Foodie: Maisen "Japan's Finest" now in Manila

I'm fond of eating Japanese food especially katsu(s)!! So when I saw a post about the newly opened Maisen on my feed, I can't resist feeling excited to try this out :) I've heard that Maisen is Japan's best tonkatsu restaurant so I have high expectations on this.

Went their branch in SM Megamall level 3 of Building A. The place was quite huge and their staffs are really accomodating. They are the ones to ask you what do you need like more cabbage, extra miso soup and etc.

Different sauces are readily available on each table which includes their Katsu sauce, sesame dressing, salt w/ herbs & others.

What to expect on their menu:

Of course, Katsu sets :) Comes with unlimited rice, cabbage, pickle set and miso soup.

They also offer Donburi sets :) It comes with rice, pickle set and miso soup :)

They also offer sandwich sets served with fruits and salad.

They have 1 Maisen Kid's Set for 330php.

We ordered what they call Maisen's specialty which is the Katsumabushi Set for 390php.

This is what it actually looks like :) Bite-sized Tenderloin katsu chops served with rice, Onsen Tamago and Dashi stock.

You can enjoy your Katsumabushi in 3 ways:

1. Scoop out the katsu and rice into the bowl.

2. Garnish with sesame, wasabi and green onion (picture above).

3. Pour the Dashi broth 

Tadaaa!! You can now enjoy your Katsumabushi. It also comes with soft boiled egg so you may also opt to mix it in the bowl :)

We also ordered Cheese Minced Pork Katsu Set for 390php. These have cheese inside!! Oh I love cheese :) This set comes with rice, cabbage, pickle set, miso soup and some fruits.

I was only able to finish 2 of these because it's very heavy plus it's "nakaka-umay" because the taste of the cheese it too evident. :)

Overall, we're happy that the famous Maisen in Japan has finally arrived here in Manila. Their Katsu tastes good.. It's tender and their breading that hugs the katsu altogether is crispy though it may be too thick :) However, Maisen was below our expectations and we can't help but compare it to other katsus we've tried.

I still prefer Yabu while Angela prefers Kimukatsu over Maisen when it comes to katsu :)

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Foodie: Torch (Greenbelt)

One holiday, my 2 college friends and I decided to have our lunch out.. :) One suggested that we just eat at Torch, Greenbelt :) 

We didn't order much because we're reserving some space inside our tummies for dessert afterwards.. :)

Blackened Chickeb Alfredo Pasta (P290) -- Fettucini noodles tossed with their very own creamy Alfredo sauce, topped eith grilled Cajun chicken slices served with garlic toast.

Uncle's 5-Cheese Pizza (P340) and Baked Fish Fillet in Tangerine Teriyaki (P300)

All orders are good for sharing :) Torch also offers soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches, sushi, panizza, steaks, ramen, Filipino and American food and breakfast food. :)

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Foodie: Toastbox

Toastbox has been here in the Philippines for how many years already. BUT can you imagine that this is just my FIRST time to actually try it? Haha!

Spent one Saturday afternoon at Toastbox in BGC but there are sure a lot of branches available anywhere :)

The place's so dainty!! 

See? Makes me feel like I'm in a tea shop with my girls and we're going to "clink clink clink" our teacups! 

Ordered just these: their famous Milo Dinosaur and Kaya Toast with soft boiled egg.

Kaya Toast with special butter. So I was told that this is best when you deep it in a soft boiled egg with salt and soy sauce. Might as well try it :)

Ordered a soft boiled egg.. :) Put in in a bowl.. 

Put soy sauce.. Not too much or else you can't taste the egg anymore :P

Then lastly, add white pepper :) Tadaaaa!! You can now dip the toast in here :)

I liked the Kaya Toast. The bread's crunchy and the Kaya's sweet (tastes like Coco Jam). The dip is unique though I really don't like almost raw food (the egg). Hehe! :) 

Of course my first Toastbox experience will not be complete if I won't try their Milo Dinosaur. I love eating Milo when I was young (up to now!!). This is perfect for Milo lovers like me ❤️

Overall, I enjoyed my afternoon spent in Toastbox. Loved the place and the food I ordered though I think I should go back to try other food :)

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Foodie: Shawarma Bros (BGC Stopover)

Did I already mention to you that I love Persian food? 😋 Next to Japanese food maybe.. :) I keep on seeing posts on my feed about Shawarma Bros that's newly opened in BGC Stopover (though their first branch was in Pasig and they started through food trucks). 

Went there on a Saturday lunch time.. 

There were a few people eating.. Place is just right with simple tables and chairs.

We're so excited to eat so that we can experience what the hype is about :)

Time to order!! Can I just taste everything? I'm so hungry when we came in! Haha! They offer rice and wrap meals. I'm just sad that they don't sell ox brain!! :( I just hope their Keema and shawarma rice will do justice :) 

You have to order and pay at the counter :) Guess what we ordered?..

Huhu why do we still have to wait? :( Kidding. We understand! This "come and get em' when I buzz" thing makes me feel I'm in a milktea shop! Haha! When it lit up, the servers didn't wait for us to pick up the food anymore.. They served it on our table already.

Waiting time is only for a few minutes :).. Even faster than taking photos of the food for Instagram, Facebook and here! Haha!

Their Lamb Steak Rice Meal was pretty good. The lamb is soft and easy to chew and eat! 

Their Beef Shawarma Rice Meal was pretty good too though the beef's quite hard to chew. 

Honestly, we didn't know the difference of the two when it comes to taste. For us, they almost taste the same! Haha! You'll just know what you're eating because of the size and texture.

Keema! Their keema's not dry unlike the one available in our SUPER favorite Persian restaurant.. This one is tasty and saucy! :)

Oh I forgot to mention that there are three available sauces -- chili tomato, cheese and garlic yougurtt .. Each time you buy a rice meal, they'll let you choose two out of the three. They'll serve  it in these small containers but if you run out, they'll gladly give you another one (but you have to ask).

While eating, we can't stop but compare it to our favorite food place for our Persian cravings.

We suggest that there are readily available sauce bottles on each table already so the customers won't have to ask for a refill anymore and people love unlimited sauces!! It might attract more customers! :) 

We also suggest to add Ox Brain and kebabs on their menu! Haha!! Ox brain is a priority though! :)

Overall, we enjoyed our food but not the best we've tasted :) Going to tell you about our favorite soon!! 

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Foodie: Teddy's Bigger Burgers

I'm One night, we were torn between eating pasta at Cibo or burgers at Teddy's Bigger Burgers.. Burgers won over pasta that night because we realized we just had pasta over the past few days :)

This is not our first time to eat at Teddy's in Shangri-la Plaza. During our first two visits, they're just offering limited choices of food but this time, they're already selling a wide variety from salads, chicken, rice meals, breakfast food, shakes and of course, burgers! We're tempted to try other food but we chose that place to eat burgers!! :) So yeah, burger it is!

Before that, let me just show you a glimpse of how the place looks like. It is actually big and gives you a feel of being in Hawaii.

The place is pretty simple with very few nautical and Hawai (uhh cute surfboards) ensembles.

Let me just also add that there are three large screens at the top of the cashier.. The 2 screens at the side are for different TV shows which at that time was the Ateneo VS National University UAAP Basketball Game but was later on changed into NBA even before the game finishes :( The screen at the middle was for their advertisements like new food to try and their promos.

For appetizer, we had to decide if we're going to try their spam fries or their cheese taters. Guess what won? Our love for cheese!! These cheese taters come with two different dips -- buffalo and special sauce.

We were so unlucky that time because there were no bacons available.. It means we can't order burgers that has bacon. My favorite was the Bleu Cheese Bacon and was also supposed to order Bacon Me Crazy.. But yeah.... :(

Ordered a Teri Burger instead with additional bleu cheese. Good thing they now accept add-ons :) This is an original burger with teri sauce.

Also ordered an Kailua Burger that has teri, cheddar cheese, grilled onions, mushrooms, lettuce and special sauce.

Let me just add that you can already create your own burger! From the bread that you like and everything in between!! :) So if you can't find the perfect burger for you listed on their menu, then you might want to create and choose the inclusions in your burger! :)

Overall, we're a bit disappointed that there were no bacons available :( but somehow happy that there are a lot of choices added to their menu. We just think that the burgers are not that worth their price (approx 300-450 pesos per burger) because it is quite small though they offer different sizes of burgers (big, bigger, biggest) but of course, you have to pay additional amount. 

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Foodie: Buffalo Wild Wings

Since this is my first time to blog something about food, let me share some facts about how I eat and the food(s) I love..

1. I eat very slow! Whenever I eat with friends and family, it's not new to be the last one to finish!

2. I don't eat spaghetti, shrimps and anything super spicy and I don't drink sodas.

3. I prefer desserts over appetizer!

4. I love everything creamy and saucy!! 

5. I gain weight fast but then I can't resist eating un(healthy) food! ;)

Anyway, while on the way home from work, I've stumbled upon a food blog which inspired me to write on this blog about the food/restaurants that I've tried! 

Sharing you my happiness and what I do best here! ❤️

After a night out at Barcino for a friend's birthday party.. We felt very tired that we woke up the next day almost lunch time! So we decided to just eat somewhere near and something we like! :) 

Have you heard of the new mall located in Kapitolyo, Pasig? Angela and I wanted to try eating in Wild Buffalo Wings for the longest time and atlas!!.. The time has come!! 

Greeted by friendly and accommodating crews plus large TV screens and comfortable seats.. We felt very happy and excited as first impression :)

Of course, we chose to eat here for their chicken wings! There are a lot of wing flavors to choose from.. From the mild up to the spiciest they got!! :)

Aside from wings, they also offer salads, wraps, burgers, sides, for kids, sandwiches, for sharing, desserts and beers!

Potato Wedges

At first we thought there are no cheese at all.. But when we looked at the bottom part, it's oozing with cheese!! I love this!! So tasty and soft!! :)

Buffalo Wings (P325 for a small order)

I think this is a must-order kind of wing especially that the restaurant's named after this so this is worth giving a try.. Though it is dry and not the usual saucy buffalo wings, you can still taste the "classic heat and soothing buttery flavor". Though I prefer saucy wings over dry ones :)

Parmesan Garlic Wings (P325 for a small order)

I like this one better that the Buffalo! I love everything cheesy and garlic-y!! So this is a perfect combination if you do too :) I just think that it lacks "sauce".. Good thing there's bleu cheese dip for the carrots and celery!!.. So I can dip my wings there too!! :) 

Dirty Rice

This rice compliments the taste of the wings but it is nit the best I've tried in the metro.. :) Still good though! Oh btw, this is not good for sharing if you're hungry!! 

Overall, we love the ambiance and the feel of the place.. :) Crews are very accommodating and the place is huge.. I love the wings selection!! ❤️

Will I come back? Yes! Cause I want to try the other flavors of wings! :)

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