teriyaki – Jellybeans in the City

#HandsDownGoodFood at Hanako, Estancia

Are you a fan of Japanese food too?

Thanks to its focus on fresh and seasonal ingredients, simple yet methodical preparation as well as its artful presentation, Japanese food continues to be among the most popular cuisines in the metro.

One of the premier destinations for Japanese cuisine is Hanako. With its “bang for the buck authentic Japanese food” proposition, it makes delicious Japanese dishes more accessible to foodies in the metro.

It recently opened a branch in Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons, adding a cozy space for Japanese food lovers to discover and enjoy their favorites.

Sushi

California Maki (Php219). Maki made with kani, mango, cucumber and ebiko.

Salmon Cream Cheese (Php269). Maki made with salmon, cream cheese, cucumber, sesame and tempura flakes.

Ultimate Dynamite Roll (Php269). Maki made with salmon, tuna, kani, togarashi and tempura flakes.

Torched Cheese & Salmon (Php304). Sushi rice topped with marinated salmon and torched cheese.

Salmon Sashimi (Php249/5pcs | Php319/8pcs).

Tuna Sashimi (Php209/5pcs | Php294/8pcs).

Snacks

Creamy Mushroom Udon (Php249). Thick udon noodles doused in a savory and creamy mushroom sauce.

Gyoza Sampler (Php179/6pcs | Php619/18pcs). Combination of classic pork, beef and chicken Japanese potstickers.

Starters

Beef Sukiyaki (Php249). A hearty nabemono (“hot pot dish”) made with sliced beef slowly simmered along with vegetables in a broth of soy sauce, sugar and mirin.

Tuna Tartare (Php249). Sushi-grade tuna chopped into tiny pieces and tossed in Japanese mayo with togarashi, tempura flakes and chopped scallion.

Mains

Ebi Tempura (Php209/3pcs | Php309/5pcs). Battered and deep-fried shrimp served with special sauce.

If you’re an avid fan of Ebi Tempura, I suggest you take advantage of its dine-in promo wherein you can enjoy unlimited tempura with a serving of gohan (steamed rice) for only Php499/person. This offer is available Mondays to Thursdays (2 hours maximum), thankfully extended until June 9, 2022.

Yasai Itame (Php154). Fresh and crisp vegetables stir-fried in a flavorful sauce.

Karaage (Php259). Marinated and lightly-floured chicken pieces and deep-fried then served with special sauce.

Chicken Teriyaki (Php294). Rice bowl topped with grilled chicken glazed with teriyaki sauce.

Gyudon (Php299). Rice bowl topped with finely sliced beef simmered in a sweet sauce with onions.

Tonkatsu (Php284). Breaded pork cutlet that’s been deep-fried then served rice and katsu sauce.

Craving for great-tasting Japanese food? Well, now you know where to go to sate your craving without having to burn a hole through your wallet.

It may be time to hie yourself over to any of these Hanako branches in the metro:

4th Floor, East Wing, Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons, Pasig City
30 Doña Soledad Ave., Better Living Subd., Brgy. Don Bosco, Parañaque City
83 B Mindanao Avenue, Quezon City, Bagong Pag-asa,, Quezon City (beside Car Doctor)
131-C Armstrong Ave., Brgy. Moonwalk, Parañaque City
GF, SM Center Pasig, Ortigas East, Pasig City
2nd Floor, The Rock, Holy Spirit Drive, Brgy. Don Antonio, Quezon City
Robinsons Townville Regalado Ext Ciudad Verde, Quezon City

You may also order online at cravehanako.ph.

To stay updated on Hanako’s offers and promos, follow it on Facebook and Instagram.

Disclosure: I attended a food tasting held at this restaurant where food items were served at no cost to the attendees.

Check out my previous posts on Hanako:

Hanako, Katipunan — Sate your Japanese food cravings at Hanako, Regis Katipunan

Go on a virtual food trip with Del Monte Quick ‘n Easy Flavors of Asia

While I do enjoy traveling to new places here in the country and abroad, what I really look forward to are the new and exciting dishes I get to try.

I do travel through food and whenever possible, I include my family, especially my kids, in the experience. For me, delving into local cuisines is one of the best way to get to know a foreign culture. It paints a picture of the area’s agricultural scene as well as tells the story of its history, food traditions, values and influences.

However, traveling can be quite costly, time-consuming, and during a time a worldwide pandemic, well nigh impossible.

The solution? Going on a virtual food trip at home.

We might not have the means to always be ordering food from various restaurants to be able to go on our virtual food trip, but we can try to whip up exotic dishes ourselves for the fam to enjoy.

If you find cooking foreign cuisines quite intimidating, brush your fears aside. We now have a set of handy kitchen aids that will help us in achieving our lofty culinary goals.

Del Monte Quick ‘n Easy Flavors of Asia

These new additions to Del Monte’s line of mixes and sauces are set to make cooking exotic dishes so much easier not just for kitchen newbies, but also for more experienced cooks who may not have the time to study unfamiliar recipes.

Perfectly seasoned and blended to approximate the authentic taste of Asian dishes but still appeal to the Pinoy palate, Del Monte Quick ‘n Easy Flavors of Asia packs are made with real ingredients, bringing out real deliciousness in each dish with every bite.

By following the recipes in the packaging like I did, anybody can whip up real sarap Asian dishes at home, while saving on time and effort in securing and preparing various ingredients.

Get ready for your culinary adventure with these!

Teriyaki Marinade 80ml

Teriyaki is a cooking style used in Japanese cuisine wherein food are grilled or boiled with a glaze of soy sauce, mirin and sugar.

Made with real ginger and soy sauce, Del Monte Quick ‘n Easy Teriyaki Marinade brings out the signature sweet and savory flavors of a Japanese-style Teriyaki dish!

Chicken Teriyaki

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo chicken breast, filleted and cut into thin slices
1 80ml sachet of Del Monte Quick n Easy Teriyaki Marinade
1/4 cup spring onions sliced thinly
1/2 tbsp sesame seeds

Procedure:

Marinate the chicken in Del Monte Quick ‘n Easy Teriyaki Marinade for at least 30 minutes.
Place the marinated chicken into skewers
Pan-grill the chicken while basting with the marinade.
Garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds before serving.

This recipe makes 6 servings.

Green Curry Mix 30g

Sweet green curry – also known as kaeng khiao wan – derives its name from the creamy mild green color of the dish brought about by the combination of green chillies and coconut milk.

Del Monte Quick ‘n Easy Green Curry Mix contains turmeric, ginger and other spices which brings that fresh taste of Thai-style sweet green curry dish.

Green Curry with Chicken

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo chicken breast, filleted and cut into thin slices
1 30g pack of Del Monte Quick n Easy Green Curry Mix
2 tbsp oil
1 400ml can coconut milk
1 small eggplant, sliced
1 red bell pepper sliced
1 bunch Thai basil leaves

Procedure:

Heat oil and Del Monte Quick ‘n Easy Green Curry Mix in a saucepan until fragrant.
Stir in coconut milk and simmer for 3 minutes.
Add in chicken and simmer in a covered saucepan for 12 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add eggplant and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add red bell pepper and basil. Simmer for another minute.
Serve and enjoy!

This recipe makes six servings.

Red Curry Mix 40g

Curry originated in the Indian subcontinent with its name coming from the Tamil word kari which refers to a sauce or soup eaten with rice. While Indian cuisine is highly diverse, it is also highly influential: India’s spice trade with Europe sparked the Age of Discovery. Indian cuisine’s influence is present in the food cultures of Britain, the Middle East, Southern and East Africa, Southeast Asia, North America and the Pacific Islands.

Made with real paprika, cayenne and other spices, Del Monte Quick ‘n Easy Red Curry brings out the spice and richness of Indian-style curry dishes!

Red Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo chicken breast, filleted and cut into thin slices
2 tbsp oil
1 35g pack of Del Monte Quick n Easy Red Curry Mix
1 400ml can coconut milk
1 bunch French beans
1 red bell pepper cut into strips
1/2 cup cilantro

Procedure:

Heat oil and Del Monte Quick ‘n Easy Red Curry Mix in a saucepan until fragrant.
Stir in coconut milk and simmer for 3 minutes.
Add in chicken and simmer in a covered saucepan for 12 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add French beans and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add red bell pepper and cilantro. Simmer for another minute.
Serve and enjoy!

So if you feel like broadening your culinary horizons, stock up on Del Monte Flavors Asia on Lazada.

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Japan’s MOS Burger aims to take a bite out of the PH fast food market, opens first store on February 27

In a market dominated by western-style burgers, MOS Burger will introduce a distinctly Japanese flavor to burger-loving Filipinos as it opens its first branch in the Philippines this February 27, 2020 in Robinsons Galleria.

“We heard that Filipinos love burgers as much as they love Japanese food. In introducing MOS Burger to the Philippines, we are giving them two of the things that they most love. We can’t wait for them to try our Japanese-style burgers,” said MOS Burger Philippines president Araki Masahide.

During a pop-up store event last month, MOS Burger introduced its version of a signature cheese burger with meat sauce and the original yakiniku rice burger. Some of the items on the menu for the first Philippine branch are the following: yakiniku rice burger, MOS cheese burger, wagyu burger, seafood tempura rice burger, and natsumi, a lettuce wrap burger.

As a way to welcome the dining public to its first store in the country, MOS Burger will give out gifts to its first 50 customers on opening day. In-store surprises also await customers every hour on February 27. The store’s operating hours will be from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

Founded in Tokyo in 1972, MOS Burger is ranked number two in sales among all burger chains in Japan. It has around 1,300 stores in Japan and almost 400 stores overseas.

MOS stands for mountain, ocean, and sun—three elements that symbolize the company’s commitment to good service and how it trains its employees to approach their work. The mountain symbolizes its thrust to “stand tall and firm as a mountain.” The ocean, meanwhile, symbolizes its aim “to have a heart as big and generous as the ocean”, and the sun stands for “undying passion.”

MOS Burger also adheres to the old Japanese proverb “ishoku dogen”, which means food and medicine come from the same source so we could maintain our health through a balanced diet.

MOS Burger Philippines was formed in 2019 to oversee the local operations of MOS Burger. The company is the result of a joint venture agreement between MOS Food Services Inc. of Japan and Tokyo Coffee Holdings of the Young family of General Milling Corporation.

Its aggressive expansion plan in the Philippines will see the opening of several branches in Metro Manila this year. Apart from the one in Robinsons Galleria, MOS Burger stores will be opened in SM Megamall in Mandaluyong, One Eastwood Tower 2 and Robinsons Magnolia in Quezon City, O-Square in Greenhills, San Juan, and Robinsons Manila.

For more updates about MOS Burger Philippines’ opening, follow its Facebook page and Instagram account.

Image and details provided by MOS Burger in a recent press release.

Unli Korean BBQ at YumEaTeh!, Marikina

Korean barbecue fans, you definitely have something new to be happy about.

Marikina, already home to a vibrant and varied food scene, now has another place that offers all the meats, seafood and side dishes you can eat at super affordable prices.

Located at the Wood Park Food Hub along E. Santos Street, YumEaTeh! has been serving up exciting Korean barbecue packages (named after Japanese icons, of all things!) to Marikina denizens since it began operations early this year.

As explained by the co-owners, Eric Tan and JM Alcantara, “YumEaTeh” has the same sound as the Japanese word for “stop.” They conceptualized their offers to be so filling that diners will eat their fill until they just want to stop.

Well, let’s take a look at its much-vaunted unli meal sets, shall we?

All of these already come with soup, plain rice, chao fan (Chinese fried rice), an assortment of banchan (side dishes) like tahong (steamed mussels), lettuce, quail egg bombs, potato salad, cheesy corn, apple slaw and kimchi, not to mention an array of sauces for the meats that include cheese, gravy, chili oil, wasabi mayo, gochujang (Korean red chili paste), ponzu (Japanese sauce) and honey mustard as well as Aice ice cream treats to cap the meal.

Ninja (Php198) gives you four delicious pork flavors such as salt and pepper barbecue, gochujang marinated pork slices, tonkatsu and sisig.

With Sempai (regularly priced at Php299 | available to YumEaTeh! Loyalty Card Holders for Php249), you can enjoy four different meat flavors that include the pork flavors included in Ninja, as well as chicken, which include salt and pepper, teriyaki and yangyeom (sweet, sour and spicy); squid, which include salt and pepper and yangyeom: and beef, which include salt and pepper, bulgogi and sukiyaki.

Hokage (Php399), on the other hand, gives you twelve different meat flavors that include the pork, beef, chicken and squid flavors included in Sempai, as well as five-spiced boiled crab, salt and pepper shrimp and ginger garlic mussels.

Lastly, with Hokage Supreme (Php499), you can enjoy twelve different meat flavors that include the pork, beef, chicken and squid, crab, shrimp and mussels flavors included in Hokage as well as deep-fried and butter garlic crab, butter garlic shrimp and tempura, hotpots of laksa, tantanmen and tomyum/sinigang, deep-fried squid and chicken poppers. This set also comes with a free liter of iced tea for every four people.

All these sets are guaranteed to satisfy your K-BBQ cravings!

Celebrating your birthday soon? Take advantage of YumEaTeh!’s Bigger, Better Birthday Promo which give you discounts on your Sempai (Php249) and Hokage Supreme (Php499) meals within ten days of your birthday depending on the number of companions you bring to YumEaTeh!:

One full paying adult: 20%

Two full paying adults: 30%

Three full paying adults: 50%

Four full paying adults: 80%

Five full paying adults: FREE

Thank you to Hungry Byaheros for extending the invitation, and to Eric Tan, JM Alcantara and the staff of YumEaTeh! for having us.

YumEatEh! Is located at The Wood Park, E. Santos Street, Concepcion Uno, Marikina City, open Sundays to Thursdays from 11.30am to 11pm and Fridays to Saturdays from 11.30am to 11.30pm. For inquiries, call +63 966 4664907.

Disclosure: Together with my fellow foodies, I was invited to join a foodie meetup held here. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out my posts about other Korean restaurants:

Filling Japanese bento meals at Kazoku, Tomas Morato

With the welcome break of sunshine after several days of bad weather, a friend and I decided to have lunch out. We have not gone far from our office building when we noticed a newly opened Japanese restaurant nearby. Eager to try out something new (and not wanting to walk too far while wearing my wedge heels), we decided to give Kazoku a try.

Kazoku is the Japanese word for “family.” It can also refer to the Japanese empire’s hereditary peerage, the nobility, in feudal Japan.

The restaurant displays several Japanese design sensibilities which include elegant lines and the restrained use of color. Here and there in the spacious dining space are splashes of elements that add personality to the space such as a line of Japanese dolls displayed on a counter or the long chandeliers hanging from the high loft-style ceiling.

What ultimately drew us in to this resto is its bento meals. Reasonably priced at Php188 each, our bento orders of yakiniku (grilled marinated strips of beef cut sukiyaki style) and chicken teriyaki (tender and juicy chicken pieces broiled with a savory-sweet glaze of soy sauce, mirin and sugar) came with miso soup, cabbage salad, sticky Japanese steamed rice, slices of tuna sashimi and California Maki, quite filling meals considering their price point.

Other bento offerings include Tori Karaage and Tonkatsu also priced at Php188 each, and Gindara, Shake and Tempura priced at Php288 each. Bento meals are available weekdays from 11am to 2pm.

If you brought more of an appetite with you, you can go for its Yakiniku BBQ All You Can Eat offer. At only Php488++ per person, you can grill and eat your fill of barbecued beef, pork, chicken, sausage and shrimp. This comes with refillable soup, salad, appetizers and rice, as well your choice of juice or beer. You can even add Php188 to make your beer refillable.

Kazoku Japanese Restaurant is located at 2nd Floor, The Grandia Place, 143 Mother Ignacia Avenue, Quezon City. It is open daily from 11am to 11pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 917 8219841.

Check out my reviews of other Japanese restaurants:

This post contains affiliate links.

Why not try your hand at preparing Japanese cuisine at home? Check out these recipe books from Amazon.com!

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My favorite Japanese food at Menya Noodle & Bento Bar, Greenhills

Japanese cuisine has two main draws for me: ramen and katsu bento. Whenever I’m dining at a Japanese restaurant, I order either of those two staples.

Imagine my delight when I discovered a new Japanese place that specializes in my two favorite dishes.

Menya Noodle & Bento Bar is a newly opened Japanese eatery in the Promenade Foodcourt in Greenhills Shopping Center.

While the resto’s name which translates to “noodle house” (men for “noodle” and ya for “house”) proclaims its specialty in noodles, the owners also recognize the Pinoy preference for rice meals, hence the development of the noodle and bento bar concept.

Its bar area has a direct view to the open kitchen so that diners can watch the resto’s ramen and bento masters at work. Its interiors have an Asian minimalist aesthetic with both light and dark wood serving as design and architectural elements. While its actual seating area is limited, diners can just order their preferred dishes and have them served at the food court area.

During a Zomato Foodie Meet-up recently held here, my fellow foodies and I were able to sample the appetizing dishes that Menya has to offer. These include:

Ramen

Menya Tonkotsu Ramen (Php290)

My favorite among all ramen variants, it has a very flavorful 10-hour pork bone broth (developed with the help of a team of Japanese chefs), Menya’s signature noodles and thick yet tender slices of pork chashu.

Black Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen (Php290)

The Menya Tonkotsu Ramen made even more flavorful and garlicky with the addition of black garlic oil and garlic chips.

Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen (Php290)

The Menya Tonkotsu Ramen modified to appeal to the more gastronomically adventurous having a red spicy broth and red chili paste.

Abura Soba (Php320)

The name translates to “oil noodles.” Since this noodle dish is soupless, much of the flavor resides in Menya’s signature noodles, accompanied by chashu pork belly slices in a premium sesame oil sauce.

Tsukumen (Php310)

A new experience in ramen wherein Menya’s signature noodles are not served within the10-hour pork bone broth but are to be dipped into it. It comes with a tender chashu pork belly slice on the side.

Bento Meals (Php290 each)

All of Menya’s bento meals include fresh salad and Japanese rice which is stickier and more suited in taste and texture to Japanese dishes.

Pork Tonkatsu Bento

Chicken Teriyaki Bento

Chicken Karaage Bento

Sides

It’s hard to fathom how you can still be unsated with your ramen or bento meal but, just in case, you can also order side dishes. They add a change in flavor or texture to the meal or serve as an addtional viand.

Gyoza (Php130)

Chicken Nan Ban (Php170)

Chicken Karaage (Php150)

Chashu Bun (Php130)

The dishes served were all flavorful and the portions were sizeable, well worth their price tags.

I can see myself dropping by this Menya store to treat myself to a bowl or Tonkotsu Ramen or a Tonkatsu Bento after a bout of shopping or right before a movie date.

Menya Noodle and Bento Bar is located at the Food Court, Ground Floor, Promenade, Greenhills Shopping Center, Greenhills, San Juan. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 2 55 1288. It is open daily from 10am to 9pm.

Menya delivers!

If you’re craving for some noodles or bento meals but don’t have the time to drop by the store in Greenhills, here’s some good news. You can opt to have your Menya orders delivered via Honestbee.

Care is taken to preserve the freshness and texture of the ramen, in particular. The soup is placed in a microwaveable container so you can reheat it as soon as it arrives at your home or office. The noodles and toppings are placed in a special cornstarch-based packaging (which is good for the environment). You can just drop these on your heated ramen broth and your ramen is ready to eat!

Download the HonestBee app through this link and get Php500 off purchases of Php2,500 or more.

Disclosure: Together with other Zomato foodies, I was invited to attend 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.

Check out my reviews of other Japanese restaurants:

New Japanese hangout at Omotenashi

My daughter was craving for gyoza so when she accompanied me to my office last Wednesday, I gave in to her craving by having our lunch at nearby Omotenashi Japanese Restaurant and Bar.

The term omotenashi directly correlates to Japanese hospitality. It is the combination of words “omote” which refers to the face one presents to the public and “nashi” which means “nothing.” The resulting word means “selfless service,” anticipating the needs of the guest and providing service from the heart.

From the outside, this Quezon City Japanese restaurant may seem like a rowdy drinking hangout, especially with the banners promoting its beer promos. Inside, however, the decor is more subdued: natural light from the windows is soft which bounces off from the white walls decorated by paintings of fish and traditional Japanese scenery, and pictures of the food offered inside. That said, I find the interiors lacking the zen quality I’ve come to expect from Japanese restaurants.

We ordered Gyoza (Php188), Ebi Tempura (Php378 for 5 pieces),Chicken Teriyaki (Php328) and Gomoku Chahan (Php188). The gyoza, or minced pork dumplings, were served hot and had a good balance between the pork and aromatics in each bite. The tempura and chicken were well-seasoned and went nicely with the chahan, or Japanese fried rice.

I took advantage of a reservation app that gave me 20% discount on the food items so, even with a 10% service charge, my total bill came out as less that Php1,000.

I had some misgivings about the service charge, though. Despite being polite and helpful, the lone wait staff was a long way from the quality of service that the name and tenet of omotenashi implies. Some more training and support from the restaurant management may be in order.

This branch of Omotenshi Japanese Restaurant and Bar is located at 42 Sgt. Esguerra Corner Eugenio Lopez Street, South Triangle, Quezon City. For inquiries, call +63 9178148511.

Register to Eatigo through this link and get up to 50% off your food bill in this resto and various other restaurants in the metro as well as Php100 worth of rewards.

Check out my reviews of other nearby Japanese restaurants:

Cuteness Overload at Tokyo Bubble Tea

The Japanese are known for their love of cuteness. Kawaii (“cute,” “lovable” or “adorable”) is a prominent aesthetic in Japanese culture, even food and entertainment.

Kawaii is at the forefront in Tokyo Bubble Tea’s premises. I recently had lunch there with my officemates, of which one is an avid fan of all things Japan.

The place has pink pastel-colored walls illustrated with cute, cartoon renditions of food (with lots of character!). Big balls of light illuminate the surroundings, giving it a bright and airy feel. Even the menu features neat design with the same cute food cartoons.

As I’m still going through my ramen phase, I ordered a Chasu Ramen (Php245) which consist of a miso soup with stewed pork slices, soft-boiled egg and mixed vegetables. I much prefer shio or salt-based ramen but this is ok.

I was intrigued by my companion’s order: a Teriyaki Chicken Doria (Php255), characterized by oodles of mozzarella cheese oven-baked onto rice topped with teriyaki chicken and a wasabi cream sauce. I vow to try this on my next visit.

My other companion played safe (in my opinion) by ordering a Katsudon (Php238), pork tonkatsu slices with egg, veggies and a sweet sauce over a bowl of rice.