Kai Restaurant

It was one of those days again wherein we didn't know where to go. We had our favorites in mind but it's been quite a while since we tried something new. We walked along the sides of greenbelt 5 and thought about eating at one of the places there. We then passed by Kai Restaurant and I remember reading about this in an article about Manila's Best Restaurants. It was ANOTHER Japanese restaurant. And we went in to find out if it could stand out from the rest.

California Maki, originally uploaded by belly happy.

We usually have a set menu for Japanese Restaurants. We are so used to eating at Teriyaki Boy that whenever we go to other restaurants, we order the same thing. After all, they are serving the same cuisine.
Most of the time, we go to Japanese restaurants whenever she feels like eating California Maki. This was not one of those days but this is part of our "set menu". We have eaten a lot of variants of this dish (even though they look and taste almost the same) but this one is definitely at the top of our list.

Age Dashi Tofu, originally uploaded by belly happy.

We would always order this dish along with the California Maki. Throughout the different Japanese restaurant experiences we've had, the presentation would look the same. Perhaps, a slight change on the accessories surrounding the tofu but that's about it. This time, it was the Tofu that looked different. It was crispy to the bite but it explodes in your mouth. The presentation was simple and yet unlike for other restaurants, the star here is really the tofu. Not the accessories. Not the sauce. The tofu.

Ika Karaage, originally uploaded by belly happy.

Perhaps the least favored among our dishes. She really didn't like it. It was dry and a little bland. The taste relied on the dip on the side which was (to our guess) some mixture of vinegar. I was able to finish it all with her taking very few bites. It was disappointing.

Wagyu Strips Teppanyaki, originally uploaded by belly happy.

Good thing we had this. This definitely would be my favorite dish among the rest. Without this, it would have been an utter disappointment. It was our first time to try Wagyu Beef as a full-fledged entree. Once you've tasted Wagyu Beef, you're bound to look for it again. We were first uncertain because of the price but it was really worth it. The beef was so soft that you could almost cut it without using your teeth while the juices are seeping out. What a treat!

Ebi Tempura, originally uploaded by belly happy.

The Ebi Tempura was presented in a different way but the taste was nothing special. If you've tasted Tempura from other restaurants, then you probably won't notice a difference between those and this one.

The pros: Wagyu Teppanyaki, California Maki, Agedashi Tofu
Like the other award-winning restaurants, it cost us about P2000++. Some dishes weren't worth the money for us. For the favorable ones, we wouldn't bother to have paid more. It was certainly a mixed experience. The search for the best Japanese restaurant is still on...

Casa Armas

Want spanish food? Think Casa Armas! After going around, window shopping, bellyhappy and i find ourselves craving for good food and GREAT dessert and Casa Armas has it all. If you plan on taking someone out for a date, this is the place to go. Great ambiance, great service, GREAT dessert :D (i love dessert) haha

Ensalada del Cesar, originally uploaded by belly happy.

For starters, we had the Ceasar Salad. Just your regular old ceasar salad, but we find this one as one of the best since it's not too tangy and the croutons? yum! :D
Bellyhappy: This may be one of the most unique presentations of Caesar Salads that we've encountered. It's uniqueness is only matched by its taste.

Espaguetas Marinera, originally uploaded by belly happy.

For the main course, we had pasta and two other entrees. I think this was the seafood pasta. Bellyhappy really liked this dish and of course, he finished it all!
Bellyhappy: Our perennial concern for seafood dishes would always be the "fishy" taste. And here is where this pasta is successful. The ingredients are combined in a way that brings out the best taste in each of them.

Lomo con Pimiento, originally uploaded by belly happy.

Bellyhappy: Most of the time when we go out, one would always say "I like your food better". This time, it was my turn. (See steak below) I wanted to try something new so I randomly selected a dish whose name sounded interesting. Sadly though, I did not like the presentation. It was like pieces of pork swimming in gravy-like red-pepper sauce. The taste was not as good as I expected and I am one who attaches taste to the price. This one however, did not live up to its value. I guess it's just a matter of preference--this one wasn't for me.

Solomilio Ala Pobre, originally uploaded by belly happy.

I had THE STEAK. Usually, i like gravy with my steak. Lots of sauce in my steak and potatoes makes for a very good meal. But this is one of the rare occasions that i put my choosiness aside and had THE STEAK. It was pretty good... something i might have again. but i still like my gravy ;p
Bellyhappy: This would have been my ideal meal. There was just a little too much garlic on top but it was a feast!

Pijama, originally uploaded by belly happy.

Ooooooh! Dessert! I love dessert! Usually, bellyhappy and i dont order dessert in the same restaurant because we'd be uber full after finishing our entrees. But for Casa Armas, we make space. Not only for one dessert, but two!!!

I LOOOVE PIJAMA. I turned down Max Brenner for this dessert. Bellyhappy and i would usually fight over the last bite. haha It's a simple dessert. It has a bit of custard underneath the ice cream, then peaches. Usually they use vanilla ice cream, but they ran out so i chose cookies and cream instead. It was even better! i tried making something like it at the mandarin buffet..not quite the same. We love pijama!
:D
Bellyhappy: Being the sweet boyfriend that I am, I always give her the last bite :)

Churros con Chocolate, originally uploaded by belly happy.

Last but not least: Churros! The best churros we ever had was at Larry's. Sad to say, Larry's didnt make the churros as good as the first time we had them when we ate there again. Sooo, the hunt for great churros was on! And we're happy to say we liked this one :) It's almost as good as the churros we ate at Larry's (back when they sprinkled cinnamon sugar on the churros and had uber thick chocolate sauce). If we werent so full, we would have finished all of it :)

We give Casa armas 5 stars!!! It's a little pricey... i think we paid around P2000++ for our meal but we think it's worth it. A happy meal is a happy belly! :D

p.s. try the pijama! for P100+ bucks... it's suuuper duper worth it!

(Other restaurants mentioned will be up for future review)