A Sumptuous Okazu Experience

Posted on October 31, 2014 by heavenliner

There is one plain and simple food establishment in Osaka that my family has dined at. It is so plain and simple that we actually failed to inquire with their very few and quiet staff on what the name of their intimate restaurant was.

Sorry if I cannot read exquisite Japanese kanji but this is how it looks from their façade…

the facade of my sumptuous okazu experience. will somebody read that lighted sign for me…

What is so striking about this place is that it obviously does not seem to cater to tourists. As we have observed me and Nengkoy were the only tourist guests inside while the rest of the dining folks were the uncomplicated locals of the city.

Uncomplicated meaning the unfussy office workers and blue-collared souls that keeps the economy of Osaka running. They are the austere Osakans who seem to have simply gone hungry and decided to grab a delicious meal prior to heading back to their respective homes. They are the type who seem too tired to prepare their dinner and instead settled for a low-cost yet sumptuous Japanese meal.

happy nengkoy (feeling like a local) with denden

Another strikingly divine about this restaurant is their food. It features dishes that are not the mainstream and well-known Japanese cuisine yet considered classic. These are the diverse varieties of Okazu. If the Philippines got ulam (viand), Japan has Okazu. The side dishes of Japan that are usually accompanied with rice. But since Okazu are commonly small in portions, these are comparable to tapas or the small dishes of Spain.

okazu!

yum!

no conveyor belt machine… an old and reliable self service japanese eatery

I particularly like the fact that each dish are served in small portions. This makes the customer enjoy, explore and savor varying dishes in one seating as if having a grand feast yet still very desirable for it will not result to gaining too much weight.

It is so obvious that preparing these beautiful dishes at home would take so much time, skill and effort. Thus, it is not surprising that regular Osakans would rather flock these types of modest yet charming eateries.

Karinderyang sosyal… Daming ulam…

Pablo Cheese Tart Got a Bright Spot Light

Posted on October 15, 2014 by heavenliner

Osaka is known all over Japan as having the best gastronomic courses and culinary entities. Thus, it is not farfetched that the best cheese tart in that part of the planet originated in Osaka. I am talking about the luscious cheese tart from Pablo.

Falling on queue at Pablo’s take-away shop to purchase the famous cheese tart has been part of my last three visits in Japan.

nengkoy while on a long queue at pablo take-away store last spring of 2014

where magic happens…

Served in large spherical portions good for sharing, my theory why this cheese tart has gone so admired and popular is because its flavor and texture is never overpowering to the taste. Unlike the usual cheese tarts when consumed in large amounts would result to nauseatingly cloying feeling, Pablo’s version is subtle, light and delicate to the palate.

Pablo store has gone so swell, I was amazed to learn that they have progressed from a take-away store into a casual dine-in shop serving various drink concoctions, pastries, cakes and desserts. These pastry diner shops also became a hit, it has started to mushroom around Japan.

spherical pieces of heaven!

what a luscious selection!

During my recent October 2014 visit, I told my dear nephew and nieces (based in Osaka) that I and Nengkoy would not miss the opportunity to dine in one of the Pablo shops before going back to Manila.

However, our first venture at Pablo’s Shishaibashi branch was a failure because there were no seats available and we have to fall on a long line of patrons waiting for their turn to be given those precious table. Me and my mother settled on buying the premium version of the cheese tart and have it devoured at my nephew and nieces’ house.

new dine-in pablo branch in shinsaibashi

Our second try was a success! After accomplishing a long walking tour of the majestic Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture, we agreed to have a snack before going back to Osaka. We were glad to find out that a Pablo dine-in branch has just opened in Himeji.

Pablo in Himeji was a true winner. Aside from the good food and drinks we had, I specifically loved the restaurant’s beautiful interiors! The aesthetic elements of the shop were remarkably trendy, cool and stylish!

welcome to himeji branch!

super nice…

glad to have discovered this branch in himeji…

cozy corner…

happy…

With the light enchanting flavors of their appetizing dishes combined with modish designs of the interiors, it would not be a surprise if Pablo would cross ocean borders and establish its shops at other places around the world.

Aysimplilabit…

Ramen Zundo Ya: The Best Ramen Ever

Posted on October 7, 2014 by heavenliner

One great test to determine if a restaurant and its dishes are truly superb is through the guests’ impression on his or her return visit. It is very common for a restaurant to receive raving reviews on the first engagement. But almost often, guest becomes disillusioned on their return because they realize that their ordered food – which they totally enjoyed during their pilot visit – was nothing but a fluke or a strike of luck. In Tagalog, tsamba!

But with my recent visit and return to Ramen Zundouya located at Shisaibashi in Osaka, I can definitely say that this joint serves the best ramen in the universe.

ramen zundouya shinsaibashi branch

During my first visit (click: HERE to read my previous post), me and my family were easily led inside and was given a table with such a breeze. However, on our return, we already have to queue among the long line of patrons waiting for their turn to be assigned with a table. We were actually listed 13^th among those who enlisted to dine that afternoon.

quiet japanese folks waiting their turn. no pinoy on queue yet, pinoys has yet to discover this savory treasure

While waiting and drooling on line, my personal claim that this indeed is the best ramen house was actually an understatement. To prove a point, I in fact noticed one big poster on the wall announcing that they have mushroomed around Japan. To further prove my point, Ramen Zundouya’s flavor will soon invade America. It is because a Ramen Zundouya shop is due to open a branch along 10^th Street in New York next year!

soon to open in new york! (i will definitely try it when i get there)

To check the consistency of this restaurant, I again ordered for the same dish I had during my first visit, the Zenbu-nose Ramen. When the bowl was served in front of me, I was absolutely surprised because the presentation and the arrangements of all ingredients placed in the massive porcelain was still impeccably beautiful.

And when I had my first sip of the broth/soup, nothing actually changed! Nothing changed because the world seemed to stop for a moment for me to savor the paradise-like flavor of Zenbu-nose Ramen. This matchless concoction was without a doubt an invigorating assault in all of the senses!

zenbu-nose ramen
(my tastebuds had a blast!)

Walang kaduda-duda, ang tindi ng sarap!

Goto on Father’s Day

Posted on June 15, 2014 by heavenliner

yum yum!

Some would sneak out of the bedroom to have a bar of chocolate or a decent pint of ice cream. Others would have a bag of cookies or even prepare themselves a hearty sandwich. These are some of the common food chows people eat if they would have a midnight snack.

I never have cravings for a midnight snack, and if I would have one, I would go for a super bowl of “goto”. I don’t know the English word for goto. But it’s a hot rice porridge with meat innards (usually ox tripe and intestines) topped with chopped leeks, toasted garlic and a squeeze of the ever versatile calamansi fruit.

Psychology reveals that patterns for adult food choices is based on childhood influences, socio-economic life course and obviously the physiological state of hunger. I believe on all these three factors. But my choosing goto as a midnight snack is based on the first. My childhood influence. This is basically because of my father.

a true dad knows how to and not ashamed to do the laundry… happy father’s day tatay!

During my days living in Pasay, my father religiously fetched Nengkoy from work when she would render overtime reaching until the wee hours of night. Before my parents would head home, they would drop by a goto store to purchase this superb rice soup.

And when they would arrive home, both would wake up all of us (their children, including the maid) so as to enjoy the tasty goto. Heavy-eyed, lethargic and drowsy, I would slurp a mouthful which would definitely wake me up. This has become a very long habit of my family in Pasay until my father has gone sick and Nengkoy retired from work.

Now that I am an adult, has lived independently from my family and my father has gone to heaven, today’s Father’s Day I guess would be so nice to have a midnight snack. Definitely, that would be some big bowl of hot delicious goto.

Happy Father’s Day to everyone…

Ano nga ba inglish sa gowtu?

The Sophisticated Saltiness of Alaminos Longganisa

Posted on June 1, 2014 by heavenliner

one heavenly piece of alaminos longganisa

After an awesome adventure at the Hundred Islands, I and my friends stayed overnight in one of the forgettable hotels in Alaminos. But the breakfast they served was definitely something to remember and rave about. It was the un-popular yet very tasty Alaminos Longganisa. I am writing about Alaminos Longganisa because this is the culinary highlight of my Hundred Islands adventure.

Vigan, Lucban, Cebuano or the Kapampangan longganisa versions may be the more popular varieties of “longganisa” (native sausage) for they may easily be found in the supermarkets. And Alaminos longganisa may probably be the least adored longganisa variety in the Philippines because a lot of Filipinos doesn’t even know that an Alaminos version exists!

But the Alaminos Longganisa is definitely the most admired type in my mother’s household. That is why before I and my friends drove back to Manila, we stopped by the public market to purchase kilos of this delectable banger variety.

golden links for sale at the public market in alaminos

Unlike the Cebuano and Kapampangan type which are rather sweet in taste, Alaminos longganisa is similar to the Vigan and Lucban variety which is garlicky in the palate. But what stands out for the Alaminos variety is the discriminatingly unique and refined saltiness. Maybe this is because it has less of the curing salt (the menacing salitre) and got more of the natural sea salt which is abundantly available in Alaminos, Pangasinan.

I am highlighting the unique sophisticated saltiness of this sausage as its finest ingredient because Nengkoy believes that the best tasting coarse salt is made and can only be found in Alaminos, Pangasinan. Nengkoy so fancy the taste of Alaminos sea salt, she would even request that her pasalubong (home coming present) simply be kilos of this salt if a friend or a relative happen to be coming from Alaminos. Yeah, I know that’s how weird my mom is! Asin ang gusto.

Anyway, going back to the Alaminos Longganisa. Aside from its superb taste, a distinct look about the Alaminos Longganisa is the color. It’s yellow! This is because it has atsuete (annatto) as part of its ingredient. That is why unlike the salitre-filled usually red-colored native sausages, Alaminos Longganisa when cooked turns out to be golden brown in appearance.

Also, a unique form of this sausage is the usage of short and thin palm leaves’ midrib sticks to separate each sausage link from one another. To keep the meat bursting out of its sausage casing, these wood sticks are actually fried along with the meat and is served still on the plate sticking out from the ends of the sausage!

So if you happen to have been served a golden brown sausage with small sticks on it, it is most probably the glorious Alaminos longganisa! Of course, like any other Filipino longganisa, Alaminos longganisa is best devoured with loads of steamed kanin (rice).

Naimas…

Osaka Food Porn & My First Sazae Experience

Posted on May 11, 2014 by heavenliner

Call if favoritism, but I would like to believe that Osaka Prefecture is the culinary capital of Japan. This is the main reason why I gained so much weight! When in comes to food, Osaka has yet to fail me.

With my limited exposure to the dashing and colorful culinary world of Japan, I have been so fascinated by the colors and taste of lovely Osaka.

To prove my point, here are some awesome photos of food taken right at the streets of Osaka. The mere stunning looks of these digestibles already produces mild sense of euphoria.

hotdogs!!!

To add up to such already fascinating feast for the visual sense, I went further by becoming more adventurous. This is because I tried for the very first time a Japanese delicacy called Sazae or the Turbo Shell. At first, I was just fascinated on how plenty it was being sold on the side streets, until I set aside the wussy in me and urge my niece Erika to try it for ourselves.

step aside escargot… sazae is here…

Sazae is a big sea snail (as big as that of Dyesabel’s “kabibe”) cooked by directly grilling the shell with its meat inside. A little amount of liquid is poured inside the shell that is why it boils the meat while being grilled. Sazae is totally different from the usual French escargot, the latter are land snails while the former are deep sea snails.

otosan plating our order

sazae… a palatal encounter!

my first sazae…

When I picked the meat out from the shell, I must admit that it was pretty gross looking. Upon seeing it, I thought of eating and swallowing it quick the Fear Factor way, but I gave Sazae a chance since I planned to blog about it. I chewed on it and try to savor the palatal treat.

My first Sazae experience was not something like reaching the pinnacle of pleasure. It is because its taste was something to be used to. It is of the salty-bitter kind. It would be more of an acquired taste that would eventually grow in you. I guess it would be best if guzzled and washed down with a sparkling wine or an ice cold beer!

Ang kabibe kaya ni Dyesebel kapag ginataan, masarap?

Ippudo Ramen: A Very Good Second Best

Posted on April 22, 2014 by heavenliner

a caption at ippudo’s glass wall

Though heat is intensely shimmering in Metro Manila, hot ramen eateries and restaurants at the moment are experiencing some renaissance in this mega city. Like Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter spread in the past, ramen dishes today are a craze in this part of the world.

Since I am spending a fab holiday in Osaka, I will definitely not miss the enormous chance to eat ramen in this metropolis (at least twice). That is why, I coerced my family to eat again in a ramen house. This time we searched for the ramen joint that is pretty popular in Manila. It’s the Hakata Ippudo Ramen restaurant located just a few meters away from the Swissotel in Namba, Osaka.

I proved the popularity of this restaurant in the Philippines because when we reached the ramen house, there were considerable number of Filipino tourists queuing waiting for their turn to be seated. It was further amplified when it was our chance to enter the establishment. I noticed that about 80% of their guests were Filipinos.

the queue outside where pinoy tourists converge

as presented in their english menu…

Like what I did in Zondouya Ramen restaurant a couple of days ago (read my post about Zondouya HERE), I settled for the most expensive and biggest photo dish on the menu. Surprisingly, my order called Akamaru Special is pretty similar to Zembo-no, the ramen I enormously enjoyed in Zondouya.

My ordered Akamaru Special ramen also contains sheets of nori, soft-as-butter pork, freshly cut negi, a soft boiled egg, caramelized onions and garlic, plus a generous amount of “straight” noodles. (in Zondouya, I went for the “curly” variety.)

my enjoyable akamaru!

The speed and quality of service rendered by the staff in Ippudo is as fast and as charming as that of Zondouya. However, when my Akamaru Special was placed in front of me, the first thing I noticed was the presentation. I straightforwardly uttered, “In terms of presentation, one point for Zondouya!”

I could no longer resist my comparing when I started stirring and mixing the ingredients in my bowl. Before I uttered another word, I internalize and justified that comparison is one of the fundamental processes of the human mind. And we define things in terms of their similarities and differences.

akamaru to the left, zenbo-no to the right. now you choose…

I then uttered in a pretty loud voice, “In terms of thickness and full-bodied-ness, another point for Zondouya!” My nieces and nephews indisputably agreed with me. My niece Erika seated beside me expressed that Zondouya’s Zembo-no looks richer while Ippudo’s Akamaru was runnier in terms of thickness.

Now the taste. Tactlessly speaking, I articulated saying, “In terms of taste, another point for Zondouya!” Some Pinoy guests at the waiting area and nearby tables were starting to look at me, as if wondering what ramen was I comparing Ippudo’s version with. Nevertheless, I voiced out that Ippudo’s slices of pork were smoother and actually melts in the mouth. I uttered, “one point for Ippudo for the softness of the pork, nonetheless!” The Pinoy guests looked down onto their bowls and resumed their munching.

But the softness of the pork could not counterweight the enormous savory taste of Zondouya’s broth. Like a lot of ramen experts, I have always believed that the success of a ramen dish all depends on the palatability of the broth. A lot of ramen connoisseurs would even do massive research and experimentations just to achieve the perfect broth. For me personally, Zondouya’s broth formula is truly magical. Ipuddo’s version nonetheless is very good.

To simply conclude my comparison between Ipuddo and Zondouya, I personally requested to meet the chef in the latter while for the former we stepped out of the establishment happy and thought to myself, I should celebrate differences. That not all things are equal, some things needs to be less pretty so as to further appreciate others beauty.

Masarap din inperness…

A Savory Ramen Experience at Ramen Zundo Ya

Posted on April 19, 2014 by heavenliner

Flavors were exploding in my mouth and my taste buds were giving a standing ovation shouting, “Bravo!”

These are the general feelings when I had the first bite and first sip of the ramen I tasted at Ramen Zundouya Restaurant located in Shinsaibashi, Osaka. Since I can’t read kanji, I selected the dish with the biggest photo. Since it was the biggest picture in the menu as well as the most expensive one, I supposed that Zenbo-no Ramen is this restaurant’s specialty.

the actual dish looks better than the one on the menu

True enough, my selection was impeccably right. The Zenbo-no ramen came with freshly cut negi, some absolutely melt-in-your-mouth pork slices, slips of nori, a full soft boiled egg and a good sized serving of “curly” noodles. Generous amount of garlic cloves are provided on the table which can be freshly crushed using a unique garlic press. But what is so heavenly about this dish is the magic broth that the restaurant uses. The rich savory broth flavor simply bursts in your mouth!

The feelings induced by this perfect ramen were excellently joyful and heavenly. For a moment, I forgot my name and thought that I was having an elated out of body experience. Zembo-no Ramen in so rich and explosively delicious my taste buds thanked me!

super yummy!!!

distinctive interior design

i love those “troso” as dining seats

waiting area outside of the restaurant was me and nengkoy's venue for our blog header's photo

waiting area outside is the venue of this blog’s header photo

Ramen Zundouya’s website indicates that their first aim is to “captivate the customer with each ramen dish”. This aim absolutely hit me. Never in my restaurant-dining experience was I so impressed with the dish that I personally asked to meet the restaurant’s chef. I was so captivated that I asked for his name and even topped it by asking for a photo with him. I could not resist to thank him for such an awesome masterpiece.

with chef endou

This unmatched ramen experience was simply outstanding!

Mapapa-jusko ka sa sarap!

Coca in Osaka

Posted on April 18, 2014 by heavenliner

my bottle

A lot of friends and colleagues who has been to Japan agrees that the taste of Coca-Cola seem different as compared to other parts of the world. And I do agree with this observation. For me regular Coke or Cola in this part of the planet seem lighter to the taste and smoother to the gullet. It is not disturbingly sweet and not unnerving to the tongue. I can actually drink a regular coke in this part of the world without the need for ice.

What is even more fun drinking Coke in Japan, particularly in Osaka is that you can actually have your bottle personalized. Located at Grand Pronto Mall, Osaka’s new mega-shopping town complex is a Coca-Cola store where you can have your name stamped on the bottle label for free.

While my bottle was being stamped, I was imagining on top of a hill and wanted to sing the popular Coca-Cola jingle… I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing (a Perfect Harmony).

guess what this store is selling…

osaka lady stamping my bottle

my sister’s nickname is so exotic

so “shota” is a popular nickname in osaka…

My body had changed, my sensibilities changed, though to this day, I still drink Coke. Admit it or not, but there are lots of chows, cuisines or simple sustenance best consumed with a bottle of Coca-Cola. I guess, no one is too old to drink this precarious drink.

Its da ril ting… Inom na!

Luscious Main Course at Georgetown Cupcake

Posted on March 23, 2014 by heavenliner

inside georgetown cupcake, los angeles

Quite a bunch of people know that oftentimes dessert is actually my main course. I don’t always have desserts but when I know that it is to be served and available, it becomes the primary course, the gastronomic apex and the highlight of my meal.

When me and my friends where visiting places of interest along Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles, we decided to delay our lunch and instead entered the fancy store of the famous Georgetown Cupcake.

Georgetown Cupcake being founded by the best-selling authors of Cupcake Diaries and having been featured in a lot of American TV shows, it would be stupid of me if I start complaining on why we are having enchanting sweets instead of a hearty lunch.

“main course” on display…

six cup-sized heaven

denton could no longer wait for me to finish my photo-taking

The four of us shared a half dozen of cupcakes of various flavours. I glugged it down with a tall-sized Illy brewed coffee. The two most bewitching flavours were the chocolate salted caramel and lava fudge. The moist yet fluffy texture and perfect harmony of flavours were so enchanting it feels like being in a great opera. I can simply describe it as one great decadent self-indulging climax.

Kasing sarap ko yan!

Nengkoy

ruminations & travesties of the favorite yet naughty son of Nengkoy

Tag Archives: food