Octoboy Japanese Pizza and Takoyaki

I haven't really posted anything on my blog for a  long time because my laptop broke down (coincidentally, on a Valentine's day!) and I apparently lost all of my files, including the pictures I've taken in all of the restaurants I've eaten in. I honestly thought that I wouldn't be able to access any of my files anymore (and I was grieving already) but, thankfully, I was able to retrieve everything and things are right as rain now.
   

Anyway, today, I'd like to look back at one of my most simple yet memorable dining experiences in a small Japanese restaurant, called Octoboy. I went here with my regular food buddy just because we wanted to know how the real Takoyaki (with the Octopus, of course) tastes like since I've grown tired of eating the fake versions of Takoyaki sold by unknown vendors along Morayta (and throwing up in the process). Plus, I really wanted to have a dose of Octopus that day so eating here was not really a question.
   

We went to their Tomas Morato Branch, which is closer to my place and is a newer, more spacious restaurant compared to the original one along Banawe.
   

Interestingly, we actually liked the place a lot albeit its simplicity and I would say that that's partly because it's one of the best-smelling restaurants I've eaten in for many years. At first, I was expecting that, with this kind of kitchen setup, I would smell like a freshly-prepared Takoyaki right after I step outside, but it just didn't happen. 
    
There're also some Japanese pop songs playing in the background, completing that Japanese cosmopolitan feel and, according to our waiter that day, they also have bands playing music at night so do watch out for that. 
   
Overall, I thought that the restaurant's ambiance was very relaxing and inviting. Now, let's head on to the yummy food. We had the Age Dashi Tofu first, and we thought that it was a great way to start the meal.

   

Look at how beautifully these chunks of tofu browned while swimming in a wok full of hot oil.
  

Age Dashi Tofu (P 110.00)

  

Of note, their age dashi tofu is topped with some Nori and Bonito Flakes (paper-thin fish flakes) and served with black vinegar, and I really have to say that it's absolutely delicious. The tofu was just so soft it felt almost creamy, and it was fried to perfection. The tofu was very fresh and I guess it's best to eat it without dipping it in the sauce too much to enjoy its delicate consistency and flavor.

  

Up next, of course, is the Takoyaki and we got to observe how Kuya from Octoboy's Kitchen prepared our meal.

  

Here, kuya is putting some veggies on top of the first layer of Takoyaki batter.

  

Some more batter.

  

Cooking the other side now. Almost done.

  

And voila! The nicely done Takoyaki!

  

Octopus Takoyaki (P 120.00)

  

Yum! That's all I can say. I honestly thought of giving up on Takoyaki right before this meal because the fake ones are just so bad that they make me want to throw up every time, but this one's absolutely delish! I now understand why this is a popular snack in Japan. The flavor of this small ball of goodness just explodes in the mouth and there are literally chunks of Octopus inside each Takoyaki.

  

Look at that yummy tentacle. lol!
  
The Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pizza) was up next, but we were a tad full already as the other dishes were a bit heavy.
  

Okonomiyaki (P 285.00)

  

But there's no stopping us from demolishing this pretty huge serving of pizza. In fact, we tasted it right after being served. A word of caution though: do not eat this straight away as it is very HOT! And I mean it. I almost got half of my tongue burnt because of this. This was an okay dish for me but it's a bit salty (maybe because of the Bonito flakes and the sauce). 

  

But what I liked is the generous portion of mozzarella on this plate of pizza. Yum!

  

All in all, we were pretty satisfied with the meal we had here and we'd surely come back some other time. I just wish they could add other stuff on their menu, like ramen or some desserts, perhaps. 

  

  

FINAL SCORES

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 4/5

Service - 5/5

Value - 5/5

TOTAL - 4.5/5
     

Octoboy Takoyaki & Japanese Pizza

(02) 384 8506
Unit 2-C, 186 Tomas Morato cor. Scout De Guia
Quezon City, Metro Manila

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NomNomNom Happy Food

I don’t know if it’s just me, but I’m already starting to think that happy and me don’t actually mix. Every time I go to some place that’s supposed to be “happy”, I always end up rather “unhappy”. I don’t actually know why. NomNomNom Happy Food wasn’t an exception to that, and this restaurant has now become one of those supposedly happy places that didn’t really fix a ‘happy’ smile on my face.

Don’t get me wrong. I was definitely excited to go here before I tried this place out. In fact, this was actually one of those restaurants I’ve come to like and had been dreaming to eat at for a long time before this visit. But, I guess, out of sheer bad luck, I was not really that satisfied with my dining experience here.

Anyway, one of the things that really attracted me, when I first saw this restaurant in one of my friends’ Facebook page, was this place’s homey ambiance. 

It’s tucked in a small side street and you wouldn't even think that it’s a restaurant. There are plenty of things to see here and you would really feel at home once you’re inside.

It also has a very light and happy ambiance. I felt like lounging on their seats and couches for hours. 

Oh, and this one’s my favorite part of the store. I love their tagline. Indeed, something good always happens, until they served the food. 

Anyway, the first issue I had with their food was with the cheese. They apparently didn’t have mozzarella cheese when we paid the restaurant a visit. I wanted to order their mozzarella sticks but it wasn’t available at that time. Plus, everything else in the menu which has mozzarella was not available. Sucks, right?

Disappointed, we picked another appetizer, the Fourplay.

Fourplay (P 180.00)

This dish is just composed of nachos, three different dips, and a head of garlic on the side. 

The nachos were good - they’re crispy and delicious. 

However, the dips tasted a bit weird. 

The only dip I liked was the salsa. I just tried the other dips once, and didn’t bother touching them again.

After the appetizer, we had some pasta.There are actually a lot of pasta dishes on the menu and all of them are healthy, but we settled for the Prom Pasta because my friend wanted to eat some sunflower seeds.

Prom Pasta (P 150.00)

This comes with a piece of bread but it was not really good. We didn’t even want to eat the bread - it was almost stale. But, the pasta was okay. It was a very simple and healthy dish composed of fresh tomatoes, basil, and sunflower seeds. 

However, the cheese was really a problem. It wasn’t even cheese, in my honest opinion. I believe it’s just some fake cheese food (the cheapest ones). I felt like eating a no-meat spaghetti from home. The choice of cheese literally ruined the dish and gave it a rather cheap feel.

By this time, we were feeling a bit unhappy already, but we still haven’t touched the pizza, so we tried it next.

Pizza Margherita (P 160.00) 

This one’s a relatively inexpensive pizza but when I took a bite of it, I instantly understood why it’s so affordable. It had this homemade-pizza flavor similar to the ones we make at home with some toasted white bread slices, pizza toppings, and tomato paste. 

The cheese was also a big disappointment. It was another ordinary processed cheese food product in the form of quick-melt cheese! Indeed, the absence of mozzarella in their kitchen was really disastrous. Jeez, I felt like eating a slice of pizza that I could’ve done myself at a cheaper price. I wouldn’t recommend this unless they have mozzarella cheese on stock.

Macarons with Coffee (P 150.00)

Thankfully, the macarons were good. I guess this one’s the ‘happiest’ food we’ve eaten in this place. We wanted more, but it was just a bit expensive. 

And, before I forget, there were no people in the store when we came in and it was a very hot afternoon. Hence, we felt so sleepy while dining, but I guess someone’s more sleepy than us. Haha! We had to wake the waiter up to get our bill. 

FINAL SCORES

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 3/5

Service - 3/5

Value - 4/5

TOTAL - 3.5/5

NomNomNom Happy Food

(02) 502 2919
1 Tomas Morato cor E. Rodriguez
Quezon City, Metro-Manila

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Kozui Green Tea

I’ve been away for some time because I’ve been assigned in the province and it’s been really hard for me to write about the restaurants I’ve visited back in Manila before this assignment. However, today’s quite different. I’ve been stuck in this friggin’ shuttle terminal for more than an hour now because the driver wants to have the entire van filled with people before starting the darn vehicle. Hence, out of dire boredom, I decided to write this stuff.
       

Anyway, today, I’d like to talk about one of the teahouses I’ve visited the last time I had a Manila food trip, called Kozui.

AMBIANCE AND ENVIRONMENT

This teahouse and mini restaurant is located in Tomas Morato.

It’s too small and it’s hardly noticeable, but its interior is actually nice.

It has this relaxing ambiance and there are a lot of interesting things inside, like these plant-like lamp accents.

There are also some native lamps on the second floor.

Everything seems to be refreshingly green.
    
Although there may have been some signs of wear and tear in the restaurant considering that it's not really a new establishment, generally, the interior is so nice and clean and it really feels cozy inside.

DRINKS

Kozui is known to serve organic and healthy green tea. 

They have every imaginable green tea blend in this teahouse and they claim that all of these are healthful options. 

Matcha Melon Korichio (P 130.00)

On this occasion, I chose to have one of the store's bestsellers, called Matcha Melon Korichio. At first, I thought that this drink would be a little overpowering because of its green color, but, when I took a sip, I realized that it was surprisingly delicious. I didn’t really expect that I’d ever like green tea, let alone enjoy it, but this one’s really different. It had just the right tea flavor, which was not too strong.

I was expecting that this drink would be a bit bitter, but it was actually sweet and it had this subtle melon flavor, which was so smooth and pleasant. This one’s a must try!

Matcha Lemon Teaz (P 95.00)

My friend, who was suffering from colds that day, had a ginormous mug of hot tea - the Matcha Lemon Teaz. I was surprised at how big the mug was for the grande size, and I was more surprised to see what’s inside.

It was a steaming-hot concoction of fresh tea leaves with slices of lemon on top. It was too green and, obviously, very scary. My friend had a difficult time consuming the entire mug because this one’s the real thing. I sipped a little and it felt like eating tea leaves raw - its tea flavor had a certain kick!

I wouldn’t recommend this drink to the weak at heart because this might be a tad too strong. However, it looked so nice to photograph and it was really fresh and hot when served, which I guess is  good thing for tea enthusiasts.

SERVICE AND SATISFACTION

Apart from the enjoyable drink I had, I was also satisfied with the service in this teahouse. The crew was very friendly and accommodating and they give excellent suggestions to the customers. 

VALUE FOR MONEY

Now, onto the prices. I usually am not satisfied with the prices of beverages in different establishments but this one’s truly an exception. For less than a hundred bucks, you’d be served with a huge mug of tea from this store and for just the price of a grande caramel frappe from Starbucks, you could already get a healthy drink that’s very delicious and refreshing - that’s one great deal, don’t you think?

FINAL SCORES

Ambiance - 4/5

Drinks - 5/5

Service - 4/5

Value - 5/5

TOTAL - 4.5

Kozui Green Tea
(02) 413 2705
258 B Tomas Morato cor. Sct. Fernandez
Quezon City, Metro-Manila

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Icings Cakes. Breads. Cafe

When I and my regular food buddy went to Icings to have a quick meal, the country was then being slammed by one of the strongest typhoons ever to hit Manila and, at that time, heavy floods were already inundating certain parts of the country, including the nearby provinces. But, what can we do? We just love food and no typhoon – weak or strong – can stop us from eating!

Hence, soaked and all, we still went to this place. I honestly thought that the security guard wouldn’t let us in because our clothes were literally sodden and dripping with rainwater, but he allowed us to step inside anyway.

AMBIANCE AND ENVIRONMENT

Icings, by the way, is a café near Tomas Morato but it is strategically located in such an inconspicuous area, far from the bustling crowd and peppy diners.

It’s really hard to notice and even the sign is barely visible to passersby and walk-in diners.

Inside, the place looked much like any other café - tiled floors, warm lights, paintings, and all.

There were plenty of cakes here too.

Now, this one's my favorite - the "Basket of Fruits". Too bad, they don’t sell cakes by the slice.

One more thing that's interesting is that their menu is bound on a chopping board. 

And, finally, here's the dining area. Look at how clean the floor and tables are.

     

     

Generally, The restaurant is very simple and straightforward. It wasn't really any different from other cafes out there. Uniqueness, I should say, is not really the shop's strongest point, but its cleanliness pretty much makes up for this shortcoming. Having said that, I still think that this is a really decent and quiet place to have a quick snack or some coffee and cake with friends and family.

    

FOOD AND DRINKS

Actually, the place was comfier than it looks. It was so cozy, we spent almost half an hour drying ourselves inside before actually ordering. When we’re already comfortable and dry, I flipped through the menu and called the waiter to have our orders taken.

Since we’re relatively new here, all I wanted to try out is the Ostrich Pasta. I’ve never really had ostrich in my life so I wanted to know how it feels to eat this fowl’s meat. So, I ordered one serving of this dish and this is what they served.

Ostrich Pasta (P 245.00)

Seriously, who wouldn't love to have a taste of this dish? This plate of pasta looked really good! The presentation was very clever. It had me drooling at the dish right away. I took a bite of the meatball and, surprisingly, it didn’t even taste like any other kind of fowl. It tasted closer to beef. However, it was also a tough meat. It’s a good thing that this one’s ground and formed into a meatball because it made the meat easier to eat.
   
The pasta and the sauce were good too. The spaghetti was al dente and the red sauce was very rich and creamy. I think they used fresh tomatoes for the pasta sauce, which is good. I had a pleasant first encounter with the ostrich because of this meal. This is a must-try!

Lemongrass Chicken Skewers (P 195.00)

Because we found it really hard to pick what else to eat, we just asked the waiter what their bestsellers are and when he told us about the lemongrass chicken skewers, we were convinced  to have this added to our order. This was also a good choice. It had this char-grilled flavor and was very flavorful. It was juicy and tender and was just plain good. The serving size is quite small though. Thus, we didn’t even notice that we have eaten all of it.

SERVICE AND SATISFACTION

Overall, we were satisfied not only with the food here, but also with the service. The waiter on duty that time (whose name I forgot) was very professional. He was smart and friendly. He was not pushy. He didn’t force us to order right away and follow-up on us every now and then. He just allowed us to dry ourselves first and feel all relaxed and comfy before taking the order.

He was also very attentive to our needs. He gave excellent recommendations, served us a glass of water each, and refilled our glass every now and then when he felt like we needed more water.

VALUE FOR MONEY

With such excellent service and above average food, I would definitely come back to this place. The prices may not be affordable, considering the size of the servings, but it was satisfying anyway. I’d have to get back here and try other ostrich meals. I think I’ve just become an ostrich fan!

TOTAL SCORES

Ambiance – 3/5

Food – 4/5

Service – 5/5

Value – 4/5   

TOTAL – 4/5 

Icings Cakes. Breads. Cafe
(02) 372 0351
101 Sct. Lazcano cor. Tomas Morato
Quezon City, Metro-Manila

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