IRASHAIMASE!

I love Japanese cuisine because it is usually fresh and healthy. Japanese are very particular when it comes to their food. Most of all, I like their sushi a lot. Sushi is a Japanese dish of specially prepared vinegared rice, usually with some sugar and salt, combined with a variety of ingredients, such as seafood, vegetables, and occasionally tropical fruits. Its looks mainly captivate me to like it and most of all, its taste. There are some Japanese restaurants that have got under my skin and that I love to return to. Restaurants that instigate me because of the place, the people, the light and often if not always, the food they serve. In this post, I will talk about Rai Rai Ken. It is the number one in my list and that is why I reserved a space for it in my website.

What is RAI RAI KEN?

Before going into the core, let us define what these words mean. (Yes, I did my research. You are welcome. Wink!) 

Rai Rai is an old Chinese word for “welcome” and Ken for “restaurant”. These words are enunciated especially if someone wants to go to an appealing, fascinating and scrumptious food place. In the Philippines, it was in 1993 when Benjie (the owner of the restaurant chain) decided to put up his own restaurant at Bautista St. in Makati City, Manila.  It was named Master Chow before and was serving Filipino breakfast and other Karinderya foods. Then they started to offer Ramen or Japanese noodles in their menu.  The success story started there.

As of 2018, Rai Rai Ken blossoms into a fresh upgrade. These can be noticed by looking at their logo design. A much fluid and ascending stroke signifies the brand direction of delighting their customers into higher level. The color schemes are much stern, calm and fresh which transcends to their interior design and feel of the store bringing the customers to a much engaging but relaxing mood that compliments to their improved product offering. Talk about Millennials and Generation X! Most of all, they adjusted their menus to capture the taste buds of Filipinos.

Chefs preparing my food.

What are my favorites?

When Rai Rai Ken is mentioned, it is usually associated to Ramen. Well, their Ramen is pretty good at least for an Asian girl like me, but apart from that, they also serve other menu like ippinryori, teriyaki, teppanyaki and many more. Some of them give me hard time to pronounce properly, lol. The following are my picks.

1. Ramen

I love sipping its soup. Ramen soup is made of the soup base as well as the added flavor. A soup base is almost always from pork bones, shellfish, beef bones, fish, or even vegetables. It was said that for ramen craftsmen, original flavors were produced after doing hundreds of trial and error experiments in combining soup base and the added flavors.

What is your choice?

2. California Maki

I love sushi! Just look at the picture! :P

Yum!

3. Tempura and Gyoza

…because who doesn’t love shrimps? (Except to those allergic to this food.)

4. Mungbean Sprout

Tawgi is one of the Filipino foods I always choose because of its high potassium content plus it tastes like very fresh noodles. Crunchiness in every chew.

Tawgi mo diha :D

5. Beef Teriyaki

The meat is broiled and glazed with soy sauce and little bit of sugar. It is the sauce that makes the taste mouth-watering and delicious for me.

Quickfacts:

Rairaiken is the first Ramen House established in Japan in 1910.

In the Philippines, Rairaiken started in 1993 and has been the Market Leader for 20 years.

Know more about them at rairaiken.com.ph

Cheers! :P

Let me know what are your favorite Japanese cuisine as well!



Who loves food? US!

Who among you considers FOOD as everything? Of course, I know you do! It is almost the default answer to everything. Take it from me, I can’t live a day without indulging my food, lol. May it be in any special occasion, celebration, promotion, or even during breakups and when in depression, you name it! FOOD - there is always be food ready to fill your inner needs, heart’s desires and self’s emptiness. It catches you if life’s rhythm is a little bit unsteady. Okay, enough with the cheesy tickly lines, hahaha. 

A lot of my friends have been asking me about new food destinations in Cebu. They are under the impression that since I am an online influencer or a blogger, I should know everything. That is funny. Are you kidding me? *insert blank stare here* Trust me, I don’t. I am just a normal (well sometimes, above normal) person in this city trying to find my true calling and I don’t know everything, but I can share some places I have been into and can narrate my experiences and observations. There are heaps of restaurants in this city that you probably already know so I am going to mention the following destinations that are new to me (and I think new to you, too).

Okay, here we go!

1. Cafe Egao
If you are wondering what “Egao” means, it is actually a Japanese term for “smiling face”. Expectedly, you will see staff’s smiling friendly faces in this place. Café Egao is Filipino-Japanese café located in Nasipit, Talamban, Cebu City just in front of Adolfo’s Furniture shop. This is a cozy and homey place where you can spoil yourself with dishes, desserts, pasta, salads, snacks, teas and lattes. The outside view of the café is a cool sight of green shade where big trees and bushes grow thick and free.



Yeah, that is a happy "me".

It was so funny finding my way here because I thought it was very far. Gosh gracious, it was the very opposite because it was just a 15 minute walk from my place (near USC-TC). Okay, this seemed to be one of the signs that I should start exploring cool places near my private place.

What are my personal favorites in this place? Takoyaki, Baked Penne and their signature no artificial sugar added drinks. I sometimes needed to surrender sugar in my diet so this place is just perfect.

If you want authentic Filipino dishes, then head to this restaurant. Mind you, it will really be worth it! This is located in M.C. Brioness St, Cebu City, just in front of Plaza Independencia. They have all-Filipino-staff so if you are a Filipino, then how about “mang-spot tag chix” kind of conversation with them? Nah kidding! If you are a foreigner, then this is the perfect place to know how Filipino foods taste and what they look like.

I’m not really a guru when it comes to Cebu City's specific places. I might be living in the City for eight years already but I still don't know all the road mazes, shortcuts and whatnots. Jeepney conductors, Google maps and Uber/Grab are always my friends when I'm going to a specific places. They are a big help in getting me out from the labyrinth kind of feeling I always get. So when I went in KKD BBQ +STK restaurant, I was lost. I entered in Plaza Independencia. Very funny! Well, I saw couples dating, kids playing, dancers practicing, group of friends lying on benches and then there’s me - a lost puppy, huhuhu. I messaged my co-influencer friend and he picked me from there.

Pak na pak ang awra!

This place was once a garage but the owner transformed it to something more worth visiting for... thus, a restaurant. They have nightly live band that a music addict like me enjoyed very much.

What are my personal favorites in this place? All, because hello I am a Filipino. Manok Bisaya, Pork Nilaga, Scallops and Leche Flan are worth-mentioning. Okay, I’m drooling now.


Baked Scallops in Butter

Pusit / Squid

Manok Bisaya. Messy looks but tastes good.

Pork Nilaga. Hello cholesterol :)

Crispy Pata

Leche Flan with Manggo

Prices are affordable that range from 100 to 300 pesos.

3. MAO JIA Hunan Cuisine
Now that we are done with our Filipino cuisine, let us jump to Chinese cuisine, shall we? Okay, fasten your seatbelt and get ready your milk because this will be a spicy adventure. MAO JIA Hunan Cuisine is located in Crossroads Place, Cebu City besides The Distillery. As the name suggests, this place is serving authentic Hunan Cuisine. Wait, what does that mean?

Hunan cuisine, also known as Xiang cuisine, consists of the cuisines of the Xiang River region, Dongting Lake and western Hunan Province in China. It is one of the Eight Great Traditions of Chinese cuisines and is well known for its hot and spicy flavours, fresh aroma and deep colours. To say it directly, foods here are spicier than my normal preference and taste less numbing and sourer.

My friends invited me to eat in this restaurant during my sleeping hours so obviously, I was still daydreaming when I was on my way towards here. But when I got inside and started gulping their foods, I felt alive and hotter, lol. Their spicy foods did it to me. I gulped chilis peppers! I am not really a big fan of spicy foods. I mean, I wish I am but my tastebuds just couldn’t handle the explosion it will cause inside my mouth (it likes sweets; it always does awe except kimchi of course). Spicy foods makes me cry inevitably. Crazy, I know.

So, for those of you out there that likes spicy very much, this is your place. Get over the processed noodles in Samyang Spicy Noodle Challenge and switch to “real” spicy foods in this restaurant.

What are my personal favorites in this place? Cabbage, Eggplant and the peanut in the chicken dish. I set aside all chili peppers.



Cabbage

Spicy Celery

Spicy Fish

Spicy Chicken with Peanuts. I love the peanuts!

This will be all for now. I still have lots to share. Watch out for more food destinations and my experiences in my next posts. Ice cream? Burgers? I will cover that too. Let us be hungry together.

Bon appetit!