7/8/13

Mitsuyado Sei-Men The House of Tsukemen

I'm a huge fan of ramen but this is the first time I've ever come across or even heard of tsukemen. Tsukemen is a kind of ramen that means dipping noodles (think deconstructed ramen). The noodles, dipping sauce / soup and toppings are all served seperately. Sigh, yet another reason to love the Japanese. 


I loved the authentic interior of the restaurant, I felt like a tourist in here! Although most of their customers are actually Japanese and Chinese (quite a lot of foreigners too) so maybe that added to the entire vibe... They've got televisions playing clips on how to eat tsukemen for those who are unfamiliar to the idea, just like the ones in Pepper Lunch.






Edamame PHP 80
There was a generous amount of salt in the edamame but nothing some scraping off wont fix! 
Black Pepper Chicken PHP 230
Teriyaki can get a bit boring sometimes so the black pepper added a nice twist to the plain old teriyaki chicken. The chicken was cooked really tender, too. We polished this off really quickly!


Gyoza PHP 180
Their gyoza was pretty standard and good, plus it wasn't too oily.


Cheese Sauce Tsukemen (regular) PHP 330
The cheese sauce tsukemen is their specialty according to the waitress. The cheese tasted a lot like Cheez Whiz and I actually have a feeling that it's made out of that, I could imagine kids going crazy over this one. Not my cup of tea, but my tita really liked it and said that she likes it better eaten with the cheese sauce. First you pour as much cheese sauce as you want onto the noodles, then dip and slurp away! 


Hiyashi Chuka (Japanese Cold Noodles) PHP 380
My dad has a thing for Japanse Cold Noodles (he orders cha soba in Japanese restaurants all the time) and I knew he was gonna pick this one. If you want something refreshing this is the one for you! I personally found this really yummy and it would be perfect for a hot day.


Hakata Tonkatsu Ramen (regular) PHP 380
For rainy, cooler days this would be my pick. It's the bestseller out of all the ramen and you're given a choice if you want thick or thin noodles. Ukokkei has always been my favorite ramen place and has stood unbeatable up to this day. I actually don't know if I would claim to like Mitsuyado Sei-Men better or not, because their taste is actually really different. Their noodles and broth are really different from each other, but definitely on that same level of yumminess. If you're a fan of Ukokkei I really recommend trying Mitsuyado Sei Men's regular ramens. 


Marutoku Tsukemen (regular) PHP 380
Since it is of course "The House of Tsukemen" I knew I had to try their tsukemen, but idea of cheese sauce just didn't appeal to me. I asked the waitress what she would recommend from the tsukemens aside from the cheese sauce and she pointed this one out. Their noodles are so chewy, possibly the chewiest noodles I've chewed. 


Their dipping sauce isn't entirely liquid, there are some chunks of meat, vegetables, fish cake and more that made the sauce / soup extra tasty. 


This comes with two pieces of chashu (pork) and a Japanese marinated soft boiled egg. You know a ramen place is good when they know how to make a mean ajitsuke tamago. You can either add the toppings into the dipping sauce or eat it separately, however you'd like. 
Just writing this post is making me crave for this again. Can't wait to try the other dishes on their menu like their curry rice! What's your favorite ramen bar?








Mitsuyado Sei-Men
Address: 22 Jupiter St., Bel Air, Makati City
Telephone No.: 511-1390

follow me on
bloglovin'     ■     twitter     ■     instagram

7/6/13

Etude House OMG! Dry Shampoo

Etude House OMG! Dry Shampoo (50 ml) PHP 448 
Living in a tropical country; I have to deal with oily skin, sweating and an occasionally greasy scalp all year round. Aside from that I try to workout almost everyday, which results in me washing my hair everyday too of course. It's pretty much impossible for my roots to not get oily if I skip washing my hair for a day. I know most people use dry shampoos mainly because they only wash their hair occasionally since washing the hair everyday isn't good, but don't you feel like it's a waste if you have your hair blow dried or curled (or even just a good hair day) then have to wash it the following morning? Well I do! If it's still clean and still looks good, then why not? I needed a dry shampoo for me to use before I head out then just wash my hair as soon as I get home. 

I first heard of dry shampoos from "beauty gurus" on YouTube about a year ago. I was completely new to the idea and thought it's a great product for everyone to own. Some of the popular brands that I came across are Batiste, Klorane, Psssssst, and more; which all weren't available in the Philippines yet. During my visit to Canada at the beginning of 2012, I got myself the Lush No Drought dry shampoo which comes in powder form and is packaged in a bottle which was a hassle until I eventually stopped using it. Just recently, I found out that Etude House and Tony Moly both have their own versions of dry shampoo, and that Digital Traincase distributes the Klorane Dry Shampoo!

My first choice from those three dry shampoos would have to be Klorane. Just because I've heard lots of people rave about this product claiming that it's their favorite dry shampoo, it's supposed to be gentle on the scalp, feel light, absorb oil well and leave no residue. Unfortunately it was sold out in Digital Traincase and I didn't know if they would restock, so I purchased the Etude House OMG! Dry Shampoo. 

The first thing I noticed about this product is that it has a pretty strong sweet and girly scent that sticks to the hair. This may bother some people so I recommend you get a whiff from the tester before purchasing, as for me, I actually like the floral and fruity smell of this. It doesn't completely look or feel like how it would if I washed my hair with shampoo, but it definitely did a pretty good job in absorbing the oil on my scalp and roots for a dry shampoo and compared to Lush's No Drought. Remember that dry shampoos aren't meant to replace your regular shampoo, it's job is to just absorb excess oil and even add a bit of volume. When hair gets greasy it tends to weigh down the roots and make the hair lay flat, this product really helped in adding back volume to my hair. It comes in an aerosol spray which makes the application a lot easier than dry shampoos in powder form. Another thing I like about this is that it doesn't leave any residue and doesn't make my hair gray, which is important for someone with black hair like me. It's also small enough to carry around in a bag or for traveling. The only downside is that it doesn't last very long, only lasting up to about five to ten uses, depending on how much you use.
Would I repurchase this? I think it's a great dry shampoo and does the job, although I'm still curious about all the hype on the Klorane Dry Shampoo. I found out last night that Digital Traincase restocked and I'm planning to pay them a visit tomorrow to get my hands on it before it runs out again!

What's your favorite dry shampoo?



Etude House (Philippines)

Locations: http://etudehouse.ph/slist.aspx (I got mine from the SM Megamall branch)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/etudehousegirl

follow me on
bloglovin'     ■     twitter     ■     instagram

7/3/13

Juju Eats

The name might ring a bell if you've heard of Juju Cleanse - Manila's only juice cleansing delivery service. Juju Cleanse has been around for awhile now and the owners just recently opened a salad joint called Juju Eats in Makati.
The set up kind of reminds me of a cafeteria and brings back some high school memories! I remember always wishing they'd open a salad bar in our canteen instead of all the unhealthy choices, in fact I still do even in college. One of my favorite healthy places to eat in Manila is Rustan's Supermarket's Gourmet To Go. They've got a smaller selection for making your own salads but they also have deli sandwiches, pasta, wraps, quiche and other yummy deli food. I love how healthy and low calorie food is slowly becoming more available in the Philippines.



Sriracha Sauce, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Tabasco and salt & pepper if you want to add an extra kick to your salad.


Of course they have their cleansing juices available here too but in smaller bottles than the ones used for cleansing and replacing meals. If you're thinking about going on the Juju Cleanse it might be a good idea to first try these ones right here.


They've got a good selection of salads on the menu but you can also choose to make your own. All the salads are available in a bowl or in a wrap; and you also have the choice of their house mix greens, romaine lettuce or pasta.


Freshly pressed fruit sodas, slushies and juice + coffee.










Ay Caramba! PHP 135 (wrap)
"House mix, grilled chicken, nacho chips, roasted red pepper, pickled jalapeno, red kidney beans, corn, grated cheddar and ay caramba dressing."


Inasal Salad PHP 135 (wrap)
"House mix, pork inasal, green mango, feta cheese, cherry tomato, red onion, hard boiled egg and balayan dressing."
My mom and I thought our wraps were just okay, nothing special. The Ay Caramba was too spicy for me because of the jalapenos (there was too many!) and the tortilla made it too heavy for me to finish. It was my mom's second time eating here and she said that she likes the Roast Pumpkin salad a lot more than the Inasal Salad Wrap.

I don't think I'd order the Ay Caramba Wrap again but I can't wait for my next visit to customize my own salad! 




Lemon Soda (medium - 16 oz) PHP 125
I love sodas but hate the fact that I need to sacrifice around 160 calories every can. They press their own fruit sodas and the cashier said that the lemon flavor's their bestseller so I got it. I liked it and drank it all but I did find it really sour.


Bayani Brew Purple Leaf PHP 50
"Brewed from all-natural sweet potato purple leaf tops and lemongrass."
Ick. My mom decided to try this out (I think it was the cute packaging) and we both didn't like this at all. We're not fond of the taste of lemongrass so this just didn't float our boat.
As for Juju Cleanse, I'm really contemplating whether I should try it or not. Not eating and just drinking juice, even just for one day, sounds like a nightmare to a foodie like me. They provide you with six bottles a day (2 for each meal) - costing you PHP 2,500 for 1 day, PHP 7,100 for 3 days and PHP 11,700 for 5 days plus delivery charge; which seems pretty pricey to me. 

Juju Eats
Address: G/F BCS Building, 2297 Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City
Telephone No.: 551-3968
Email: eats@juju.com.ph
Website: http://www.jujueats.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JujuEats
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jujueats 
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jujucleanse/
*they close at around 8 pm on weekdays

Juju Cleanse
Mobile No.: (0917) 576-3012 (8 am - 7 pm)
Email: info@juju.com.ph
Website: http://www.jujucleanse.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jujucleanse
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jujucleanse
Instagram: @jujucleanse

follow me on
bloglovin'     ■     twitter     ■     instagram