Little Tokyo

My brother and sister-in-law recently introduced me to a nice place in Makati City called "Little Tokyo".  It was called that way because within it is a cluster of Japanese food shops.  The shops were designed like the ones I've seen on cable TV.  Even the signages were in Japanese.

We had our lunch in a shop called "Hana".  From the little Japanese I understand, I know that hana means flower.  The interior of the place was also decorated with Japanese things.  The menu was in Japanese but the attendant who were Filipinos, were there to interpret what was in the list.  I ordered Gyudon to see how their version is different from those sold in local "Japanese" food shops.  My sister in law also asked for Takoyaki Balls, a popular snack made of rice batter and octopus strips.

We waited for our food while watching what was on TV, which was a news broadcast from Japan.  We couldn't understand anything that was said, of course but the visuals show a fire in an apartment complex.

Our order came after a few minutes.  The gyudon was really good.  The meat was very tender and the sauce was just right: not very sweet and not salty.  If you ask me if it is better than the others, I would readily say.  I think the ingredients used made all the difference.  

The takoyaki balls were also very good.  In fact, I have an aversion for this snack because on several occasions that I tried it in the malls, I always get disappointed because the balls were bland and the octopus strips were really tough.  The ones we tried in Hana were tasty and the octopus juicy and soft.

I was quite satisfied with my first dining experience at Little Tokyo.  There are other shops to try so maybe I could ask my brother and his wife that we go back sometime and try what the other shops have to offer.