Hanamaruken Ramen

After months of curiosity about Hanamaruken Ramen, one cold, rainy date night was the perfect opportunity to try their Signature Happiness Ramen. 

Now, the obvious thing that separates this from any other bowl of ramen would definitely have to be the slow-braised custom cut soft bone pork rib on top. While other ramens are topped with thin slices of pork, with this, you are spoiled with a huge chunk of meat that's so tender all you need is a soft bite to tear it apart. It's so delicious I remember thinking to myself that I would actually eat that pork with rice. It has a sweet, barbecue-like glaze which slowly bleeds into the broth, making the soup even more flavorful as you're eating it. However, even without the pork rib, the shoyu tonkotsu broth can confidently stand on its own. When the ramen arrived to our table, the first thing I did (aside from take pictures) was taste the broth. One slurp was all it took and I instantly understood why it seemed inevitable for people to not post pictures of this ramen on Instagram. The broth is so rich and flavorful, but still has a very clean taste.

Martin and I just shared the ramen because we knew we wouldn't be able to finish a bowl each, but we did order some Gyoza on the side. Their gyoza did not disappoint as well. I loved the crispiness of the pan-fried side while the rest of the wrapper was soft and chewy. When you bite into it, what greets your palette is the brightness of the garlic and greens, which makes it the perfect pairing to the heavy ramen. 

On the bowl of the ramen, there's a piece of seaweed which according to our server reads something like, "Happiness coming your way." This rainy season, while the winds and rains are on their way, we can all take comfort in the fact that so is happiness when we eat a bowl of ramen on a cold, rainy day.

Teppanyaki Brothers

It's very common to find Teppanyaki dishes in Japanese restaurants, but having it cooked right in front of your very eyes is something you don't see everyday (pun intended). I was lucky enough to try out the newest restaurant addition to the SM Aura Food on Four scene even before it opened, and let me tell you, it's definitely a feast for the senses.

Umami Hambaagu House

The Japanese have been known to coming up with quite unconventional creations. Whether its something high tech, adorably cute or as they say "kawaii," or weirdly quirky, they definitely know how to put a spin on things. So what happens when you take something so American like hamburger and put a Japanese twist to it? You get Umami Hambaagu House! 

While most Japanese restaurants have traditional interiors of light wood everything, paper lanterns and Japanese characters on their walls, Umami's interior design takes inspiration from the colorful and fun Japanese pop culture.

There are several television sets in the restaurant showing anime and hilarious Japanese game shows (a.k.a batsu game) to keep you entertained while waiting for your food. Just be sure not to watch and drink at the same time because you might accidentally spit water on whoever you're with from laughing. 

In keeping with the theme of all things kawaii, even the kids plate on their menu were so cute! I don't even know how you could eat adorable dolphin and bunny-shaped rice.

Speaking of food, there's a very simple chart on their wall showing the difference between a Western and a Japanese Hamburger. For a Western burger, it has a bun and the beef is seasoned with salt. For a Japanese burger, it's served with rice and the meat is a mixture of beef and pork seasoned with Kikkoman soy sauce. 

This place is so cool even the seasonings are legit Japanese. You won't be seeing any Heinz ketchup here.

So, on to the food. We started our dinner with some corn soup. If you've ever ordered corn soup in a restaurant and felt cheated on because you basically paid a significant amount of money for what tastes like instant, powdered corn soup, then you won't be disappointed with this one. This soup tastes so fresh and you can literally bite into corn kernels. 

Each hamburger set comes with edamame, rice, cabbage, thick cut fries, and your choice of burger which comes in so many various flavors.

It was my first time eating edamame (which is young soy beans) and it's so yummy and fun to eat. So for those of you who have never tried it, it basically comes in pods. You pop the beans out and only eat the beans.

I ordered the Takeshi's Castle which has bonito flakes (super thin salmon flakes which you also usually find on top of takoyaki), sea weed, bbq sauce and Japanese mayo. 

First off, how can I not order this? Aside from being a bestseller, it pretty much has every Japanese ingredient that I love. The sea weed literally got me sold. 

Underneath this mountain of melt-in-your-mouth salty goodness of bonito flakes is a burger patty. A huge burger patty, might I add. It's actually bigger than the usual patties in American burgers. It so tender and moist, meat juice comes out of it every time you cut into it. The sweet and salty combo of the barbecue sauce and Japanese mayo makes for the perfect sauce and the sea weed gives it that unique Japanese flavor (and quite frankly just makes me very happy). This dish is just so well thought of, it is the perfect fusion of Japanese and American flavors. 

My boyfriend Martin and his sister Gianina got the Maison du Japon which has melted gruyere and mozarella with caramelized onions. I was such in a dilemma whether I was going to order this or the Takeshi's Castle because if you know me, you know that I love cheese. I am obsessed with cheese. I will probably eat anything as long as it is covered in cheese. Seeing the words "melted gruyere and mozarella" got me so excited but since Martin was already getting this, I figured I'll just take a bite from his plate (which means I stripped off most of the cheese from his burger). It is seriously a cheeseburger on a whole other level. 

Martin's brother, Adi, got the Battousai which has roasted tomatoes and bell pepper cream sauce. Since the patty is so rich and savory, the freshness of the tomatoes and bell peppers is a great flavor contrast. Speaking of vegetables, the crisp cabbage with sesame sauce is unlimited so you can have as much as you want. And trust me, you will ask for more. 

As if all that food wasn't enough, we decided to end a sweet note so we tried their Deconstructed Tiramisu. This definitely gets a 10/10 for presentation. In a traditional Tiramisu, lady fingers are dipped in espresso and layered on top of each other with mascarpone cheese. For the Umami version, coffee is slow-dripped over the tiramisu layers and ice cream. 

They say good things come to those who wait and though we had to wait for all the coffee to drip, our patience definitely paid off. Each spoonful of this dessert was a party of different flavors, textures, and temperatures. It was so freaking good!

By the time we got our bill, we were joking "So, should we break the glass now?" The quirkiness in this place just never ends.

And because the food in Umami is so good (amazing, even), you'll probably be eating a little too much. Don't worry, they got your back. 

Noodle Boss

Colder days have arrived and there's nothing like a hot bowl of noodles to warm you up. The idea of slurping some hot ramen seemed appealing one rainy lunch time so I found myself in the Japanese restaurant, Moshi Koshi Noodle Boss.

Aside from the typical array of Japanese favorites that you'll find there, their specialty is their ramen. If Italians like their pasta al dente, the Japanese also have their own version of that called koshi wherein the noodles are firm and chewy, and not soggy. Moshi Koshi is so passionate about koshi that their make their noodles fresh everyday. 

I ordered one of their best sellers, the Shio Butter Corn which has a salt-based broth -- perfect for those who like their food simple. I also ordered additional Aji Tamago which is Japanese soft boiled egg.

 I liked how there was a contrast of textures between the chewy noodles, crunchy corn, tender pork and melt-in-your-mouth soft egg. The butter adds a subtle saltiness that is different from the salt flavor in the broth. 

Though I've had better ramen, this one was not bad at all. I can say that they really live up to their name when it comes to their koshi noodles. They definitely know how to make noodles... like a bawse!

Pretending to be an Iron Chef

Waiting for your food in a restaurant can seem like forever especially when you're starving. Well, if you're craving for Japanese food, that waiting time may seem shorter than it actually is since some katsu restaurants now provide you with something to do while waiting for your food -- making your own katsu sesame sauce!

My boyfriend and I recently ate at the newly opened Katsu Cafe branch in Tomas Morato. After taking our order, we were provided with a mortar and pestle with sesame seeds inside. 

The mortar has indentations to make it easier to grind the sesame seeds. 

After grinding, you simply have to add the sweet and tangy katsu sauce that's already prepared for you. And voila! You have just created (or should I say mixed) your own sauce! 

I had the Chicken Katsu. It was served with miso soup, rice and some cabbage. 

Katsu basically means food that is coated with bread crumbs and is then deep fried. Traditionally, it's made with pork (known as tonkatsu) but you can also use chicken like what I had. 

Even though you simply ground up sesame seeds and mixed the sauce, it's always fun knowing you had some participation in preparing your food. I honestly felt like I was like some katsu master preparing my signature dish... or Iron Chef' Morimoto. 

Anyway, order up some katsu and have fun pretending to be a master in the art of making sesame sauce!