A Date to Remember ( Little Tokyo Review)

(Views and opinions are my solely mine. I am not endorsing Hana nor Little Tokyo)

I've been reading a lot of reviews lately when i suddenly saw a particular place which really made a lasting impression to me. The place is popularly called Little Tokyo. It is located at Pasong Tamo, Makati and is near Makati Cinema Square. I was really excited that I scheduled a date with my boyfriend that weekend but due to some personal problems, our scheduled date came two weeks later. Commuting there was a synch. Since we came from QC, we rode the MRT going to Magallanes station then rode a jeepney to PRC. It's that simple. We got off at Makati Cinema Square and I immediately spotted the place. We got there a bit earlier than expected so most of the shops are still closed. They re-open at around 6pm to serve dinner. Good thing, a restaurant called Hana is open. Before we sat down and browsed their menu, we first toured around the area. Once you step inside Little Tokyo, you get the feeling that you're transported to Japan. It's got that Hokkaido-ish feeling since the interiors remind me of old Japanese era. I got all giddy inside and it made me want to travel to Japan more! The restaurants are lined up side by side with chairs and tables occupying the space outside as well.

Around 4PM. We're actually the first ones (I assume) there! lol

We then went to Yamazaki grocery store to buy Japanese goodies since I'm a sucker for those huehuehue. Anyway, it does have a ramen shop inside like what the blogs say. I guess it's for the shoppers who will get hungry as they shop. The store offers enough, not that much but it covers the basics. We got milk pudding, instant ramen, a shrimp flavored rice cracker snack and a Natchan Suntory.

The milk pudding was actually really tasty. One of the best puddings I've tasted so far.

Suntory's all gone! Look at how cute the bottle is though :>

We also went to Chotto Stop. Another Japanese inspired grocery store . We found out that they sold more Japanese goodies than Yamazaki. And I swore that we would go back to buy that super cute Hello Kitty shaped pasta and some instant curry. After that we went back to Little Tokyo since it already started raining. We decided to eat at Hana. My boyfriend browsed the menu given to us and we settled for a bowl of Soba with Tempura on the side and a serving of their Takoyaki. 

These Takoyaki are the real deal. 

I actually like how huge their takoyaki servings are. It's like the size of a baby fist. What I didn't like though was the waiting part because it's too hot to eat it at once and my boyfriend also pointed out that the octopus used has that gummy texture hence it's not fresh anymore. So, if i were to rate it out of 10, i'd give it an 8.

This dish is actually good for two. The broth is so good and the Ebi Tempura is equally good.

This dish on the other hand is something I didn't expect would haunt me up to now. Admittedly, I ordered this only because of the Tempura side dish. But boy was I in for a big surprise. The first sip of the broth hit me like a wrecking ball hahaha. Imagine the reaction of people eating Cooking Master Boy's dishes. It was that good. The noodles, made from buckwheat was also firm and gave a nice balance to the flavor of the broth. I even ate the nori even if I'm not a big fan of miso soup. I added a bit a chili powder from S&B to give it a little kick and it made the soup more flavorful. Even my boyfriend agreed that this is a knockout dish! As for the Tempura, we were given two huge Tiger prawn tempuras along with a vegetable one (eggplant according to my boyfriend). I really had a hard time using chopsticks on my Tempura because it was so big it kept falling off. it has a light crunchy texture and you can really taste the prawn with each bite. My boyfriend even smothered his share with the Tempura sauce and he said it was delicious. If I were to rate this dish, it's a big 10. So if you want a noodle dish that's filling and yummy, deviate from the usual ramen and try this instead. 

This meal only costs 470 bucks. That really is value for money. If you're planning to go on a date this Valentines day, this place is a good option. We're definitely coming back to try the other restos in the area. Hopefully that time, I'll get to try Okonomiyaki and Kakigori. Cheers!

P.S. We also got to sample Ben and Jerry's Strawberry Shortcake ice cream at Rustan's Fresh Glorietta. This is the only place I know that sell them. I hope they also sell it Rustan's Gateway since I'm nearer that place.

This is a piece of heaven right at my finger tips <3