We've had previous forays into the Japanese establishments near Makati Cinema Square. I've heaped praises on Sango, The Burger Master long before they decided to open it up for franchising (I haven't been to the Rockwell franchise though). We once went inside Yamazaki, the grocery store where we discovered quite a good serving of Japanese ramen. That said, we have never really been inside Little Tokyo--not until that day when stress levels for both Hubby Sweet and I were at heights so staggering, the only way to relieve it was to go on a new food adventure. There were other choices, of course, but....well....we wanted to get new DVD's too, and well....Little Tokyo was right next to the haven of dibidis. *Insert sheepish grin here, haha. =D*
Notwithstanding the usual after-office rush hour traffic along Pasong Tamo and in the general area of MCS, the Hubby and I were in high spirits. We decided to park in MCS and get the DVD's before proceeding to dinner. We got out through the Plaza Fair side-door, and it actually made me a little sad to see Plaza Fair in its current state. I used to frequent MCS as a kid, back when it was still new, and everything was bright and shiny. It isn't so anymore, but while the upper floors still held some sort of flea market charm with its DVD's and treasure troves of second-hand antique furnitures and trinkets, Plaza Fair has since regressed to just plain old, tired and dingy. I actually wondered if anyone still shopped there. "Oh, well," I thought, "it at least provided a convenient way to get to Little Tokyo."
We crossed the street to enter this inconspicous landmark. It's pretty easy to miss what with all the cars and street vendors stationed outside it.
We walked down the long alley which, I suppose, was meant to help you transition from the chaos outside to what you will unexpectedly find within. Hubby Sweet and I let out a collective sigh as we turned the corner to find a small pocket garden surrounded by tiny shops. All of a sudden, the bumper-to-bumper traffic outside--ironically just a few steps behind--seemed like it was a world away. Even the noise of honking cars seemed to have magically dissipated. Inside, there was peace and quiet. How quaint, I thought. How very Japanese. =)
We looked around, surveying the menus of the different mini-restaurants which were all conveniently posted outside. There was the usual Japanese fare: sushi, sashimi, ramen, tempura, teriyaki....etc., etc., but we didn't feel like regular Japanese fare that night. We were there to try something different. We hopped from one entrance to the next until we discovered this.
Ah, Urameshi-ya. =)
Amidst the ramens and the sushis, etc., we found a yakiniku place. Urameshi-ya is all about grilled food. Now I love yakiniku restaurants and have gone to a few during the Wander Years with BFF Apes and Tats. Unlike higher-end restaurants that have built-in electric table grills / gas stoves, however, the servers at Urameshi-ya bring an actual, charcoal griller to your table. Really. =) Anticipating the smoke, we decided to sit outside.
Hubby Sweet and I watched as our server went to the side of the restaurant entrance to retrieve a clay pot. She proceeded to fill it with unlit charcoal from a very big sack. Then she and a companion, quite ceremoniously, lit the coal up and fanned them alternately until they glowed. The experience actually seemed strangely synonymous to going to a friend's house just in time to catch them light up their makeshift griller for a regular-night-BBQ.As we waited, Hubby Sweet and I surveyed the menu. One can choose to pick indivually from the list of items to order, but the Hubby and I are tamad so we just decided to go for the full set (approx P2,000++ at the time of our visit) which the server said would be good for two. The set included 5 different proteins (beef, pork, intestines, tongue and I forgot the other one =)), served with salad, kimchi and soup. We had to order rice separately as it was not part of the deal, plus a side order of edamame just for the heck of it. Service was quick, but that ought to be expected, I suppose, since we would be cooking our own food. =) When this was laid on our table, however, I initially thought we had over-ordered, thinking this could actually feed 3 (or even 4) people. Yari! =S
The heat from the tabletop charcoal grill radiated toward us as we grilled, but we didn't mind. I suppose it actually made everything seem better as we downed the hot-off-the-grill meat dipped in sweet-spicy sauce with spicy-sour kimchi and Japanese rice over several rounds of ice-cold drinks (beer for the Hubby, Coke Light for me). By the end of the meal, my earlier concern about over-ordering seemed ridiculous. The Hubby was apparently hungrier than I thought. Simot! Haha. =DNow, you'd think we would have stopped at this, but as we discussed whether to go for dessert or not, we saw, from where we sat, a lone Takoyaki stand to one side of the garden.
I decided I wanted to try the takoyaki balls--despite the fact that I was already practically bursting at the seams with our yakiniku dinner. I wanted to see for myself how real takoyaki balls differ from the versions sold in the kiosks that have sprouted all over the metro. Turning to our server to ask for the bill since it has been decided that we will forego dessert, she all of a sudden blurted out, "Gusto niyo pong ibili ko kayo? "
"Pwede?" (We had to ask since adjacent establishments usually do not take kindly to one eating someone else's food at their table.)
"Opo. Ok lang yung dito. Magkakaibigan naman po yung mga may-ari. Japanese Pizza po, gusto niyo?" referring to another stand. "Ay, wag na. Takoyaki balls lang. Next time na yung Japanese pizza," I replied, thinking what the heck is Japanese pizza anyway?! Haha. Still, I made a mental note to try it the next time we find ourselves in Little Tokyo.The takoyaki balls cost P120 for six pieces which is really not too expensive--especially since you'd really feel the texture and taste the cuttlefish with the delicious blend of aioli and fish flakes in every single bite. Yup, this one was definitely way better than the takoyaki balls sold in the food kiosks that have sprouted all over the metro. =)
' Twas almost a good two hours by the time we finished. We ate unhurriedly. We took our time, happy to have discovered a pocket of peace amidst the chaotic metro in the middle of a particularly stressful week. We paid for the bill (including the separate bill for the takoyaki balls which they conveniently brought to our table as well). As we got up to leave, our server said something in Japanese that I could not understand. I suppose she just meant to say thank you. Come back. I looked at her smiling. She seemed to have read my mind."Balik kayo, Ma'am," she nodded with a smile.Then she continued before I could reply, "Chaka kung gusto niyo po ng dessert, may masasarap na Japanese ice cream dun sa Choto Stop Yung grocery po dun."Haha. =D********************************************************** Urameshi-ya is in Little Tokyo beside Makati Cinema Square along Pasong Tamo in Makati. 
Bit of trivia that we found out while conversing with our chika servidora. The owners of Urameshi-ya shuttle regularly between Japan and Manila. They get fresh ingredients from Japan for Urameshi-ya. From Manila, they bring fresh ingredients for the Filipino Restaurant they own in Japan. Interesting, right? =)
