Feeling like a Japanese at Izakaya Kikufuji
It has been years since I've been back at Little Tokyo along Pasong Tamo in Makati City and Paul has actually never been there. For almost two years, this place has been a permanent fixture in my list of places to visit with Paul, I'm glad that last Saturday, we were finally able to tick this off the list.
After setting an appointment with our BIG day officiant, we took a short drive from the church to Pasong Tamo making it just in time for lunch. While Paul was parking, I quickly headed to Izakaya Kikufuji to reserve us a table. I've been warned : this place can easily be jam-packed during lunch time. Luckily, a table for two was being cleared up and we were immediately ushered to our seats.
Inside, a number of Japanese diners were present. I love dining in places with their "locals" present as it speaks a lot about the quality and authenticity of the food being served.
It took us a while browsing through their menu, everything sounded so delicious! Then Paul had a better idea, we shall focus on their lunch menu to help us narrow down our choices. I was craving for Uni and so our first choice was their Sashimi Platter (Php. 360). I love the uni while Paul enjoyed the fresh mackarel, lapu lapu and salmon. How we just wish that they have tamago in this platter as well. Needless to say, I was in sashimi heaven. :)
Little did we know that their platter came with a whole array of appetizers consisting of: Spicy Tuna Salad, Japanese Salad, Sauteed Vegetables and Salmon Tempura. I love the spicy tuna salad as well as the sauteed vegetables. This definitely gives more value to the price of each lunch item.
We also got the Unadon (Php. 345) which is an unagi (eel) rice topping. I love Japanese rice and Kikufuji's serving was pretty generous. In fact, three people can share on one big bowl of rice. The unagi, I have to say, is one of the best. I've tasted a number of Unagis in the past as this is Paul's favorite Japanese dish and I've had my share of unagi mishaps. From tasting scaly eels to having the bone stuck on my gum and a lot more. I was extra cautious upon taking my first bite this time and I was surprised that the eel was perfectly deboned, the skin was edible and the fish was simply delicious. We enjoyed every single bite of our unagi and the fragrant Japanese rice.
We wanted more, after enjoying the Unadon and the Sashimi Platter, we ordered a couple of skewered items such as the buta bara (pork), aspara (asparagus) bacon (Php. 52/stick) and enoki (mushroom) bacon (Php. 52/stick). I love the buta bara and I'm glad we took our server's word for it. No wonder it is one of the best-selling items on the menu. The menu was very juicy and flavorful, this is actually good with a bowl of rice and you get yourself a delighful lunch already!
Just when we thought our meal was over, our server arrived with two tall glasses of iced coffee as our dessert. We were so full that we asked to have this transferred into a take-out cup for us to enjoy this on our way home.
We surely had a complete meal and I'm so happy to see Paul satisfied with our lunch.
On our way out, we noticed that there are a number of sake bottles displayed on their wooden shelf. However, all of these are opened already and have their own individual name tags which we later found out belongs to their regular diners who frequents Izakaya Kikufuji at night for some after work drinking session.
After enjoying your meal, why not take a stroll around Little Tokyo and enjoy the pocket garden and its neighboring shops such as Choto Stop that has a lot of Japanese great finds! We love it that they actually have authentic Japanese chips, Okonomiyaki sauce and a lot more. At the back of the shop houses a little eatery where you can enjoy quick and yummy snacks.
Izakaya Kikufuji is located at 2277 Pasong Tamo, Makati City. Call them at 893-7319 for reservations.
After setting an appointment with our BIG day officiant, we took a short drive from the church to Pasong Tamo making it just in time for lunch. While Paul was parking, I quickly headed to Izakaya Kikufuji to reserve us a table. I've been warned : this place can easily be jam-packed during lunch time. Luckily, a table for two was being cleared up and we were immediately ushered to our seats.
Inside, a number of Japanese diners were present. I love dining in places with their "locals" present as it speaks a lot about the quality and authenticity of the food being served.
It took us a while browsing through their menu, everything sounded so delicious! Then Paul had a better idea, we shall focus on their lunch menu to help us narrow down our choices. I was craving for Uni and so our first choice was their Sashimi Platter (Php. 360). I love the uni while Paul enjoyed the fresh mackarel, lapu lapu and salmon. How we just wish that they have tamago in this platter as well. Needless to say, I was in sashimi heaven. :)
Little did we know that their platter came with a whole array of appetizers consisting of: Spicy Tuna Salad, Japanese Salad, Sauteed Vegetables and Salmon Tempura. I love the spicy tuna salad as well as the sauteed vegetables. This definitely gives more value to the price of each lunch item.
We also got the Unadon (Php. 345) which is an unagi (eel) rice topping. I love Japanese rice and Kikufuji's serving was pretty generous. In fact, three people can share on one big bowl of rice. The unagi, I have to say, is one of the best. I've tasted a number of Unagis in the past as this is Paul's favorite Japanese dish and I've had my share of unagi mishaps. From tasting scaly eels to having the bone stuck on my gum and a lot more. I was extra cautious upon taking my first bite this time and I was surprised that the eel was perfectly deboned, the skin was edible and the fish was simply delicious. We enjoyed every single bite of our unagi and the fragrant Japanese rice.
We wanted more, after enjoying the Unadon and the Sashimi Platter, we ordered a couple of skewered items such as the buta bara (pork), aspara (asparagus) bacon (Php. 52/stick) and enoki (mushroom) bacon (Php. 52/stick). I love the buta bara and I'm glad we took our server's word for it. No wonder it is one of the best-selling items on the menu. The menu was very juicy and flavorful, this is actually good with a bowl of rice and you get yourself a delighful lunch already!
Just when we thought our meal was over, our server arrived with two tall glasses of iced coffee as our dessert. We were so full that we asked to have this transferred into a take-out cup for us to enjoy this on our way home.
We surely had a complete meal and I'm so happy to see Paul satisfied with our lunch.
On our way out, we noticed that there are a number of sake bottles displayed on their wooden shelf. However, all of these are opened already and have their own individual name tags which we later found out belongs to their regular diners who frequents Izakaya Kikufuji at night for some after work drinking session.
After enjoying your meal, why not take a stroll around Little Tokyo and enjoy the pocket garden and its neighboring shops such as Choto Stop that has a lot of Japanese great finds! We love it that they actually have authentic Japanese chips, Okonomiyaki sauce and a lot more. At the back of the shop houses a little eatery where you can enjoy quick and yummy snacks.
Choto Stop
Izakaya Kikufuji is located at 2277 Pasong Tamo, Makati City. Call them at 893-7319 for reservations.
