Munch Monster raid: Nodasho, Little Tokyo

A quick trip to Tokyo. Well I’m not talking about the real Tokyo Japan but Little Tokyo in Makati City. A hole in the wall group of authentic Japanese restaurants.

I was hesitant to visit the place before because I had the impression that dining there was expensive. Luckily I was able to buy a voucher from Groupon Philippines, P1,000 worth of food & drinks from Nodasho Japanese Restaurant. Finally we can visit Little Tokyo without going beyond our budget for special dates.

*Special Dates definition: monthsary, anniversary or birthday. Estimated budget P500.00. 

December 12, 2011- It was a rainy morning and I was craving for hot soup, it was the perfect time to use our voucher. Jai called Nodasho to reserve a table for 2, the hostess told him that we were only allowed to sit at the sushi bar which was ok with me at least I could see the chefs in action but it was kind of discriminating because we were using a discount voucher.

Now off to Nodasho for our early monthsary celebration. Jai printed a map going to Little Tokyo but he got the wrong directions, the map led us to Tokyo Health Link. Now in solution mode I asked the guard on duty for directions. He told us to go to Makati Cinema Square and right beside it was Little Tokyo.

It was hard finding a parking space in the open parking area so we decided to park in the mall. We had a little accident where Jai hit the fender of a car parked behind us luckily the owner was not there were no cctv cameras - no damage was done really.

Now at Little Tokyo…

Konnichiwa!

The restaurant looks closed because you can’t really see from the outside so we had to knock, a Filipina waitress greeted us and ushered us to our seat. We were surprised to see a table reserved for us because we thought we were only allowed to sit at the sushi bar. Lucky us!

As part of the Japanese tradition, you have to take your shoes off, Jai didn’t like this haha (hmm…bakit kaya?) 

 

There were real Japanese people dinning. It was cool to see them there. Chefs were Japanese as well but we saw one Filipino chef who was in charge of the sushi bar and Filipina waitresses, not sure if they can converse in Japanese though.

You can avail their lunch menus, but we opted for their ala carte offerings…

 

Our orders: 

Free Appetizer

Shoyu Ramen- P280.00/order

Shoyu Ramen (soy sauce based) this is the basic ramen according to Jai. We decided to order this to gauge how good their ramen is- not influenced by different variations of flavors.

Yummy! This is value for money ramen. You can taste the authenticity and use of fresh ingredients. This is how ramen should be. One bowl can be split into two. Good for sharing.

Kani Koroke - P190.00/ 2 pcs.

Kani Koroke (Crab Croquettes) my favorite dish! Delicious and worth every peso.  You can taste real crab not mere flavorings or extenders. The coating is crunchy while the inside is so soft and delicate that it literally melts in your mouth. The salad goes with the dish perfectly, it takes care of the “umay” feel by eating too much.

Okonomiyaki - P290.00/order

Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancake) I personally ordered this and it was huge! This dish came last and we were both full already so we weren’t able to finish it. It tasted like takoyaki but with pork and overflowing fish flakes which I love. Kei (Jai's sister) liked it too (we gave her the rest of the take-out). Good for sharing, 2-4 persons. 

El Hire (Ray’s Fin) Our exotic dish. Jai and I decided to order this because it was unusual to us. It was an expensive dish but very unique. It might look thin and crispy but actually you have to bite through. It was flavorful, best when dipped in Japanese mayo.

Togarashi in the house

 

Over all it was a great experience. We’ll definitely go back for the shoyu ramen (Jai’s pick) and Kani Koroke (my pick).

We’ll try Hana on our next visit :D

 

Over all it was a great experience. We’ll definitely go back for the shoyu ramen (Jai’s pick) and Kani Koroke (my pick).

Total Food Cost: Shoyu Ramen- P280.00 + Kani Koroke (2pcs./order)- P190.00 + El Hire- P220.00 + Okonomiyaki- P290.00 + House water-Free = P980.00 plus 12% vat = P1,097.60

The restaurant has no service charge.

Our total cash out – P500.00 (voucher) + P97.60 + 20.00 tip = P617.60.00 

Walker Map: From Edsa-Crossing

1. Ride a bus via LRT Leveriza.

2. Get off at BPI Bank Pasong Tamo- you'll see Mcdonalds on the opposite street. 

3. Go to Mcdonalds, cross the street going to Exportbank Building.

4. Ride a jeep going to MRT Taft and ask the driver to drop you off at Makati Cinema Square. 

5. Little Tokyo touchdown!


Bite Cost: P200.00/meal
Munch Worthy: Yes. 10 bites!
Walker repeat: Yes

Have been to Little Tokyo? Share your experiences on the comment section below :D 


Visit Nodasho Japanese Restaurant
Located near Makati Cinema Square Legaspi Village, Makati City
Business Hours: 
Monday to Sunday
11:00 am - 2:30 pm and 5:00 pm - 1:00 am