as desserts after the meal.

The sheer number and variety of these sumptuous dishes may be daunting at first. However, for hungry foodies and fans of unli servings, Hodai’s meal sets present quite a good deal.

And to sweeten the deal further, Hodai has irresistible Lucky 7 promo offers this July:

On weekdays, get 1+1 on the Gold Set. That means two people can dine on all these food for only Php599.
On weekends, get discounted rates on the Silver set (now at Php349) and the Gold Set (now at Php419).

So, really, there’s no better time to gather up your family and friends to feast on all-you-can-eat Japanese food at Hodai!

Thanks to Clarissa of Clarisays.com and Carlo of EatsCMT.Food.Blog for extending their invites!

Hodai is located at 14 Examiner Street, West Triangle, Quezon City, open daily for lunch from 10am to 3pm and for dinner from 5pm to 10pm. For reservations, call +63 956 4605848.

Disclosure: Together with other food bloggers, I attended a foodie meet-up held in this restaurant. All the food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Luxury Wagyu at Miyazaki Gyu, BGC

Just when you thought that you’ve tasted all there is to good ole’ steaks, here comes Miyazaki Gyu introduce us to a truly luxurious steak experience.

The restaurant got its name from the Miyazaki Prefecture in the Japanese island of Kyushu. It is the word’s second largest producer of beef from Japanese black cattle – referred to as miyazakigyu – which is known for having a high level of marbling, making the meat as tender and flavorful as can be.

The restaurant not only sells high-grade beef but also treats its diners to the optimal preparation of the meat, thereby maximizing flavor and texture. That is actually the driving force behind the resto: showcasing to local diners the full potential of miyazakigyu, as envisioned by its executive chef and youngest Iron Chef contender Kensuke Sakai.

Hubby decided to treat the family to the experience of eating such high-quality beef so we spent one of our weekend lunches over the holidays checking out its offerings.

The restaurant embodies a combination of Japanese simplicity with its clean lines and bamboo accents, and of luxurious opulence with its gold and leather interiors.

A display of its various meat offerings takes pride of place, giving diners the option to take some home.

For our luxurious miyazakigyu lunch, we had:

Beef Sushi (Php650). Slivers of tender wagyu draped over sushi rice and lightly doused with ponzu sauce served as our appetizer.

Hubby, my daughter #ExhibitA and I split orders of various beef cuts – Chuck Roll or Premium Steak (Php22/gram), Habaki or Special Part Steak (Php25/gram) and Top Round or Prime Marble Steak (Php32/gram) all cooked to medium doneness so we can savor their taste, juiciness and tender texture.

Hamburg Steak (Php900). Our little boy #ExhibitB, on the other hand, was treated to this tasty grilled ground beef burger patty.

All of these meat dishes are preceded by a light vegetable salad and a steaming hot soup with slivers of wagyu beef.

The steaks were served with sauteed bean sprouts, minced herbs and a bit of salt to bring out more of their flavor.

We also upgraded to the House Special Garlic Rice that went so well with the wagyu steaks.

Given its price range, dining at Miyazaki Gyu is really not for everyday enjoyment; for me, it’s for those rare occasions when you feel like you deserve a break from the ordinary. Its premium-grade wagyu surely takes you to a whole new level of experience.

Miyazaki Gyu is located at Podium Level, One Mckinley Place, 26th Corner 4th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, open daily from 11am to 3pm and 6pm to 11pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 8296167 or +63 917 166 6673)