Friday, July 20, 2018

Manila - To Eat (Jollibee, Congo Grille 20Jul2018)

Manila - To Stay
Manila - To Do
Manila - To Eat

Manila - To Buy
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Jollibee
*Same same but different*
Jolibee is Fried Chicken to the Philippines as KFC is to the U.S.A. Finally having the chance to try it out. 
Ordered On:
20July2018
6Piece Fried Chicken, x2 Regular Coke, Yam Pie and Fries.
*In the Philippines, one can order their fried chicken with rice or spaghetti. Their signature here is chicken had with the gravy. The gravy
taste very similarly to KFC's mash potato gravy.
Interestingly when we ordered, the cuts come without breast meat. So depending on your fancy, it may or may not be your thing. The fry seems a little richer and more fragrant, but the batter could have been more evenly coasted around the chicken. Overall an okay only fried chicken. The yam pie was interesting with the filling being a little too sweet and a little too lumpy. The filling is borderline artificial tasting.*
 
Total 520Peso Fed 2
Jollibee is pretty much everywhere and synonymous with Philippines.

Congo Grille
*Congo Grille is a chain of family restaurants in the Philippines named for its African jungle-themed interiors. In contrast to the decor, the cuisine is predominantly Filipino with a smidgen of Western and Chinese foods*
A pure walk-in looking out for Crispy Pata.
 Located on the outside entrance of Robinson's Place Manila
Ordered On:
26Oct2018
Again they have run out of Crispy Pata. The place for a second time coming has run out of Crispy Pata which they said were sold out the night before!

Fried Chicken
 *Pretty good standard of fried chicken. Definatly way better than anything had at Jolibee had above. The dish comes served with gravy.*
Bangus

*This was recommneded to me by others. Some rated is a 7/10, while others did not like that fishy taste of it at all. Okay for some but not great. Comes served with a sweet sauce*
Adobo fried Rice
*Really good and a huge portion enough for 4 pax easily.*
Pork Sisig

 *A little bit on the salty side and a very light spice but goes very well with the rice.*
Talong (Egg and Brinjal dish)
 Total at 400peso per pax. Fed 5.

*Photos from Angela*
Still a damn worth while location for the asking price. Apart from the Bangus (Fish order) the rest were all very well received! The mini fried crab order was complementary for orders over 1000pesos. Place is open 24hrs and once again the Crispy Pata was missing!
Ordered On:
20July2018
Cebu Lechon Belly 295Peso *Their Signature*

*This was amazing! It may look boring but in between the layers is a herb garlic mixture which is extremely flavorful. Subtle and melds perfectly with the crispy pork. Like something similar in Melbourne, one can try GJ Grill in Melbourne. Can and will return to have this and rice. The brown sauce it comes with is sweet and a little salty! A must order.*
Inihaw na Pusit D 445Peso

*This is a little bit pricey but I guess for the serving size and a plump squid its fairly justified. Alright but not that great. A squeeze of lime would have been better.*
Congo Black Fried Rice 225Peso
*Their Signature*
*Somewhat a simplified version of squid ink paella. A huge portion which can actually feed 3 or 4 pax comfortably. Pretty alright dish.*
Congo Pork Sisig with Egg 230Peso *Their Signature*


*Interesting mix of textures. The eggs adds to the richness. The squeeze of lime accents the whole dish. The crispy pork is mixed with some yam to give that  sweet creaminess to the dish. Interesting good and worth the try.*
Buco Pandan D x2 85Peso


*A nice after dinner treat of what I assume to be a mix of coconut flesh and blended vanilla ice cream with Pandan Agar Agar jelly. Simple, yet refreshing. Its a cold dish, but the mixture is a little on the thick side.*
Total 1485Peso Fed 2.

Value 3.5/5
Ambience 3/5
*
Its a little quiet for a Friday evening and the Air-conditioning was on the weak side.*

Food 3.5/5

Service 3/5
Actually we were on the look out to try Crispy Pata which this joint did sell. However, we were informed that it was sold out. Considering it to be a Friday night, Crispy Pata and crispy pork, both being sold out at 1730hrs was very disappointing.
We would have walked out if we'd had known of another location selling Crispy Pata and other Filipino delicacies but were out of options at that time. Given the wet weather outside, it wasn't too appealing either. 
But after having had a meal there, their Cebu Lechon Belly was amazing. The rest of the orders were as reviewed. A fair value meal and would probably return in a larger group or until an alternate joint with better air-conditioning (at the time) is found.

Monday, July 16, 2018

Osaka - To Eat 16July2018 (Renge Ramen)

Japan Osaka - To Stay
Japan Osaka - To Do
Japan Osaka - To Eat 

Osaka - To Eat
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07July2018
Renge Ramen
Recommended by Super Squirrel
Weekends 1130hrs. Closes at 1530hrs.
Weekdays 1130hrs to 1900hrs.
Renge ramen is located on B1F (down the central escalator, down another half flight of stairs to the left). Look out for the black soft toy bear located at the entrance.
 *Down the small flight of stairs to the end and turn left*
 *Look to your left, before the wash room, look out for the black bear on the chair*
Renge Ramen れんげラーメン Japan, 〒543-0001 Osaka Prefecture, Osaka, Tennoji Ward, 上本町6丁目3−31
Renge Ramen is run by a lovely, elderly Husband and Wife team.
Ordered on:
14Jul2018
Renge Super Ramen ¥850 (Great for garlic lovers)
 
 *The pork broth is sweet and not too heavy. Their char siu is lightly marinated and not overly fatty like many other places. Although the pork does have a bit of a gamey flavor to it, the char siu is very tender and full flavored. Wish I’d gone for a second order. The sweet corn and fresh green onions really brightens up the dish. The noodles are the springy variety, typical Ramen noodles.*
Total
¥850 Fed 1
Value 4/5

*Price includes tax*
Ambience 3.5/5
Service 4/5

*Although the communication barrier, they were really pleasant and quick to top up water and walk around the counter to hand me the bill.*
Food 3.5/5
Probably the only complaints is that the portion is a bit small. However you can have all the additional add-ons you want to make it a filling and satisfying meal. Pretty good ramen that is located in-doors and nearby Sheraton Miyako! 

Sunday, July 8, 2018

Osaka - To Eat (07July2018 Tonkatsu Kochi, Kitcho Yakitori)

Japan Osaka - To Stay
Japan Osaka - To Do
Japan Osaka - To Eat 

Osaka - To Eat
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07July2018
Tonkatsu Kochi
located in HiHiTown

(Opens 1130-2130)

recommended and heard from others that they serve up nice Tonkatsu here.
 

Was there at 1130hrs on a Saturday and there were 3sets of patrons ahead of us. By 1220hrs, the place was almost near capacity (probably about 3 vacant bar counter seats). The place seems to be an old man’s one man operation with the help of a lady. A fairly small seating capacity pumping out good value pork cutlets.
Ordered On:
07July2018
Their signature pork cutlet 180g ¥1500
 
*A beautiful fry. Crispy and light with tender fatty pork encased on the inside. The serving size is very filling, even for guys going for the 180g cut. It would also seem that the meal comes with free flow of salad, miso soup and rice. The dipping sauce here is done a little differently. Sauce, raw egg, radish and wasabi. A nice serving with a generous supply of fresh spring onions sprinkled over.*
Draft beer ¥500
Total fed 2 at ¥2000 each

Value 4/5
Service 3/5
Food 3.5/5
Ambience 3.5/5

One man's operation, cooking up value pork chop cutlets. Although still unable to upstage top favorite at the moment Tonzen in Narita, Tonkatsu Kochi’s matches in serve size but looses out slightly in its marbled meat. Tonkatsu Kochi however is about 15% cheaper than the latter. You get what you pay for.
Click here for ABBA location of Tonkatsu Kochi 2F by the escalator. 6 Chome-3-31 Uehonmachi, Tennōji-ku, Ōsaka-shi, Ōsaka-fu 543-0001, Japan

Kitcho Yakitori
(Opens 1600-0500)
Recommended from others.
Primarily to try the Chicken Shashimi.
Opens early evening through the night till 5am!
500m walk from Ōsaka-Uehommachi Station
 


Ordered On:
15March2019

 
 *Seems to be a slight change of menu design but their Yakitori still a hit!*
Ordered On: 
23Oct2018
*My preference goes to the standard chicken shashimi, but others prefered the broiled version with Ponzu more.*
*Basil chicken and their famed garlic bulb. I thought the garlic would have been much better having tasted it with the chicken shashimi, but it lacked the punch and sweetness. Though creamy, but it carries a very light garlic flavor. For the real garlic taste, one's gotta go to SFO Stinking Rose to try their signature garlic appetizer. The basil chicken is really salty and overly spiced. Not worth the order.*
 Fed 2 more brave soles who dared tried Chicken Sashimi. 
Ordered On:
07Jul2018
 
Kagoshima Freerange Sashimi ¥490
*Not many places serves up chicken Shashimi, hence was eager to try this out. The meat itself, textually its a little like Tuna but a little more chew to it. The protein itself is sweet and goes very well with either the grated ginger or sweet mash garlic. The soy dipping sauce and a squeeze of lemon, together with some pallet cleansing white onion is the perfect bite. Will order again and in fact try the broiled chicken shashimi as well.
Chicken Cartilage ¥270

*All time favorite cut. Not much actual meat but still very enjoyable.*
Chicken Skin ¥210
Quail Eggs Wrapped in Bacon ¥290

*A tad on the salty side but what’s not to love with this classic combi*
Shishamo Smelt ¥350
Chicken skewers with green onion ¥290


*A classic but the sauce makes it a little on the salty side.*
Chicken Tail ¥290


Fed 1 ¥2303

 Value 3.5/5
Service 3.5/5
Food 3.5/5
Ambience 3.5/5

Pretty spacious joint that's well ventilated and nicely set up. The Yakitori (apart some were overly salty) most were seasoned well and was much better than Yakitori had at Takatori Namba Sennichimae (A purely walk in).
Will return for their chicken shashimi and their selection of Yakitori! Worth the try and another joint that's open till late.