Thanks for participating in my mini-survey. Please do tell where in the world you are, thru the Comments field below. It’s gonna be a thrill to know if there’s anybody else out there, suffering (haha!), like us here.

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Feedback Fridays: Anybody else out there?

A new Japanese food chain takes the Philippines by storm! Pepper Lunch is a DIY steakhouse from Japan where diners get to cook their own food over a sizzling hot plate that is heated up to 260°C within one minute and can keep your food warm for more than 20 minutes.

A meal can cost from around P200 (US$4) to P650 (US$14). This is quite pricey for a Filipino’s typical casual lunch. Do not fret if it’s over your budget. You’re sure to have your money’s worth because they use premium quality ingredients. The sauces come from Japan. Meat from New Zealand and Australia. Chicken from the US. Salmon from Norway. Rice from Japan. And vegetables from the Philippines.

At present, there are outlets in Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. Now that’s something fun to look forward to when you holiday in Asia, that is if you want to cook your meal (or your steak, for the most part) yourself. In my case, I will definitely welcome the experience on my next trip home.

Image credit: Pepper Lunch Philippines

Post from: Blisstree

Pepper Lunch: Where everybody’s a chef!

..well, then you must try the Teppanyaki restaurant to enjoy a unique dining experience! Pictured above is such restaurant we went to when my parents were around visiting. As you can see, your order gets cooked right in front of you on the big hotplate! Makes you appreciate how fresh the food that is served up.  As for the price, it is fairly reasonable. Our dinner at the Fuji Restaurant seven months ago had cost $35 per person, which gave us a healthy variety of beef, chicken, seafood, vegetable, rice, miso soup and green tea ice cream. You’ll surely get your money’s worth!

I hope the hubby and I can find time to dine there again so I can try my luck catching the egg with my mouth. Sounds challenging, isn’t it?! While feasting on the mouth-watering dishes, the chef catches everybody’s attention by frying and chopping up some scrambled egg, then with his metal spatula, he throws a tiny piece into the mouth of each person around the table. There’s no prize for catching the egg, except the embarrassing applause of your companions.

By the way, one word of advice: Book in advance as restaurants like this are considered one-of-a-kind, hence quite in demand.

Post from: Blisstree

If you love Japanese food..

According to the glutenfreekiwi website, there’s a menu available if you want to find out which dishes are gluten-free. That’s what I call keeping up with the trend!

Off-topic though, it bothers me to have found out that the restaurant claims to have food choices from the Philippines when they actually don’t on their menu. =(

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Gluten-free Asian food, anyone?

Asia’s first recognized guide to the best restaurants, The Miele Guide, placed Antonio’s Fine Dining 10th (among 20) in their list. The chef and owner, Antonio Escalante, must be very proud to be the only Philippine restaurant to top the list. I know of a lovely married couple, close to my husband and I, who got engaged there. The cuisine and the ambience must really be that good!! I must remind my hubby to take me to Tagaytay for a romantic dinner if we ever make plans to come home for a well-deserved vacation.

Image credit: Our Awesome Planet’s Flickr photostream

Post from: Blisstree

The Philippines’ best

For the geographically challenged among you (like me) the very northern tip of Hokkaido is very very close to Russia.  The biggest town up there is called Wakanai and is the brunt of a whole lot of jokes but the thing it is most famous for is being heavily influenced by its Russian neighbours.  Up there road signs are written in Russian and Japanese and all sorts of labels and instructions favour Russian over English.  As a result we bumped into a wonderful little Russian restaurant (the first I have ever been to)that served up apparently authentic cuisine.  The biggest problem that I had was trying to decipher the menu.  I can sort of muddle through in a bit of Japanese and English-turned into Japanese (Katakana style) but when it is Katakana Russian words that I have never heard before I am totally lost.  As a result I ended up with a set menu that consisted of soup, salad, bread and beef.  And so the love affair begins.  I am so up for travelling to Russia based on just this one meal.

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Japanese Russian

If you believe their marketing this place is world famous.  Is that because of their almost brand new vintage architecture complete with balconies to rooms that don’t exist, massive hinged doors that are concreted open, rusticated brickwork and imitated bricked up windows.  Maybe it is because of their massive copper brewing vats that produce quite nice (but not exceptional beer).  Or maybe it is because they have perfected the recipe for making paella that tastes distinctly like burnt plastic. 

 If you visit Hakodate, and I recommend that you do, there are millions of places you should visit before you go here.  Sorry.

Post from: Blisstree

Hakodate Beer

Coming in on the back of a run of terrible photos is this unidentifiable shot of my new favourite restaurant, Kushi Tombo.  I can take most of the blame for the terrible photography but some of the credit goes to the extreme overhead lighting, dark restaurant and pitch black evening.  Photography and me are like Chocolate and Miso.

Anyhow, I have to write about the restaurant today or I will surely explode with enthusiasm, it is that good.

Its small, semi industrial interior combined with its dark timber exterior immediately point to something unusual.  Add this to the massive staff and enthusiastic welcome makes you feel like you are coming home to your own house.

The food is spectacular and very unusual.  The menu is practically unreadable for me, but I do know that it tastes great.  One thing I steered clear of was braised rectum, but everything else was up for grabs.  They do a great job of little fried or BBQ’d finger foods and some terrific salads of raw chicken and crispy fried lotus root.  The service is great, it is a little over priced but still unbeatable as far as I am concerned.

The name Kushi Tombi roughly translated means 94 Dragonflies.  I would give it 94% the only let down was that I had to step out into the cold afterwards and go home.

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Kushi Tombo

Asiana Korean Restaurant is about 20 minutes North from the heart of Cincinnati, so that alone takes you away from the hustle and bustle of downtown. Located in a small strip off of Cincinnati-Dayton Road, it is a bit of a drive from many Cincy neighborhoods but not too far away as to be inaccessible.

The glass windows are marked “Chinese”, “Japanese” and “Korean” but having many other Chinese restaurant choices in the city, it would be best to come here when what you are craving for is Korean food. Since the offerings are comprised of three different cuisines, the menu is long. We were happy to select from the smallest section featuring Korean fare. Of course, I had to order Dol Sot Bi Bim Bop and the green onion pancake, while the kids, and Dad, ordered Bul Gogi and my oldest had her eel. We were provided with fragrant genmaicha, which we happily sipped as we waited our order. By the time the panchan came, we had learned (and gotten tired of) the Korean song playing in the background. I would say “broken record” except that I doubt anyone plays 45s or LPs these days. The music became less of a concern as soon as the bowls of panchan/banchan were set before us — familiar favorites were there, as well as a few we didn’t recognize. Particularly tasty were the steamed egg cubes. We were also intrigued by the jelly-like cubes atop some kochujang-like sauce, which the server explained to us was a mung bean preparation. I have tried to ask my favorite Korean storeowner how to make it, but I have not been successful in obtaining a recipe, as the language barrier is making it difficult. Perhaps I should buy some next time to take to her.

My order was excellent — veggies piled on thick, the egg adding a touch of richness to an otherwise plain dish. But of course the piece de resistance was the sizzling rice underneath. Breaking off in chunks as you mix everything up and add a dollop of their hot sauce, it is a meal that really should not be reserved for Mother’s Day alone — every Asian-food-loving mother should enjoy this as a treat on her day off. (I have not found the right stone bowl to make this at home or I would make this often.)

The bul gogi was deliciously seasoned, with a great balance of sweet and salty. However, the texture suffered from being too finely sliced or shredded. I was not able to detect a kiwi component to the marinade, which often causes meat to disintegrate; but I wouldn’t discount the possibility that it was used either. Of the eel I cannot say anything but praise. The skin was delicate as it was crunchy, the flesh generously thick, meaty, and meltingly tender. Leftovers, heated up in the oven, made a satisfying addition to dinner that evening.

Prices were not too steep, although we did end up with a slightly bigger bill ($90) than the one we got at Buga in California ($70). You can look at this two ways. It’s expensive in that the offerings are not as extensive, and the presentation not as traditional (read fun) as one might wish for. However, considering that Asiana is only one of the few Korean restaurants in Cincinnati, I find this to be very reasonable, so no complaints here. Add to that we were the only customers in the restaurant at the time, and so were given the best possible attention.

On Saturdays, be aware that there are Tae Kwon Do classes just two doors down, so depending on what time you get there, parking may get a little tricky, but should not cause problems for most.

Asiana Korean Restaurant
6875 Fountains Blvd
West Chester, OH 45069
(513) 755-9888

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Asiana Korean Restaurant, Cincinnati, OH

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Manila Bay Bar and Grill and Cebu