Japanese Karinderya

After my wife saw this episode on Poptalk, she demanded that we pay Mr. Suzuki, a Japanese cruise ship chef of 20 years, a visit. We searched the net for directions. We found out that it is located along Hermosa St. corner Clemente St in Tondo. Took out OVI Maps and looked for the best route going there. It's really easy to find. We got there around 1pm but they won't open till 5pm. So we went somewhere else to kill time then went back around 6:30pm. We were shocked to see so many people waiting in line. Some had been waiting as early as 4pm. And so we waited. Mr. Suzuki's team only consist of him, his wife, a helper and the order taker. So taking care of an order will really take a while. So we waited. Costumers who wanted to try Mr Suzuki's cooking keeps pouring in but they stopped taking orders by 8pm. There's a battle in the kitchen. Everyone who's waiting for their food just watched in awe as Mr Suzuki prepares the dishes. Our food arrived just before 11pm, their closing time.

It was worth the wait. The food tastes great. I specially like their Fish Fillet and their Gyoza. While we were eating, another costumer was talking to Mr. Suzuki's wife. She said that they always have this argument about the usage of cooking oil and other ingredients. Mr Suzuki want to dispose the oil after frying 10 orders of Katsudon. He also want the unused sauces and veggies, not used after closing time, thrown away. The ingredients bought that day should be used on that same day only in order to preserve freshness and quality. Cultural differences plays a part here. Pinoys think this is wasteful. I remember my Lola using or re-using cooking oil till it looked like it came from an engine.

After finishing our meal, I told Mr Suzuki that his cooking was great and loved it very much. He smiled, bowed and apologized for the long wait. I told him that it was ok. You can never rush good food.

The Menu


Fil-Jap setup


Our Food


Mr Toshi Suzuki


The Real Gyoza

Bebe salivating on the Yakisoba



Ramen


Fish fillet


All this for under 500 pesos

Comments

AllanB said…
Wow, nice food trip.

Looks like we also have to try it. The food looks delicious and cheap.

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