OMG! Wagyu Japanese Beef Restaurant

Another hole in the wall restaurant that specializes in Wagyu beef. 

We were here to try the famed Omi beef which is a rarity outside of Japan. 

Beef Tataki

While this was a nice dish it paled in comparison to the next two courses. The dish was light & fresh, a good way to start a meal.

Steamed Wagyu 

Thin slices of Omi beef were steamed on top of  vegetables in a dim sum basket. The result was  a very  buttery beef which was surprisingly light, the vegetables were delicately cooked and deliciously coated with the juice from the meat.  The dish came with a sesame sauce with the right amount of acidity to balance off the fattiness of the beef. This was their signature dish and was well worth it. 

Ishiyaki-Stone Grill

Omi Chateaubriand

The Omi Chateaubriand had the perfect balance between fat and meat. We did not get the "foie gras" feeling.  I suspect that this is what makes Omi unique, you get the best of Wagyu fattiness but still get to taste a great piece of beef. The dish was served with three types of salts to dip the cooked pieces of meat in.(plum, lime and salt & pepper) I chose to stick to salt & pepper because it best kept the integrity of the dish so you could still taste the beef.

The Skinny: budget a total of about 100 grams of beef per person. You can always order more. Save up because it's not cheap. 

Wagyu Japanese Beef

Sunvar Plaza, Amorsolo Street legaspi Village, Makati City Philippines

Phone: +632 808 9508

Open 10AM to 10PM

Here is a more detailed explanation of Omi:

Omi is produced in Lake Biwa in Shiga, & is being hailed for health in being lean despite its tender texture. Farmers of Omi strictly adhere to natural methods of raising their livestock & do not interfere with the development of the cows. The calves are fed by their mothers & the cows are only given home-grown rice & wheat to eat. No antibiotics or supplements are given to the cows, either. The downside of their delicate meat is that Omi actually melts in warmer temperatures & thus presents a preparation method foreign to most chefs. The beef has to be cut quickly into slender slices for serving of sashimi, shabu-shabu or sukiyaki, which is an art form in Japan & can take years to master. .

source: http://foodists.ca/2009/08/29/omi-beef.html

Sea Urchin is like cannabis? : Seryna, Legaspi Village, Makati Philippines

All abuzz in little tokyo..

Little Tokyo in Manila is alive and well.  

Got a chance to try Seryna and it was worth the effort. Seryna serves up good solid japanese food sans all the fanfare. What they lack in presentation they make up for in quality and quantity. 

Uni(sea urchin) is like cannabis?

According to a study, Uni has a euphoria causing chemical similar to cannabis. 
No wonder I can't get enough.  

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9150253

The flavor was crisp, with hints of nuts,a creamy-buttery taste reminiscent of the flavours of the sea.

Oo-toro

The prime cut of Japanese blue-fin tuna belly. This was melt in your mouth with crisp & cream texture and oo-so-good!   

Maguro Tuna

I have not forgot about this dish its just that after the Ootoro I have nothing much to say about this dish. It was fresh and it was good.. how was that?

Tenpura

Prawns were good but the the batter was a bit too thick for my taste.

Tofu Salad

Its tofu and salad dressing can't say much more than that. 

Fresh Oysters

I forgot to ask where they were from. They were definitely not Kumamoto oysters. But my guess would be Pacific Northwest oysters because they reminded me of a time in Hama-hama Washington when my friends and I sneaked onto an oyster farm to help ourselves to a "free sampling" of the Pacific's best oysters. (but that is another story) 

The oysters were large, very firm and not light flavoured very little brine.

Squid

These were little gems! Served raw, it had a sweet and salty taste combined with the crisp texture. 

Insider tip:

Seafood is flown in fresh from Japan every Monday. 

My Man-Cave:The John Barbers, Legaspi Village, Makati Philippines

Welcome to my man cave..

When I was about 4 years old, my father and I would have this every second Saturday ritual. He would take me to the Majestic Barbershop on UN Avenue just around the corner from the old Shelbourne Hotel. If I was lucky (or well behaved) he would even take me to watch a movie. So that did not happen that often. Oddly, I got more excitement about our  bi-weekly treks to the barbers than I would the movies. During my childhood, it was my own time with him where I had him all to myself.

There is something very nostalgic about visiting a barber that spells old world wonder. I remember my father telling me that our Majestic Barber (I forget his name) was the same barber that cut my grandfather's, my father's and my hair. Many years later after Majestic closed down, I would visit the same barber at another place in Makati.

Well, it's a brave new world and and we are seeing the resurgence of old school barbershops. The design is done in an art deco look with a heavy use of dark stained wood and stainless steel elements. The place could double as a Pan-Am airline lounge. 

For me, it hits all the marks with a few bonuses added in like Free Wifi !! 

The Chairs

Each chair has USB ports and power outlets for charging your electronic devices. The mirror has a built-in LCD TV with cable.

Old school tools (aside from the remote)

Massage/Nap room

Shower room

Vitrines

How barbaric???

I suppose in a few years someone will read this and think "how barbaric"? But for the moment this is as good as it gets, my perfect man-cave, I will be there every chance I get. 

Did I mention free wifi?

Located in the Sommerset Hotel, 112 Aguirre Street, Legaspi Village Makati City

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejohnbarbers?fref=ts

Pizza Morena, Makati Philippines

Pizza Morena has been around since 2012, serving their humble pie at Salcedo Saturday Market and Legaspi Sunday Market.

Very foolishly, I have been ignoring this stall for over 2 years because I have often been disappointed by many a pizzeria around the metropolis.  

After a friend swore to me that their pizza was worth a try, I decided to give it a go. 

All their pizzas were 10 inches in diameter and they had half a dozen or so types of pizza available on that day.

Chorizo Pizza

I chose one of their most popular, their Chorizo Pizza,  this was a "bianca" or white pizza(no tomato sauce) but was so deliciously good I did not even realise it until I had finished the entire box. :) 

It comes topped with home-made chorizo, organic arugula, roasted bell peppers and lotsa mozza!

I am kicking myself for not having tried their pizza earlier.  

I will be back for more!


facebook : https://www.facebook.com/PizzaMorena?fref=ts

Urban Art @Dela Rosa Carpark, Legaspi Village Makati, Philippines-updated 07 May 2015

Dela Rosa Murals 

updated 07 May 2015

#delarosamurals

Love how Ayala is trying to make our urban jungle a bit more bearable. 

Enough has been said about the lack of greenery and park space in this megalopolis. At least an effort is being made to convert concrete walls into art walls.  This makes a walk along Dela Rosa a treat! 

Hope this becomes a trend and we see a resurgence of Urban Art around the city...