Tiffy in Japan: Kabuki and Shrimp

What I love about my school is that they sponsor trips and give us tickets to shows too.

(Sign says: The University of Tokyo Kashiwa Campus)

Last month, they provided 70 international students with tickets to the Kabuki, a classical Japanese drama

The pace of the drama is really slow. So much so that it's not surprising to see several heads nodding and people falling asleep. But one of my labmates really love Kabuki and has watched it numerous times.

On the way back to Kashiwa from Tokyo, we passed by Kitasenju. We wanted to have an early dinner so we were walking around the station to look for a place to eat. 

After walking for quite some time, we went back to this small restaurant that served shrimps and crabs. 

Almost all the food in the restaurant has shrimp in it

Their special offer for the day: ￥90 for one

甘えびの唐揚げ | えびとアボカドのわさびマヨあえ

Fried shrimp | Shrimp avocado salad

Most of their dishes are around ￥300~￥400

赤えび刺身 | Red Shrimp Sashimi | ￥300 per piece

This was by far my favorite. It was so soft and fresh and just yummy.

えびかに家

東京都足立区千住2丁目65 小泉ビル

How to get there:

(122m from Kitasenju Station)

3 min walk from Kitasenju Station West exit

1 min walk from Kitasenju Station Nakamachi exit

Google map

Restaurant Review | Dampa Sa Libis

Dampa sa Libis
Libis
Type of Cuisine: Seafood
Average cost per person: Php 300-350 (US$6 - US$8)
Overall Rating:

There were only a handful of us when Plurk started. That was around July of this year. Soon enough, it caught on and a lot more people started using it. Plurkfiesta is a term coined by Manuel L. Quezon III. It's when people from Plurk gather together to eat and hang out--or so Tiffy always believed.

Since Tiffy has never attended one and she kept on missing out, she decided to drag people from sitting in front of their computers and gave a time place: Saturday, 6PM, Dampa sa Libis.

Interestingly enough, we had a good turnout (aside from Bong and Tiffy): Josh and Arthur from Chickenmafia.com, Lizz, Jeff, Fritz, Marcelle, Arbet, Manolo, Ozy, Mark, and Jeric.

Dampa is known for its market -- you can buy your food from the market fresh. And then after, you get to decide how it's cooked. If you're not the type to buy your food raw, then you can choose to skip the whole buying-from-the-market process.

But since Tiffy was up for some haggling, then market they did. Did she get good prices for the seafood? What do you think?

Scallop (350Php/kilo, US$7.20/kilo)
Cooked in butter and garlic (140Php/kilo, US$2.88/kilo)
Fritz, Arthur and Tiffy specially liked the scallops. It was sweet and soft. True enough, a few minutes into the meal and they were greatly lacking in scallops. Although Ozy thought that it wasn't as good as he expected. He was expecting it to be sauteed in butter and garlic--the buttery syrup was unexpected.

Snail or Kuhol (100Php/kilo, US$2.06/kilo)
Cooked in coconut milk or ginataan (140Php/kilo, US$2.88/kilo)
Everyone had a fun time eating the snails. And they especially had more fun making fun of Jeff -- a snail virgin! It was his first time. And even with toothpicks for weapons, he failed miserably. It was all for the best--take one for the team! Lizz was a bit wary at first because there were parts which were red in color. She wondered for a moment if the snails were still raw. But then ate it anyway.

Clams (100Php/kilo, US$2.06/kilo)
Cooked in soup (140Php/kilo, US$2.88/kilo)
There wasn't really anything particularly note-worthy about the dish except that it was "divine," as mentioned by Fritz. The flavor of the soup wasn't too strong -- yay. Considering that Tiffy dislikes soup, she certainly liked this one. Arthur thought that it could've used more garnishings -- maybe spinach or watercress.

Shrimps | medium-sized (300Php/kilo, US$6.17/kilo)
Cooked in butter and garlic (140Php/kilo, US$2.88/kilo)
It was Fritz's turn to question why the shrimp had buttery sauce. He expected it to be clear. Like the scallops, it had a sweet buttery flavor. It was a bit of an ordeal removing the skin from the shrimp, though. Either that, or Jeff had no poise once again! Fritz thought that maybe they should've ordered the larger shrimps for this kind of cooking. And Arthur thought that it could've been better -- it wouldn't have been how he'd prepare it.

Oysters (70Php/kilo, US$1.44/kilo)
Baked (140Php/kilo, US$2.88/kilo)
They all thought that the oysters would be bigger. They were a bit shriveled up and dry. It wasn't as moistly yummy as Tiffy would think. But Arthur thought it was good so all's well. Well apparently, because of the cheese.

Mussels (100Php/kilo, US$2.06/kilo)

Baked (140Php/kilo, US$2.88/kilo)
Both Jeric and Jeff pointed out that the mussels were yummy. Although Arthur thought that it was so-so. Tiffy didn't really got to eat a lot of it because they all but gobbled it up!

All in all, it was a pretty good trip. The place played out like a canteen, except cleaner. The food was a notch above average although buying the food is one heck of an experience -- made the food more enjoyable. Serving time was a bit tiring, though. Plus, they didn't serve the food all at once. Marcelle mentioned about their inihaw na liempo being excellent. But since he came late, we didn't get to order that.

Reviewed by Bong and Tiffy.
Special thanks to everyone from the Plurkfiesta for their inputs.
Photography by Tiffy.

Address: 107 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave. Libis, Q.C.

Tel. No.: 637-3301 or 395-5050

 

 

Restaurant Review | Suka't Sili

Suka't Sili
158-E D. Tuazon Street, Lourdes, Quezon City
Type of Cuisine: Filipino
Average cost per person: 200-300 (US$5-8)
Overall Rating:

What with school work and conflicting schedules, these Foodistas were particularly thrilled that they were able to sneak away from all the melodrama and stress of everyday life. Rainy seasons are especially perfect for sleeping--pardon the cliche--and stuffing oneself with food.

When Tiffy went to eat on Father's Day last month, she was raving about the place's Halo Halo and, in her words, "yummy food." Planning the outing was tough -- Tiffy had a talk to attend, Bong had an exam, and Mark had a date with Dream.

The place was three jeepney rides away from UP. Bong, by then, was really hungry because he skipped lunch studying for his exam.

Suka't Sili 0riginated from Davao. It's specialty? Grilled seafood. When we asked why it was named Suka't Sili, we were told that it was because masarap isawsaw sa suka't sili (dipping it in vinegar with chili peppers is yummy). Although they didn't know when the original Suka't Sili started, we were told that the D. Tuazon branch started March 9, 2004.

Steamed Okra with Bagoong (Php 30, US$0.68)
Tiffy was the only one who ate the steamed okra. Apparently, Bong and Mark don't like it. What's not to like about vegetables? Maybe it's because it's a bit slimy when you eat it. But that might just be its charm! The bagoong accompanying this dish was, however, too salty for Tiffy's taste.

Itlog na Maalat at Kamatis (Php 60, US$1.36)
This one's a classic Filipino side dish. The tomatoes were crunchy and the salty egg wasn't that salty. Bong put some bagoong from the okra and according to him, it tasted superb. Simple yet yummy.

Tuna Sisig (Php 110, US$2.50)
This is probably the best dish out of the ones we ordered. It wasn't your typical sisig. It was pretty good, if you like your sisig creamy.

Tuna Belly (Php 80, US$1.81)
Supposedly, this was one of their bestsellers. It was good, but not as soft as what the Foodistas expected it to be.

Bihod (Tuna Roe) (Php 70, US$1.59)
Out of the Foodistas, Bong would be counted among the less adventurous ones. He'd much rather not eat food that he hasn't tried before. When we asked the waiter what it is, he told us that it was fish eggs. For the three of us who ate it for the first time, it tasted like powdered eggs that taste like fish.

Halo Halo (Php 50, US$1.13)
When you enter Suka't Sili, you'll see boards advertising their halo halo. "Finely crushed ice" and a huge chunk of praises about it. Well it is quite justified because their halo halo really has finely crushed ice. So finely crushed that eating it seemed to Tiffy a bit reminiscent of eating ice cream. It has only a few ingredients -- bananas, langka, and leche flan. But this is one proof of the saying, "Less is more."

Reviewed by Bong, Mark, and Tiffy.
Photography by Mark and Tiffy.
See more photos on Mark's Flickr.

Restaurant Review | Isdaan: The Floating Resto-Park

Fresh Catch Isdaan: The Halfway to the North Floating Resto-Park
Gerona, Tarlac
Type of Cuisine: Filipino, seafood
Average cost per person: ~Php 300 (US$7.50)
Overall Rating:

My mum was very excited to bring us here on our trip back from Baguio. She told us about how she and her friends had eaten here on when they had gone on a roadtrip a few weeks back and that we couldn't miss out on dining here. When she had said that the name of the place was Isdaan, I imagined it to be like one of those many, many dampa that have been mushrooming everywhere.

Isdaan is owned and operated by the same entity who holds ownership of many popular, well-known restaurants like Barrio Fiesta, World Topps, Bakahan at Manukan, etc, and you can see quite a bit of similarities between those places and Isdaan. And my mother was right: we couldn't miss out on dining there.

The place was big. Comprised mostly by walkways and huts floating above the very waters where they fish for, well, your fish. Various entertainers go from table to table, performing for the diners. (There are signs around that inform diners to give only Php 20 as tip to the entertainers.) Many Balinese-inspired statues are scattered around the area and, although we had gone there during the day, you can tell the place looks even more amazing at night.

The service wasn't as fast as you'd want it to be, but with an operation so big, I suppose you have to give a little allowance for "travel time." The place is so vast that the waitresses (all of whom are quite pretty) have walkie-talkies.

Beyond the good food to be had here, Isdaan also has several interesting activities for diners who want to make their experience at Isdaan more than just a food excursion. The most popular activity is probably the Tacsiyapo wall, where you hurl crockery at a wall naming various possible sources of frustration.

If you ever happen to pass by Tarlac, Isdaan is a great place to stop over for a good meal and some midtrip rest and entertainment.

Inihaw na Pusit (0.5kg: Php 160, US$4; 1kg: Php 320, US$8)
I adore grilled squid! One thing about having grilled squid is that sometimes it can be quite tough. This one, however, was rather soft and chewy and very flavourful.

Pinakbet Ilocano (Php 211, US$5.23)
I'm a big fan of vegetables, and an even bigger fan of Filipino vegetable dishes. I've never had pinakbet Ilocano before. I expected the vegetables to be a bit crisper, but despite the not as crisp as expected texture, this was delicious.

Sinampalukan(Php 254, US$6.35)
Sinampalukang manok, or sinigang na manok, was one of two dishes I looked forward to most when going home to my grandparents' house back when I was much younger (the other was kaldereta). This wasn't the best sinampalukan I've ever had, but after a long trip, it was very much welcome comfort.

Sizzling Tanigue (Php 289, US$7.23)
Tanigue is one of my favourite fish (beginning to see a pattern yet? haha) and this particular tanigue dish made me quite happy. It was a bit crisp on the outside and very tender and moist on the inside.



Marinated Inihaw na Liempo (0.5kg: Php 210, US$5.25; 1kg: Php 420, US$10.50)
This was maybe the best liempo I've had ever (that's inclusive of our inihaw na liempo at home!). The meat was very tender and flavourful.

Buko Pandan
It came to us with actually very little buko in it. We had it sent back and came back just overflowing in buko -- perfect! We've yet to go wrong with buko pandan yet. This was very refreshing.

Review and photogaphy by Joey.
See more photos on my flickr.