Little Tokyo Adventure

Note: All pictures are by my friend L.

A couple of Sundays back, I had a wonderful bonding time with my girlfriends, L and C for a belated celebration of L's birthday. We were originally going to Binondo, but I suggested that we go to Little Tokyo instead as I've been wanting to try it out there for quite some time. And I'm glad we opted to go there intead =)

Little Tokyo is located at a less appealing place than the more popular, usual Makati hotspots. It's a compound quite hidden from the main road (Pasong Tamo), beside Makati Cinema Square. I like the personality of the place - I've never been to Tokyo but I can easily imagine the city with how the cluster of restaurants are designed and built together. It's a very nice discovery, really.

There are several grocery shops as seen from Pasong Tamo, and the more expensive restaurants are also around the exterior of the compound. It would be nice to go inside - there are 2 Little Tokyo arcs that serve as entrance/exit points leading to a cluster of restaurants, with a small bonsai garden in the middle, lampposts and wooden chairs and tables that give off that Japanese feel.

As there were several restaurants inside, we just randomly chose Hana. And honestly, it wasn't a bad choice at all =)

My favorite was the Unagi Kabayaki, which was just eel with a very tasty sauce. I've tried Unagi in other Jap restos before, but none made quite a mark on me. This one I like very much though =) We had it sprinkled with a Japanese seasoning in a bottle (like the McCormick ones), which the staff gave us. It went very well with the Unagi and I love it. This one's my fave from all that we ate at Hana =)

In some of the blogs I've read, they've mentioned that Hana has the best Takoyako in town. I guess that shoot up my expectations of their Takoyaki. So, what do I think of their version? I'd say it's a far cry from what you get to buy in kiosks scaterred around the metro, and I will probably get that again the next time I go there. However, I don't think it's something I'd regularly crave for.

We also had the Hana Special Salad with Sesame Sauce and their Miso Ramen. To start with, I am not much of a fan of salads and ramens, and sadly, Hana's versions failed to make me a convert either. It's not bad, but I don't think they were exceptionally good either. I can pass up both next time.

Oh, but this, for me, is the star of the night - Green Tea Ice Cream! I love everything green tea and this one is sooo good and so cheap at that! Only Php90 for a size a little larger than the local personal sizes we can buy around. We bought from one of the grocery stores in there which sell all kinds of Japanese stuff. It was the perfect cap for our little foodie adventure. I'd sure be buying more of these in the coming days - I'm going back there even just to get my green tea ice cream fix =))