Since I first tried out their food in the early part of 2012, I have become a frequent customer of a restaurant where the typical Japanese food gets a Filipino touch, the Manila Maki.
Located at the ground floor of Elizabeth Place Condominium in H.V. Dela Costa Street, Makati City, Manila Maki has been the go-to place for people like me who:
- wants a reprieve from the jolly-jeep food that's typical in the workplace setting
- has limited lunch hour to meet with friends over great food
- wants to date their husbands or bfs but don't know a new place to dine
Before I go on, I know you are curious of the resto's name. Well, be curious no more, the names of their dishes will speak for themselves, as well as the ingredients. So, let's go, I'll introduce you to the food that I tried on my first visit.
With some work friends, we ordered the following as appetizers:
- Manila Maki! (P255.00) This is not your typical maki. With each mouthful you'd get a taste of nilasing na hipon, fresh mangoes, kani salad, garlic rice, fresh tuna and mango sauce, which is the dressing. All I can say is, more please.
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| Manila Maki (P255.00) |
- Pinoydon Fried Chicken (P175.00). Though it looks like fried chicken skin, it is not. Yes, it is crunchy but it has meat inside and this is fried in Japanese batter and comes with a dip of Teriyaki Mayo.Best eaten with rice because this is super tasty.
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| Pinoydon Fried Chicken (P175.00) |
- Tempura Ukoy (P145.00). Think pinoy ukoy with its thin strips of veggies like carrots and onions, then add meat of shrimp (no head please) and fried in Japanese batter until super golden brown, crispy and crunchy, then served with radish-ginger tempura sauce. As of date, this is my most favorite.
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| Tempura Ukoy (P145.00) |
Now, for the main meal, we had the following:
- Sisigdon (P215.00). I can't really tell much about this because this was not my order but my friends. But the menu says this is pork sisig cooked in shoyu sauce where beaten egg is added and then topped with crunchy chicharon. This comes with rice also so its like rice toppers but already good for two, more or less.
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| Sisigdon (P215.00) |
- Pork Katsu with Gravy (P175.00). This is good for sharing. Really crunchy and I just loved the golden brown color. Looked very yummy and it taste yummy too, promise.
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| Pork Katsu with Gravy (P175.00) |
- Batchoy Ramen (P215.00). Batchoy plus ramen, my kind of hot noodle soup. And just look at the noodles, they look so soft and tender! This one's really tasty, especially the soup, and filling even when the meat slices are thin, so I guess if you're eating alone, no need to order anything else.
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| Batchoy Ramen (P215.00) |
Hungry yet? But wait, let me give you a peek at the place first. I know you'd find it interesting as I do too.
As you walk in, you'd be captivated with the unique way they decorated the walls. Nope, not your usual wallpaper. They coated one side of the walls with newspapers... from Japan! Then they decoratively placed wooden planks in the middle. Cute, unique and gives the diners something to talk about :)
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| The Decor in Newspaper |
I'd also like to commend the staff (especially the two guys upfront and the girl with the hairnet) who are just so accommodating and courteous, and who always welcome me (yes they recognize me already) with warm smiles whenever I walk in and be their customer at least once every two months.
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| The Staff... and oooh, there's the owner in stripes! |
And before I say thanks for reading, here are my work friends whom I shared the lovely meal with. Say cheers, guys!!!
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| My Work Friends |
Happy eating!!!
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