Ramen Hunt at Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

Whenever I go window shopping at F21, I always pass by this Ramen shop called Hokkaido Ramen Santouka which was always full with Japanese customers. This pique my interest since I always believed that you can base the quality of a restaurant by its customers. Ergo if a Japanese Restaurant in Makati is jam packed with Japanese customers, it must be good! So I rounded up the officemates to try it out with me. :)

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka at Glorietta 4

As we were a party of 9, reservations had to be made for their private rooms. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka at Glorietta has 2 VIP rooms that can be booked in advanced. VIP A can fit 6 to 8 people with a consumable charge of Php 3,000 while VIP B can fit 8 to 10 people with consumable charge of Php 4,000, both are exclusive of service charge. The down side of booking their VIP room is, it is only good for only 2 hours. 

The creative team of Carbon Digital

When we arrived, we were immediately assisted to our room and were instructed to use the round device to notify the server that we are ready to make our orders. As we were starving already (it was already around 7pm), in no time we ordered the following:

Small Ramen and Char Siu Rice Bowl set, Php 410

Small Ramen and Chicken Gyoza and Small Rice Bowl set, Php 430

Small Ramen and Curry and Rice Bowl set, Php 430

Small Ramen and Grilled Salmon and Salmon Roe Rice Bowl set, Php 430

Best combination when you want to try Salmon Roe alone! Since the rice bowl is mixed with the grilled salmon, the taste of the roe is not that powerful.

Small Ramen and Santouka Style Chirashi Sushi Bowl set, Php 510

I was looking for a sushi dish in the menu and only found this. Although it didn't have any chunks of tuna, I still love it! 

Small Ramen and Salmon Roe Rice Bowl set, Php 620 

The taste of the salmon roe was so rich, that my friend and colleague, Jess, was sharing her salmon roe with everyone.  

Tokusen Toroniku Ramen with Miso base, Php 490 Large bowl

For dessert, green tea Mochi, Php 90 each

The soup may not be the best in town, however, it succeeded at soothing my ramen cravings for the time being. Two words remain stuck to everyone's mind: "busog" and "sarap" (full and delicious). Next time, I will try their other dishes!     

Tip:

• Go to Hokkaido Ramen Santouka early! It is almost always full after work, so to avoid queuing go there before 6!
• If you are a large group - reserve a room in advance.
• Reservation Time:
• 11:00 - 1:00
• 1:30 - 3:30
• 4:00 - 6:00
• 6:30 - 8:30
• 9:00 - 11:00

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Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

Glorietta 4 (side facing SM entrance)

G/F Glorietta 4, Hotel Dr

Ayala Center, Makati

Opening Hour: 11am -11pm

For reservations call: (02) 7281381

Cravings at Maru Korean Restaurant

I have been craving for some samgyupsal since April and by a stroke of luck (or just good timing) there was a good deal being offered by Ensogo Philippines! Maru Korean Restaurant Set Meal for 2 at only Php 488! Although I was a bit skeptical about the deal since I wasn't sure if the restaurant was good or not, I decided to buy a voucher since it was cheap - I figured if the meal was enough we would just order some more.

 Deal from Ensogo Philippines

On the day we were going to redeem our meal, Ensogo philippines website had some technical problems and I wasn't able to print out the voucher (I know I should have printed it out ages ago but I love to procrastinate >.<). I called to confirm my reservations and told them about the situation with Ensogo, they were very understanding and just told me that I could show them mobile screen cap of the voucher when I come. 

My brother and I at the entrance of Maru

When we arrived at the Maru Korean Restuarant in A.Venue beside Kyss bar, we were greeted by a very enthusiastic host who ushered us to our seats immediately. When I informed him about my voucher - he was very courteous and told us to wait for our meal to arrive. We didn't have to wait long before our set meal arrived.

Our Set meal included the following dishes:

ChadolBagi - fat beef sliced into bacon cuts

Doinjang Jjige - soy bean soup with clams and vegetables

Banchan - 7 different side dishes (which was refillable, yey!)

Overall the food was good and the deal was worth it! Will definitely come back here for more!

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Maru Korean Restaurant
A. Venue Makati Branch
A. Venue Mall, Makati Avenue, Poblacion, Makati
contact no. (02) 403 9140/ (+63917) 8064172
Store hours: 11am - 4am

Baguio: Café by the ruins

"Where do you go to have a delicious yet filling breakfast in Baguio?" I’ve asked this of my friends and searched for the answers on the web. And the one place that almost all are recommending – "Café by the Ruins". So then, I’ve decided to check this place out and to see and taste for myself, what all the fuss was about.

Breakfast Menu

First thing that popped in my head when I entered the café “Wow they really build this café by the ruins!” The place was beautiful. It had this homey and welcoming feeling that you wouldn’t feel in any ruins. So I say kudos to the interior designer in making the ambiance of this café perfect.

Family photo in front of Cafe by the Ruins

If you are lucky (meaning there are a few customers), you may choose where you would like to sit. I wanted to sit outside in the garden area, unfortunately, there was no space, so we were placed inside.

Not the best place in the cafe -- good thing we where able to transfer eventually.

Since I came here for food, these are what we ordered:
*all breakfast meal comes with 1 cup of mountain rice (healthy and yummy!), 1 bowl of fresh fruits and a choice of drinks (coffee or tea).

Mushroom Omelete with huge-ass pandesal - Php 280

Sweetened button and shiitake mushroom in egg roll

Filipino "Lon-silog" - Php 340

Longanisang hubad, sinangag at itlog

Bacon and Eggs - Php 340

Thick sliced of home-cured bacon, 1 egg and rice

Tinapang bangus with itlog na maalat - Php 340

All breakfast meal comes with a bowl of fresh fruits

Milk with hard sweetener

Lemon Grass Ice Tea

Rizal's Tsokalate - Php 145

After finishing my plate, I must say it was definitely worth it! Sure, it may be considered an expensive breakfast but it is definitely something you should try and keep going back to whenever you are in Baguio. It was only when we paid the bill, did I notice that they have changed the menu as well – mmmm maybe next time I will try their lunch menu!

Tips:

• Before going, familiarize yourself with the area. We got lost looking for the place and it took asking more than 2 locals to find the place.
• Breakfast menu is until 11am
• Wear insect repellent
• Best to get there early due to a continuous flow of customers

Pagudpud: Kapuluan Vista Resort

The word on the street is, Kapuluan Vista is THE place to be in when you visit the Blue Lagoon. Getting here is not an easy task, especially if you aren’t familiar with the place (like me). To get here, take the national highway, and after passing the arc of Pagudpud, it will be about an hour and a half away. Look out for an area where you will see a lot of flags and a sign saying "Panzian Beach 7.5km away", turn left turn left right after the sign. You will be stopped immediately at the toll station and asked to pay an entrance fee of Php 20/10 per person (adult/student). Pass on by the overly advertised Hannah’s Resort,  and go further down the dirt road till you enter the surf spot of Pagudpud, where Kapuluan Vista Resort is at.

Kapuluan Vista Resort

Since my family is big, we decided to get the deluxe room with loft. The maximum capacity of the room is 6 people. The room costs approximately Php 4750 (for 4 pax) + Php 1100 (for 2 additional pax)

Tip: You can book your driver at the dormitory style room, which is only Php 650 a night. Although I think it looks more like a Spartan type of room.

As part of our package, breakfast was included, where we were given a choice of 4 variants.

Breakfast: Illocano Special comes with coffee =) 

Since this is a known surfing spot, my brother and I decided to learn how to surf. Kapuluan Vista Resort has partnered up with Alona sports for their surfing lessons which is priced at Php 400 per hour. This is inclusive of board rental and time with the surfing instructor. The best time to learn how to surf is at 7am when the morning sun isn’t that hot and the waves aren't that big yet. However if you come here by August, then the entire shore line will be a surfer’s heaven.

Sufing at Blue Lagoon

If you are like the rest of my family who aren’t into surfing, Kapuluan Vista Resort has the following amenities :

• Swimming pool

The Swimming pool in Kapuluan Vista Resort

My nephew being the naughty taz!

• Lounge Area facing the beach.

Kapuluan Vista Resort Lounge Area

Caught my mom sleeping again!

Now, this lounge area was quite windy and very serene. It was here, where I often caught my mom sleeping. And if you just want to just chill, relax and eat, the staff are always on-hand to get your order.

However, if you are still not satisfied, and you just want to swim by the beach, don’t worry, you may just walk towards Hannah’s beach front. The water here is so clear that you will see small fishes swimming with you.

The next time I travel up north, and back to Blue Lagoon, I would definitely book my stay with  Kapuluan Vista Resort. The rooms are relatively clean, the food is fantastic, and the ambiance is great. I definitely recommend this place if you want to get away from all the chaos of urbanization, and find some peace and tranquillity.

Tips:

• Book in advance, as this place has limited rooms
• Order your food in advance, as food is prepare only after you order it.
• Just enjoy and have fun!

Pagudpud: Going to the tip of Northern Luzon island

Summer 2013 was decided to be the day my family conquered the Northern part of Luzon, the Ilocos region. We left Manila around 11:30 pm and we were hoping to reach the Blue Lagoon, Pagudpud before lunch, but alas that didn’t happen. We had many stop overs, made a few changes to the itinerary and settled on a better plan!

North Luzon Google Map

From Manila, just take the NLEX route, get out of the Sta. Inis exit and proceed onto the National Highway. We opted to not pass the SCTEX since we figured that there wouldn't be any traffic. Around 3am, we reached the Municipality of Rosario and had a short coffee break at a gasoline station. By 6:30am we arrived, the city of Vigan and looked for breakfast. The town looked so peaceful and quiet, and the only restaurant that was open at that time is Chowking. If you want Jollibee breakfast, you needed to wait till 7am, too long according to the noises made by our tummies.

Laoag City: Laoag City Church and Bell Tower

After 2 hours, we reached the city of Laoag, where we took another stop over at Mcdonalds. Little did we know that behind of Mcdo, was the Laoag church and bell tower. More photo opportunities and sightseeing!

Cape Bojeador

Since we were going up to the Blue Lagoon, we would be passing by most of the "Must see"destinations in Pagudpud, we decided not to give it a miss and headed over to check them out as well.  2 hours down the national highway, you will pass by Cape Bojeador. This is an old lighthouse that was established in the Spanish Colonial Period.

Bangui Windmills

Further down the road you will see signs that would direct you to the Bangui Windmills. 

Don’t worry if you miss the first entrance, there are 2 more up ahead. I would suggest you take the directional sign before crossing a bridge, as this will lead you directly under the Bangui windmills. There will be a row of vendors, where you can buy your Bangui Windmill T-shirts for Php 180, miniature windmills keychains/magnets as well as various other pasalubong.

Pagudpud Arc

By 1:30pm we finally reached the arc of Pagudpud.

Shore line at Saud Beach

You will pass by Saud beach in approximately 30-45 minutes, and since we were all hungry by this time, everyone decide to have lunch at Saud Beach and Resort.

Patapat Viaduct

After refilling our tummies, we left and proceeded to Blue Lagoon which was roughly another 30 minutes away. However, we overshot the turn and ended up near the Patapat Viaduct, which was technically the tip of Luzon. If we had continued further we would have reach Cagayan.

Blue Lagoon, Pagudpud

Finally by 4pm we have reached the Majestic Blue Lagoon.

Watami at Glorietta

Ever since my mom saw this new Japanese restaurant outside Glorietta, when she went to Dusit (around February), she has been bugging the family to try it. However my family is like a slow burner so it took us 2 months to eventually try the Watami Japanese Casual restaurant.

Watami - Japanese Casual Restaurant at Glorietta

One lesson I learned when dining in a new place, ask your server what is the restaurant specialities  they might be pricey compared to the others in the menu but at least you won’t regret what you order (most of the time.) With the help of our server Jet, we were able to order the following:

For starters we had:

Salmon Sashimi (7 chunky pcs) – Php 265

Can I just say I love salmon sashimi! Watami’s salmon sashimi doesn't disappoint. I was given 7 chunky slices of salmon and for the price, it was worth it!

Watami Salad (Half) – Php 220

The vegetables were fresh and the only thing my mom didn't like was that there weren't any whole cherry tomatoes, just a few slices.  

Shrimp Tempura roll – Php 225

We couldn't resist to not try Watami’s shrimp tempura roll. There is just something about shrimps that appeals to my family. Although it only had 4 pcs (wishing there was more) it was okay.

Tuna Sashimi (5 pcs) – Php 245

I forgot to ask why Tuna Sashimi is more expensive than the Salmon, but can I just say the tuna was fresh!

For our main course we had:

Pork Rice with egg yolk in stone pot – Php 225

I am not sure if the serving was lacking or if my brother just has a big appetite (I would think it’s the latter.)

Pepper Beef rice in stone pot – Php 190

The concept is similar to Pepper Lunch, the main difference is that you have a choice whether to mix it yourself or have your server do it for you. Since our server Jet offered, I let him mixed mine.

Deep fried tofu with tempura sauce in stone pot – Php 175

Chunky soft tofu! Oh how it melts in your mouth, yummy!

Beef rice bowl hot spring egg in Tokyo style – Php 195

Nothing special about this beef rice bowl however this order was done in a rush.  My brother ate a few egg shell.

Deep fried chicken with French fries – Php 225

Since my nephew hasn’t acquired the taste for Japanese food, deep fried chicken was his choice. Although it looks dry from the outside, surprisingly it was soft in the inside.

Overall, the dishes were good, the service was fast and ambiance was cozy! I will definitely come back and next time I would bring my Bistro Group Premier Card (I could have gotten discounts and freebies)! 

Watami - Japanese Casual Restaurant

G/F The New Glorietta Mall, Makati City

8080475

Facebook: WatamiJapaneseCasualRestaurantPhilippines