Japanese and Chinese Food

I have been craving for Japanese food since last month, especially at night after a very tiring day from work I usually go to Kamirori or Kitaro and have a bento meal. A bento meal is like a packed lunch consisting of a viand, white rice, vegetable and a salad. Drink is not yet included or depending to the place where you are dining. The viand in the bento depends to your preference. In Kitaro they have 4 varieties: Tonkatsu, Chicken Teriyaki, Beef Yakiniku or Sakana Furai bento. I have tried them all except for Yakana Furai Bento(I don't even know what it is but will ask when I dine in again, next time!). In Kamirori they also have a variety of 12 selections or more and my favorite is TONKATSU Bento consisting of.... of course, Tonkatsu, white rice, yakisoba, miso soup, a salad and iced tea. Yep, the drink is included and its only for P110. Cheaper than Kitaro but Kitaro serves more Tonkatsu on the plate. I dine in almost regularly lately cuz I have been going home late at night and Kitaro is open until 10:30pm. When you dine in a Japanese restaurants there are also of course--- SUSHI, maki, sukiyaki soups and appetizers like gyoza. Last night I ordered fried tofu and boy the sauce was great but I wish the tofu is isn't soft(LOL!).

Since I have been dining regularly in these place the people who manage the restaurants knows me and I get served pretty well and fast! :) I wonder if they can also add some more on my plate in gratitude for patronizing their eatery and making their sales rich! hahaha! I eat sushi when I am on diet or just when I feel like eating japanese style talaga! I like California maki in Kamirori better than in Kitaro. I also like Tamago and Ebi. But I don't like Kani and Magaro although Magaro sushi ain't bad when dipped in sauce with wasabi. But all I can take is just 2 pieces of it or less. I have never tried Uni (Sea urchin) and Unagi (Eel). I like Salmon but I don't like it with wasabi inside. I also like Shrimp Tempura very much but I don't order these often because I am not satisfied with their servings. If I am to indulge myself with this I will rather go to Saisaki or Tokyo Tokyo because they serve it better....

Last year, there was a Japanese restaurant about a few blocks from the building where I used to live. It's called SEIJI and they really serve Japanese dishes and in a reasonable price and better servings. I dine there almost everyday from lunch to dinner. They serve you some dessert for free and I like their Kani salad even it's very expensive. Their bento boxes are even better and tasty. A bento box will consist of two viand, white rice, sushi or maki, a small serving of salad, miso soup and a tall glass of iced tea. It's just too bad they moved away and did not leave any forwarding address as to where they transferred. I do miss SEIJI very much and their KANI salad. I haven't found the kind of Kani salad they make or serve. Kitaro has it but not as good as SEIJI. I once ate in DonBuri or something like that, I can't remember though whether that was Japanese or Chinese. The food was okay except for one particular dish that made me so ngiii!!! I forgot the name of the dish but the sight is still fresh in my mind- EW!.

I have been addicted with Chinese food when I was in college and I ate practically nothing but Chinese siomai every time my family and friends would eat in Chinese restaurants or when I go out on a date. I always ordered pork with shrimp or beef siomai. But the best siomai is the shark fins! On some nights I would go to Greenhills and eat in a Chinese restaurant. I think, it was called Toppings. It is near Tom Sawyer. I would eat servings after servings of siomai. The cart of this appetizers hardly leaves our table everytime we dine there at night. Sometimes while eating I can see the smiles or grins of the waiters. I must have been too familiar there for my huge appetite. I have been eating Chinese dishes eversince I was small.

I remember my Chinese Uncle Robert used to wake us up or barge in our room at night and ask us to eat out with him. We would always yell in delight and usually I sit beside him in the restaurant and he ask me what I want. On somedays at my grandmother's home (we grew up almost practically in her house). My uncle Robert would bring home food from a Chinese restaurant and he would share it with us even though we just had our dinner. I even remember going to Chinatown, sometimes in Ongpin street.

I remember dining in Chinese restaurants and hearing my Uncle speak in Mandarin and we would be served pretty well because most of the place where we dine in knows him well. Some of them he had done business with but he never talks to them about business when we are dining. He makes sure that when he treats us, his niece and nephews its just all practically a time to spend with us and enjoy the sumptious meals. We always leave the restaurant with our stomach full and the owner always goes to see us out personally, shaking my uncle's hand with a happy smile in their face. Pleased with their profits. I was the only girl every time we dine out. I don't have any cousins my age who lives with grandma. When Uncle Robert would take us out it's usually me, my brothers and gay uncle. So I was his favorite. He would call me or wave at me during lunch or dinner to ask what I want when he is having the helpers cook some tapa ( red meat). He knew how much I like this meat with fish sauce and tomatoe or vinegar. He would even serve me first with this meat once it is cooked. He also like crabs and he would have them ordered fresh from the market from a restaurant in Chinatown and have it cooked at home. We both love the fats from the crab and we all like using vinegar with crushed garlic as sauce. Usually we all end up eating using our hands when we have crabs. You can hear everyone hammering the crab and having a good meal. We are all so quiet and busy, LOL! The table was always a bit of a mess whenever we have crabs. At other times its bigger prawns baked in the oven with mayonaise a pinch of salt and pepper. Sometimes we would also have tacos but I never liked it when I was small.

On some days and months when Uncle Robert is away on business, the house is unusually quiet but we have Aunt Amy to spice up our meals with her veggies- ew! But she is generous when it comes to desserts. Sundays is usually devoted to attending mass at 7am or 10am.

We hear mass with Aunt Amy in San Sebastian and after mass we have lunch at home or we would all eat out in Chinese restaurant in Makati or in Quezon City. I always enjoyed these weekends when I was small. Sometimes we are asked what we would like and the menu will be given to us even we don't understand Chinese menu (LOL!). It's actually a joke so we cannot order more than the budget hahahaha!

I like watching at the fish tanks in those Chinese restaurants and looking at their display of figurines they call their gods. I remember seeing the statues of three gods for the first time on display at the counter. These gods according to my gay uncle are gods of bread, children and money. The god of bread means food, the god of money means business and the god of children means family. I remember asking my grandma to buy those kind of display to put in the house because I was always fascinated at those figurines. But grandma would say, "Why are you Chinese? I'm not Chinese, Princess.... and my house is not a food establishment. You can ask Lolo Kabisi though if you like to have those." However, I used to fear my Lolo Kabisi when I was small cuz I heard he is so corrupt and nobody liked him either. So, I never asked even when he heard my fascination and told me he will buy and give it to me on Christmas. Of course, he never did!

Anyway, to this day my fascination and addiction over Japanese and Chinese food still goes on! including those three gods. However, nowadays I am getting sick eating wanton noodles. LOL! I have learned to make Maki through my MA teacher in Curriculum Planning course ( another Japanese food freak like me but more freaker!). She taught the whole class during Christmas party... One of these days, I might buy the materials in making sushi and maki, hehehe! I could have bought them when I was in Holland cuz they had the complete set in various design and etc... Also people in Holland were crazy over sushi and other Japanese food. But at that time I do not know how to make them.... Aww! Now, I am very hungry so I might as well publish this blog and go eat at Kitaro. YAY! ;D