JiPan

Kojiro and I have found a new favorite Japanese restaurant that's accessible, easy on the pocket and serves great-tasting dishes. We've seen it so many times before, passed by it without giving much thought and now we're wondering why we only tried it recently when it was just under our noses.

Jipan is situated at the second floor of Glorietta 4, beside a textile shop and across the G-Shock store. An odd location you might think but on the contrary, it draws the crowd especially during the peak hours. This is probably because of the "open air" seating at the mall corridors. People passing by get to see what the customers are eating. If it looks good, maybe it does taste good.

And yes it does. The owner/manager is a middle-aged Japanese woman and I guess she is the reason for the quality of the dishes as well as the noteworthy service of the limited staff. Kojiro and I have been to the place three times already in just a month!

We sampled other dishes on separate occassions but these were the only ones I got to photograph:

Mabo Tofu Don - 240 Php

The Mabo Tofu Don is made of ground pork, tofu, minced vegetables and spicy sauce on top of Japanese rice. The serving was huge! Good for 2-3 people depending how hungry you are. It had the right balance of flavors, salty-sweet-spicy which goes well with the steamed rice.

Chashu Ramen - 250 Php

After watching non-stop Naruto Shippuuden episodes, Kojiro had the craving for ramen. He ordered the Chashu Ramen and from what I can remember, he counted 12 slices of pork in it! Well the menu did describe it as having "lots of pork slices", such generous serving! The ramen had the right texture -- springy and slightly chewy, the broth was subtly flavored, and the pork slices were also tender. He liked it so much, he orders this every time.

Miso Ramen - 220 Php

The Miso Ramen was also good, with the same springy ramen and marinated chashu slices but with a miso based broth and added ingredients of Chinese cabbage, corn kernels and half of a boiled egg.

Jipan Coffeeshop and Bakery
2/F Glorietta 4
Ayala Center
Makati City

La Maison

Derived from the French words that literally translates to "the house", La Maison is the home of steaks and seafood, but in my dining out experience it is where I found the best wild mushroom soup.

P170/bowl

The generous serving is filling enough for a light meal with the restaurant's complimentary bread sticks. Real bits of various mushrooms swim in the thick, creamy base. It has a subtle nutty, earthy flavor that you probably can only get from the real stuff which no powdered or canned alternative can compare to.

For our entrees, I had the regular serving of fish and chips. A gasp of surprise came out when I saw the huge platter being laid on our table. 2 big fried dover sole fish fillet slices were on top of a bed of large cut fries. 3 kinds of dips were served as well for it, ranch, chili, and curry. The fish was lightly seasoned, moist and flaky. I liked the ranch dip the most since it was creamy-tangy-sweet but did not overpower the flavor of the fish.

Regular serving - P375

Kojiro ordered the chicken wings (8pcs). This dish was okay if we didn't have any expectations. The wings were drizzled with a sweet-spicy sauce that gave an oriental touch to it. This was a disappointment for us since we prefer it spicy and done the Outback way.

8 pcs. - P270

La Maison
3/F Greenbelt 5
Makati City

The Soup Kitchen

This is a repost from my other blog:

"Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble."
- Three Witches; Macbeth

Probably the most dramatic and detailed soupmaking scene ever written in English literature was done by Shakespeare in Macbeth. Those witches were whipping up a wicked stew!

Enjoying a hot bowl of soup need not to be that tedious anymore. Instant mixes and canned soups are readily available in supermarkets, and in dire situations, even a cup of hot water a bouillon cube will do. But nothing comforts the belly and the soul more than the real deal -- homemade-style soups with hearty chunks of the ingredients paired with freshly baked breads. Mmmm.

Thankfully The Soup Kitchen serves just that. "Original Home Made Goodness" is what you can always expect from each visit. Here you can find the perfect soup for everybody's preference; cream base, tomato base, vegetarian, seafood or all meat. They serve 8 varieties everyday, but their Chili and Chowders are always available since these are the crowd favorites.

Soups are the healthier and more delicious alternative to the fast food we have grown accustomed to, light yet satisfying. Why not grab a bowl now?!

The Soup Kitchen
3/F Glorietta 5
Ayala Center, Makati