Shachihoko Japanese Restaurant, Circle Mall, Marikina

Shachihoko Japanese Restaurant, Circle Mall, Marikina

We finally got to go to Marikina again to try out one of the many restaurants in the city. There are actually several areas where you can have good meals in the city. These include Lilac Street, the streets near and around City Hall, Gil Fernando Avenue, and the Circle Mall in SSS Village.

I usually pass the Circle Mall of SSS Village en route to my office via the Tumana route and have been curious about this ramen restaurant.

We had an early lunch and arrived in time for the restaurant to open business for the day.

We were the only customers so it was easy to take photos of the restaurant. The main dining area is on the 2nd floor.

Nice clean set-up with ample space for groups

They had lunch sets (bento) and typical Japanese desserts, which were presented to us when the waitress handed us the menus (opened to these pages).

Menu

Ramen and udon items in the menu

Donburi or rice toppings for people on the go

Other Japanese food favorites on the menu

I had the Shiroi Ramen, which was delightful though a bit on the creamy side. That's gyoza near my bowl. We usually order gyoza to go as additional viand on the side whenever we have ramen.

The bar set-up at the first floor allows customers to observe the kitchen.

Shachihoko serves good food and the service was also good. To be honest, the ramen is good though not at the level of the more authentic restos (e.g., Ikkoryu Fukuoka, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, etc.). It should satisfy your Japanese food cravings though and it is on the more affordable side.

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Osaka Takoyaki Restaurant, SM East Ortigas

Osaka Takoyaki Restaurant, SM East Ortigas

We were looking for a place to eat dinner at before we watched "The Black Panther" a couple of weeks ago, we decided to try out a Japanese-themed restaurant at SM East Ortigas. The restaurant's specialty is takoyaki or octopus cutlet balls. The restaurant's menu also had many other choices for those who wanted to have something heavier for their meals.

The interiors attempt to recreate an authentic Japanese restaurant.

Aside from takoyaki, the restaurant also claims to serve good curry meals.

I ordered ramen as I wanted to have something that wasn't too heavy a meal prior to watching a movie where we will also be having some popcorn.

Their version of horenzo, which is spinach-based but laced with spices. This was supposed to be the counterpart of kimchi, which Korean restaurants serve with meals.

The wife tried their curry and it turned out to be very good. I think I liked it more (I had some as it was a generous serving.) than the ramen I ordered.

Their takoyaki was the real deal. I've had a fair share of takoyaki here and when I was in Japan so I think I know what authentic tastes like.

This is a good restaurant but with room for improvement. I thought the ramen was ordinary but the curry was good and the takoyaki very good.
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Shimanami restaurant, Robinson's, Tacloban City

Shimanami restaurant, Robinson's, Tacloban City

Our trips to Tacloban allowed us to eat at various restaurants there. Of course, there are the reliables like Ocho and Guiseppe's. Warehouse is in Palo and not somewhere we can eat at regularly. And so we tried out standalone restaurants in downtown as well as those in the malls. Since many of us studied in Japan, we also tried to find any good Japanese restaurants in the city. A good find was Shimanami Restaurant at the 2nd Level of the new Robinson's mall across from the city's north bus terminal.

Chicken katsu curry

Ramen

Curry rice

We enjoyed our food there and unfortunately they still have a limited menu (so far). I hope they eventually have sushi, sashimi and other items (I don't recall that they had tempura on their menu.). We look forward to eating at this restaurant again on our future trips to Tacloban.

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Another look at Kazoku, Maginhawa Street

Another look at Kazoku, Maginhawa Street

A couple of weeks ago, our family was in the UP area and we decided to try out Kazoku along Maginhawa Street. I had not eaten there for quite some time and my wife and our daughter haven't tried it, too, so it was decided we go and have lunch there. Japanese food is our favorite so we are always on the lookout for places we can enjoy sushi, sashimi, maki and other favorites. I wasn't able to take photos at the time so I just had to go back, this time with friends/officemates, for lunch.

The restaurant's interior layout had changed. Gone is the tatami room though they still have an area they can close off for private functions.

They now have more seats but they have retained the bar where individual customers may opt to be seated and perhaps watch the preparation of sushi and sashimi.

Salmon (shake) sashimi

Maki preparation

Yakiniku bento

Chicken teriyaki bento

Shake (grilled salmon) bento

Their bento (lunchbox) selections are really good and as shown in the photos already include salad and sashimi. You also get miso shiru (soup) with the bento. For both times we ate there recently, we had very good meals that satisfied our craving for Japanese food. The staff were attentive and overall service and food quality were very good.

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Marugane Udon & Tempura

Marugane Udon & Tempura

There's a new Japanese restaurant at the Bonifacio High Street. We finally got eat there last weekend as we were early enough to get through without having to fall into the long queue of diners we've usually seen outside the restaurant. They currently have a steady stream of customers so I think its better to be early to try eating there during the off-hours between lunch and dinner.

Marugamae Udon is right across from Fully Booked

Customers see the food being prepared/cooked right in front of them as they queue to get their hearts' (and stomach's) desire.

I tried their cold udon so as to see how good their handmade udon really is. It is good!

Their curry was just the right in terms of spicy and texture

Their beef udon is a bestseller

The system for ordering food at the restaurant is quite efficient. The long line seems to be only for before the restaurant opens its doors and lets people in. It is a self service restaurant but staff assist people with their trays to prevent spills and food waste. Price-wise, they offer very good value for money as we were surprised we didn't shell out much for the really good food (quality and quantity) that we ate there. One more thing that I'd like to add is that I observed a lot of Japanese eating there so perhaps that's a good sign and an argument for authenticity.

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Seifuku, Gil Fernando Ave., Marikina City

Seifuku, Gil Fernando Ave., Marikina City

We have eaten at Seifuku several times but that was when we were still residing at a subdivision nearby along Marcos Highway. We have not dined or lunched there in more than 3 years. And so when my father expressed his wanting to eat Japanese food, I took him to Seifuku where I knew they had a good selection in their menu. Earlier, Tatay had lunch with my brother at a ramen restaurant. He enjoyed it but wanted to order others like sushi and sashimi, which the ramen restaurant did not offer in their menu. Unfortunately, my brother could not make our date that Friday evening so we'll probably be coming back at Seifuku so he'd know where he and his fiance can enjoy good Japanese food in Marikina.

Quick menu for their ramen promotion

The main menu is quite thick as the restaurant offers a lot of choices for those wanting to enjoy Japanese food

Sashimi and sushi are usually popular and we usually order salmon sashimi, which is our favorite

The menu contains a definition of the name of the restaurant as well as its short history in Marikina City.

Shake or salmon sashimi

Interior showing their display of spirits

Their kurobuta katsu was good though not as good as Yabu's or Ginza Bairin's

Their bento box was also good and should satisfy one's cravings for Japanese food.

We will definitely be back for lunch or dinner at Seifuku. They offer good food at reasonable prices for a full service Japanese restaurant. I think they are currently the best bet for Japanese food in the area outside of the Teriyaki Boys in Sta. Lucia and SM as well as the mainly ramen choices at Tamagoya.

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