ERICJAZ FOODIES: February 2013

Monday, February 25, 2013

KIMPURA

I think one of the reasons why I became such a foodie was because of MY FAMILY! My dad, whom I slowly turning into, would always find reasons to celebrate outside with us. The venue need not to be expensive... Sometimes we would have picnics in Luneta, or pig out on 2-piece-chicken-nights at Jollibee!!

With this you could just imagine how we celebrate birthdays... Yes you got that right, EATING! And one of the usual choices for birthday dinner outs is KIMPURA. I remember when we were kids since their teppanyaki table was so pricey, we could only have it on special occasions, ergo, birthdays. Now when all of us siblings have work and we could treat our parents there whenever we want to, we somehow still stuck to the notion that we could only eat at the KIMPURA teppanyaki table during birthdays.

Old habits die hard yes... But with Kimpura, I do not mind rolling over in my grave for this. Ha ha ha ha!

Here are my different birthday celebrations in this iconic (for me) resto....

(February 25, 2003) The year when I was about to get married... (not to this guy....KIDDING!)

Maybe that explains why my Dad was somewhat grumpy. ha ha ha ha!

Check out the check checking out my fiancee... ha ha ha ha!

That's me, my very pretty Mom, my Dad, and my bro Kuya Jon!

... and THAT is a thing of beauty! Yum! Shrimps teppanyaki! It was just SOOO good! The great thing was that the shrimps were so fresh and plump that their fat was just bursting in the dish!

My Dad may be grumpy but there is nothing that a song wouldn't fix for my birthday! he he he he he! The great thing is that they also give out complimentary birthday dessert of coffee gelatin :)

This was my Mom's birthday (October 17, 2006). If you think I suddenly got fat, well it's because I was pregnant with my Andrei.

... and the great thing about being pregnant is you could eat and eat whatever you like in humongous amounts. Plus! People tend to offer you more grub since you're eating for 2....

That's what they think...

Because THIS is definitely ALL mine.... Yup! My favorite.. Shrimp teppanyaki yet again.

After I gave birth, I lost all of the baby weight from breastfeeding. Now how will I reward myself from all that hard work?

EATING at KIMPURA on my birthday of course (February 25, 2007 :)

Mati loved hamming it up for everyone and was starting to be addicted to being the life of the party. Me thinks he wants more attention for the teppanyaki grub.

I have never met another couple as sweet as my mom and dad. I love that they are still acting like BF/GF... It does get gross sometimes but I learned to appreciate it with age. He he he!

But no matter how anyone is making pa-sweety sweety, we all stop when the chef starts cooking!

It is truly a sight to see the fried rice being whipped before our very eyes. PLUS the aroma that hits your nose will just make your mouth instantly water. Yup! Their fried rice is THAT good!

Their Fried Rice is so flavorful and filling that we usually order a cup less than our number and just split it evenly.

I guess that pissed my yaya off. h ha ha ha ha! Less for her?

Once again, the waiters sang and gifted me with our favorite coffee jelly dessert. This part has become a tradition as well! Hey Daddy! How about giving some to Mati? Ha ha ha ha!

On another Birthday (February 25, 2009), Mati brought his "spider-side" with him to dinner...

It is very contagious believe me.

I'm so happy that my brother Kuya Jay and his wife Karen was able to join us :)

Plus the 2 single gals in the family: My niece Rocio and Ate Jojit.

He he he... There is a Mr. Pogi in all of us...

Before starting a monstrous teppanyaki meal, we always start it off with some sushi and sashimi. One of our favorites is the TUNA... So fresh... tender... juicy! Perfectly complimented by their wasabi, calamansi and kikkoman soy sauce.

Of course once the TEPPANYAKI cooks up, everthing else is fair game. One of our staples is the CHICKEN... Ultra perfect with their tasty fried rice. This is just exploding with deliciousness!

Here's my lord of the cooking ring!

It's another KIMPURA birthday for me (February 25, 2012), and once again my main man treated his little girl (at 37).

My boy Andrei was finally able to join us!

If you think you have picky kids, my Andrei takes the cake. But I'm glad that he was able to enjoy the sweet dilis which was served for appetizers. He even sipped tea! Thanks Kimpura for feeding my boy! ha ha ha ha!

The waiters were always accomodating in giving Andrei some more sweet dilis when he asked for an extra helping.

If only I could have hills and hills of this wonderful Fried Rice...

Did I say SHRIMP FAT? :)

It's a great sight and sound when the chef cuts the chicken breasts. You would hear an extra sizzle from the juices!

Truly a sight to behold. Even my hyper kids stopped and stared.

Kuya Jay and Karen enjoying the grub. Perhaps next time I won't invite them so there'll be more for me??

Ha ha ha ha! Kidding! (Or am I?)

My little neice Rocio, Mommy, Daddy, and Kuya Jon, patiently posing for my memories but would later yell expletives so they could continue eating the glorious food! ha ha ha!

All hail the KIMPURA CHEF! Happy Birthday to me too!

Sorry Daddy and Karen! Next time, give me a wide lens camera for my birthday :)

After the waiters sang, it's time for me and my Andrei to blow on my complimentary coffee jelly!

Mati was so thrilled with all the cooking that he requested for a picture with the chef!

For my birthday this year (February 25, 2013), guess where we ate?

And guess what Andrei feasted on?

... and guess what I wore again? :)

I'm so proud that my Mati is now a foodie like Mommy. He loved the tekkamaki and had 4 pieces of it!!!

From Tuna Sashimi, I have moved on to their Salmon Sashimi. I am so addicted with it! Could you blame me for enjoying it's buttery, refreshing, and creamy taste in my mouth? YUM!

I got my wish that my brother and family were not able to join us. More for me?? Kidding! We definitely missed them.

But of course, there's always a next year and another.

KIMPURA will and forever be in our veins.

... and that's just the way I like it... Along with my coffee jelly :)

LET'S EAT!

Kimpura Japanese Restaurant

Greenhills Shopping Center

GH Lifestyle Center, Ortigas Ave

Greenhills, San Juan

(02) 721-8816

Monday, February 18, 2013

MITSUYADO SEI MEN

These days, I am always in a Ramen frenzy. You may judge me for going with the soup flow but do you think I could help it? You will understand my predicament in having Ramen every given day once you see that sparkling thick broth and take a huge slurp of those chewy noodles. Trust me, it is very addicting.

So much so that if there's a new noodle joint, count on me and my husband to drop whatever we're doing (well almost) and order huge bowls of their specialty.

Now THAT is what exactly happened on how I came upon MITSUYADO SEI MEN :)

The newest Ramen boss in the "block"... MITSUYADO SEI MEN!

And if you're also interested in knowing the meaning of the words, MITSUYADO is "3 Arrows" while SEI - MEN is "noodle making"... In other words, they always get the bulls eye (in product, service, situation) and make mean noodles on the side!!!

Inside Mitsuya Sei Men, they created a special set up to make it look like you're in the grimy streets of Japan where there are ramen eateries to warm you up during their cold weather.

I wonder if somebody has ACTUALLY tried knocking and attempted to open that door with the iron gates... ha ha ha ha!

The boys were deciding what to order.

The place was packed but luckily we were able to get seats pronto!

Next time we will try to sit at that table with the faux noodle cart!

Me and the boss!

Me faking to look at the menu. As if I don't know what to order... I was actually putting on some face powder while at it! ha ha ha ha ha!

So that I'll look good when somebody takes a picture of me... oh this was so sudden! I did not expect it! ha ha ha ha!

The good thing about Mitsuyado Sei Men is that they also have a variety of Japanese dishes to choose from. So if you're significant other or dinner date is not that fond of ramen (like my husband as usual) then this resto will be a safe (and yummy) place for both of you. :)

Yub ordered a plate of Karaage (P190), or fried chicken chunks. He loved this dish as the chicken was flavorful, juicy, and crunchy! We think Andrei will like this as well!

The reason by the way why I pleaded and begged my husband to eat at Mitsuyado on that same Sunday night was because I have seen in several blogs that they are offering a SQUID INK ramen/udon up to March 31 ONLY! I know it was only February 17 and we have more than a month to go, but I still think we have little time left!!! We just got to go right then and there! :)

And this is how it looks like when served to you... Isn't... it...just... beautiful? This dish almost bought tears to my eyes....

My guy getting ready to eat his chicken and plain rice!

Andrei on the other hand suddenly decided he wants some fava beans... ha ha ha! It's great that they give out free moist towelettes :)

Getting ready to wolf this down!

Andrei suddenly became obsessed with imitating Hannibal Lecter!

I loved that the noodles were chewy and soup was piping hot when served! The veggies added an extra texture while the tomatoes and spring onions gave a ramen an exotic layer of taste. Let us not forget that the soup was richfully flavored with squid ink.

An overall heavenly experience!!!

Getting ready to eat! By the way, that's Andrei's finger. He loves spoiling my pictures. Well, that's what he thinks he's doing when actually this just makes it all more hilarious!

Here's another mouthful for mankind!

I am ashamed... no flabbergasted even... that my husband eats much less than me! He even shares with Andrei! Why that &*(%! H aha ha ha! Kidding!

Okay fine... So to lessen my guilt of being a selfish parent, I shared some of my noodles with Andrei. I only got him much less for his bowl since he found the taste of the squid ink too strong (thank heavens...).

As usual for more excitement, I add some chili powder. This made my ramen MORE delicious!

The husband was quietly eating :)

While I slurped and slurped happily on my corner!

Until....

I felt so "bitin" that I ordered some extra noodles and had Andrei's leftover soup! he he he he!

While waiting for me to finish my food, Andrei checked out how they made the noodles at their open kitchen :) It's great to see everything created and cooked with such detail to give you an exceptional bowl of ramen or tsukemen every time!