lifeisacelebration

This is my neighbourhood. It’s a bit off the CBD, perhaps a couple of blocks. But here lies a slice of Japan with a cluster of izakayas serving authentic Japanese food with price tags ranging from quite cheap to pricey. Makati Cinema Square is now called Makati Central Square, MCS for short. Within this old mall are many tiny Japanese restos, the most popular of which is Manmaru. That is, judging by the queues nearly every mealtime outside this Japanese eatery. A few more restos within the same mall is Unakichi (entrance near Mcdo and KFC area) which specializes in unagi and Sakura Yakiniku (near Unakichi) and Yakiniku Kenshin (beside Manmaru). There is also our fav Wabi Sabi (2nd floor above Kenshin) for vegetarian ramen, dumplings and homemade ice cream. From MCS, we step out and cross the street towards LITTLE TOKYO which is another cluster of izakayas with a truly Japanese vibe. The Torii gate, narrow alley lined with red lanterns look more Japanese in the evenings when the lanterns are lighted and the courtyard seems more festive with banners.

Within Little Tokyo, the most popular and my personal favorite is Kikufuji whose entrance fronts the main road (Chino Roces Avenue), and for ramen, there is Shinjuku. Both are iconic izakayas in the Little Tokyo area fronting the main road and must have stood there for at least 2 decades along with Hana which is situated in the inner “courtyard”. Parking is always a challenge so I’d advise parking in the MCS basement and just walking across to Little Tokyo.

Inside Little Tokyo, you may choose to go for simple snacks like takoyaki, kakigori (flavored ice shavings), okonomiyaki (pan cake) or have serious yakiniku or bento boxes. Plenty of choices here. Menus are on display by the izakaya’s door so there shouldn’t be any surprises especially if one is on a budget. You may also opt for al fresco lunch or dinner or step into the tiny air conditioned spaces. I have tried Kikufuji, Shinjuku, Yakiniku, Hana and Oishinbo in the Little Tokyo cluster. Pricing observes a wide range as it largely depends on what you order. Less expensive would be the rice bowls or rice toppings, called donburi. Ask also if they have set meals which are really combo meals to include your chosen dish, miso soup, pickles, rice and sometimes a drink. There are a few more izakayas waiting for me to try. 😁

Seryna is also quite popular. It is right beside the Torii gate entrance and across Manmaru in MCS. But my personal favorite remains to be Kikufuji — love those wagyu cubes and sushi. Just that it is always fully booked so I always end up settling for Shinjuku ramen or one of those bento boxes in either Hana or Oishinbo. Unless of course I’m craving for unagi which means crossing towards MCS’ Unakichi. As for Manmaru, I’d rather order online (via Grab) than braving those long lines!

The latest addition to this izakaya cluster is EDOYA. It is right beside Seryna and a Japanese grocery store and right across Manmaru housed in Makati Central Square. Some of the food we ordered tasted good but they’re still on soft opening when we visited so the service can actually be improved. It took a while for our food to be served. Also, we stayed in one of the cubicles on the 2nd floor and we found the acoustic properties of the place to be problematic. I hope they do something about this because the place looks nice and we’re willing to give the Resto a second chance. The iced coffee bevs are ok but we were frustrated that none of their ice shaving desserts were available. I promise to dine there a 2nd time and update this blog. So there. 😉