Ramen Bar has been one of the first ramen houses in the Metro.  Due to logistical reasons, it was only recently that I got to dine and try it.  I've gotten a chance to try both the Greenfield District and Robinsons Magnolia branch so I hope you don't mind if I just merge them into one.

Ramen Bar Greenfield District

Ramen Bar Greenfield District

Ramen Bar Robinsons Magnolia

Ramen Bar offers a spacious casual dining set up.  It has minimal interiors with well-cushioned wooden chairs that matched its wooden tables.
 
Food

Small Plates

♥ Kakuni Buns (220 php)

 The Kakuni Buns reminds me of my favorite Chinese snack called cuapao that I often eat.  While the cuapao focuses on meatiness, this is a very tasty (due to the sauce and Japanese mayonaisse) and pillow soft to chew especially the kakuni which almost melts in the mouth.  I loved it!
 

Ebi Tempura (380 php)

Just by looking at the texture of the batter and the size of the prawns, you can tell that their Ebi Tempura is of top quality.

 

♥ Karaage (185 php)

Among the karaages I've tried, I noticed the style of Ramen Bar's Karaage is similar to Ramen Yushoken, Osaka Ohsho and Moshi Koshi.  And among all of them, I think Ramen Bar and Ramen Yushoken is tied at the top.  But, I'd go with Ramen Bar just because the size is bigger.  Plus, it's more accessible for me.

Gyoza (150 php)

I didn't expect that Ramen Bar's Gyoza would be fried.  I guess it's because most gyozas I've tried are steamed or combined pan-fried and steamed.  This is also different from Octoboy's Crispy Gyoza because the shell it's thicker.  Biting through the shell of Ramen Bar's Gyoza is like munching on wanton or tofu chips and getting a surprise juicy tasty pork filling inside.

Gyudon Rice Bowls

♥ Mushroom Gyudon (220 php)

I'm eternally a gyudon fan.  I'm happy to add the Mushroom Gyudon into my favorites.  It has generous portions of both sliced beef and shitake mushrooms.

Ramen
Ramen Bar has recently upgraded its broth with longer hours and more ingredients making it more flavorful than before.  

♥ R.B.S. #1 (360 php)

The R.B.S. #1 is a shoyu-based tonkotsu broth with shoyu, chasyu, kakuni, negi and naruto.  This is a very fulfilling ramen in terms of ingredient variety, texture and flavors.  The noodles is similar to that of Hanamaruken except that it is a bit thicker.
 

♥ Seafood Ramen (380 php)

 If you want to deviate from the usual Tonkotsu broth, try the Seafood Ramen.  It has a soothing slightly spicy, salty (shio broth) and sweet seafood flavor.  It is topped with various seafood like squid and naruto (fish cake) too.

♥ Bikkuri Ramen (380 php)

 The Bikkuri Ramen is a miso-based tonkotsu broth topped with minced pork chili, green onions, negi (leeks), naruto, aji tamago (egg).  The minced pork chili will add some spice into the slightly sweet miso broth.  But, the spiciness is just enough to whet the appetite and does not overpower the other ingredients.

 

Super Chasyu Ramen (380 php)

 Meat lovers will enjoy the Super Chasyu Ramen which is a shoyu-based tonkotsu broth with lots of chasyu.

Dessert
 

Tempura Ice Cream (150 php)

 Have the delicately prepared Tempura Ice Cream for a nice cool meal-ender. 

Drinks

Ramen Bar Special Coffee: HOT 

Vanilla Yuzu Latte (120 php)

The Vanilla Yuzu Latte is also a soothing option.  The fusion of citrus flavors and vanilla-flavored coffee is superb.

Ramen Bar Special Coffee: COLD

Iced Shouga Coffee (130 php)

For coffee lovers, I also recommend the Iced Shouga Coffee.

Tsinoy Foodies Other Ramen House/Shop Reviews
Akira Restaurant 
Curry Bee Japanese Curry Shop
Hanamaruken Ramen 花丸轩  
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka
Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen
Kitchitora 1 | Kitchitora 2
Kokoro Ramenya
Menya Genki Tonkotsu Ramen
Miso-Ten
Mitsuyado Sei-Men
Moshi Koshi 1 | Moshi Koshi 2
Rai-Rai Ken Ramen House
Ramen Cool
Ramen Ichiban-Kan
Ramen Nagi
Ramen Sora
Ramen X (Closed)
Ramen Yushoken
Ukkokei Ramen Ron
Wrong Ramen

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Ramen Bar is truly worthy of belong in the top list for one of best ramen shops in the Metro.  They serve consistently delicious ramen.  Plus, other items are really good too.  The staffs are also well-trained and accommodating.  They also have a fast and reliable WiFi.

Last month, I was invited to sample Italianni's new breakfast menu fare.  I've tried Italianni's many times before but never knew they had a breakfast menu.  I was really impressed.  Thus, I'm adding it on my list of breakfast options.  These are served daily from 7 am to 10:30 am in Italianni's Bonifacio High Street and Greenbelt 2.

Food
So here are the items that I was able to try.

Puff Pastries 
I'd typically go for omelettes than puff pastries but not this time!  I especially loved Italianni's puff pastries because they are lightly buttered, crusty, flaky and filled with a pouched egg.  Gorgeous golden yellow yolk erupts from the pastry upon slicing it.

Prosciutto and Dill Potatoes

The Prosciutto and Dill Potatoes has sliced dill potatoes, cherry tomatoes and prosciutto ham in a creamy sauce served with toasted bread and sunny side up.

 

♥ Chicken Caesar

 All hail Chicken Caesar!  I've always enjoyed a nice caesar salad.  But, that is nothing compared to the Chicken Caesar with grilled chicken cubes, fresh romaine lettuce and parmesan cheese.  It is also served with toasted bread and sunny side up.
 

♥ Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese

My favorite among the Puff Pastry selections is the Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese.  It is
topped with smoked salmon and dill cream cheese swimming on a pool of hollandaise sauce.  Words are not enough to describe the stupefying sensation I had upon indulging this! It also had the toasted bread and sunny side up on the side.

Omelletes

Italianni's Omelette

 The Italianni's Omelette is a very savory, manly and meaty option.  It is a  bolognaise, Italian sausage and chorizo with cheddar and Parmesan wrapped in a mustard omelet.  It is served with a salad and your choice between: Dill Potatoes or French Toast.

 

Mushroom and Bacon Omelette

The Mushroom and Bacon Omelette is for the bacon fanatics.  It has applewood smoked bacon, shiitake mushrooms, and creamy mozzarella cheese.  Choose French Toast for the sides.  It's really good! 

♥ Smoked Salmon Omelette

The Smoked Salmon Omelette is similar to the Puff Pastry version.  It's just as good.  But, since I love eggs, I'd prefer the Puff Pastry one.

A little over a month ago, my friend Justin and I discovered Mrs. Graham's Cafe along Scout Rallos in Quezon City. 

The lighted sign is visible from Tomas Morato if you have a good eye-sight like my friend J.

The facade looks like a cute Parisian cafe I've seen on post cards. movies and television shows.  Upon the sight of it, I knew J was so excited to take his fashion shots there.  Yes, in case you don't know yet.  J is a very popular male fashion blogger with lots of followers under his wing.

That's my handsome date J right there!

It occupies two floors but the second floor was closed during our visit.  Everything is just so cute...

even the lighting see... And, I don't usually mention this but their rest room soaps are also shaped like macarons.  We're told that everything was hand-crafted by the owner herself.  She sure has a handful of skills. I'm envious!

I've first encountered Mrs. Graham's at the Electrolux Discover-E Food Festival last year.  Back then, they didn't have a stand alone store.  And, now I'm happy to see that they don't only offer macarons but other pastries too.


The macarons available are displayed on their chiller.  That got me really excited since I'm always in search of interesting macarons to try.

They also sell other gift items.

They also have some games you can play.

Food and Drinks

Jade of Africa (110 php) and ♥ Bibingka Macaron (60 php)

J had the Jade of Africa and he said it was a bit watered down.  We split the Bibingka Macaron and we really liked its tickling salted egg twist .  The texture of the macarons was really good.  In fact, it's one of the best macarons in terms of consistency I've ever encountered.

Cappuccino Milk Shake with Extra Shot of Espresso (120 php + 40 php)

For my drink, I had their new Cappuccino Milk Shake.  Because I really like my coffee strong, I ordered an extra shot of espresso.  As a stand alone coffee drink, it was too light for me.  But, I appreciated its lightness and milkiness as it didn't overpower the unique flavors of the macarons.

♥ S'Mores, Tiramisu and ♥ Bittersweet

The S'Mores was fun to eat.  The Tiramisu was a great macaron rendition of one of my favorite cakes.  But, the winner among all the macarons we tried was the Bittersweet.  It was rich, moist, bittersweet, crunchy and fudgy all at the same time.  It's just amazing!

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Calling all macaron enthuasists like me!  I highly recommend Mrs. Graham's Macaron Cafe for its unique flavors.  The quaint and cute macaron-theme of the cafe also makes it worth suggesting as a chill place. 

Nanbantei of Tokyo is an international chain of yakitori restaurants from Roponggi Tokyo Japan.  Since the establishment of its pioneer branch 40 years ago, it now expanded in Singapore, Shanghai, and the Philippines.

I visited their branch located at the 2nd level Bonifacio High Street Central just beside Village Tavern.  The other is in Greenbelt 3.

The interiors are of traditional Japanese with wooden tables, chairs and dividers.  The entire place is lit with soft yellow lighting. 

They have an open kitchen were you can see your yakitori orders being grilled by the expert chefs.

Food

Soup & Salads

Shiitake Mushroom Salad

The Shiitake Mushroom Salad  has the usual salad ingredients: lettuce, carrot, cherry tomatoes with the special ingredient: fresh shiitake mushroom. I never knew that you can eat the shiitake mushroom raw.  I loved it!  The sesame dressing is perfect for it too.

Samurai Sets (888 php/good for 3)

Samurai Set A (800 php/good for 3)

All Samurai Sets comes with 3 servings of Miso Shiru and Gohan.  We tried the Samurai Set A which includes: 1 set of Ebi Tempura (6 pieces), 3 Tebasaki (grilled chicken wings seasoned with salt), 3 Poteto Maki (grilled potato wrapped in bacon seasoned with salt), 3 ♥ Negima (grilled chicken meat with leeks seasoned with salt), 3 Aspara Maki (grilled asparagus wrapped in bacon seasoned with salt) and 3 ♥ Pork Yakiniku (grilled pork meat marinated with yakiniku sauce).


Samurai Set B includes: 3 Leba Maki (grilled chicken liver wrapped in bacon seasoned with salt), 3 Beef Garlic Maki, 3 Pork Garlic Maki, 3 Beef Yakiniku,  3 Shake Kushi Yaki (grilled salmon balls marinated with teriyaki sauce) and Kani Salad.  Samurai Set C includes 3 Bonjiri (grilled chicken tail marinated with teriyaki sauce), 3 Tebasaki , Sakani Maki (grilled dory fish wrapped in bacon seasoned with salt), 3 Tsukune, 3 Shiso Maki (grilled pork with shiso leaf) and Tori Karaage.

Pork

Enoki Maki (140 php)

The Enoki Maki grilled enoki mushroom wrapped with pork seasoned with salt.

Beef

♥ Shitake Maki (220 php)

The Shitake Maki is grilled shitake mushroom wrapped with beef seasoned with salt.

♥ Gyu-Tan

The Gyu-Tan is grilled ox tongue seasoned with salt and pepper.

Seafood

♥ Ebi Maki

The Ebi Maki was a hit among my companions.  It is grilled  shrimp wrapped in bacon season with salt.

Chicken

♥ Tsukune (120 php)

The Tsukune is grilled chicken meat balls marinated with teriyaki sauce.  This is my favorite among all our yakitori orders.

Special Items

Tori Karaage (200 php)

 The Tori Karaage was tender and juicy but I did not appreciate the thick batter.


Side Order

Yaki Onigiri (85 php/piece)

We were intrigued by the Yaki Onigiri  or grilled rice balls.  It was an interesting sight but I didn't enjoy it that much especially since the nori wasn't crispy anymore.

Beverage

♥ Strawberry Mango Shake (100 php)

The Strawberry Mango Shake is really good!  This is probably the best summer fruit shake I've tried yet.

Strawberry Shake (100 php)

The Strawberry Shake is just as good. 


Dessert

Coffee Jelly (120 php)

For dessert, the Coffee Jelly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is a great choice.

Green Tea Ice Cream (100 php)

The Green Tea Ice Cream is also a nice meal-ender.

 

Avocado Ice Cream (100 php)

Or you can opt for the Avocado Ice Cream to avoid the caffeine.


New Cocktails

♥ Japanese Mojito (175 php), Malibu Midori (125 php), Gin Basil (125 php), Hibiscus Mojito (150 php) and Fresh Rita (150 php)

Popular among my colleagues was the Japanese Mojito.  It's a blend of Ichiko Soju, calamansi juice, syrup and soda water.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Nanbantei of Tokyo offers authentic yakitori selections and other Japanese dishes for an affordable price.  They have a wide variety of drinks too.  If you're in group the sets are a good option to enjoy more savings.