Even if I love Japanese cuisine, y'all know I'm not fond of rolls. Sashimi is what I devour whenever I go on my planned and unplanned Japanese splurges. I find rolls boring—no disrespect to anyone who loves them But I just feel that the flavors are so bland even with soy sauce. I used to be obsessed with California Maki but with the way they’re made in most places, I just taste a lot of rice, tiny bits of Kani and that’s it. With that I always thought, my mind was made up. Sashimi over sushi rolls, all day every day. Well, that was until my recent discovery. 

THE PLACE

Soru Izakaya is located near our office which made me so excited to try it because then I’d have a new place to frequent aside from Genki Sushi, lol. Parking is sufficient because it’s along the compound of home depot which has an entire row of available parking slots. The place is spacious and well lit, with the second floor compartmentalized as the place for drinks. I also loved the contemporary Japanese art on the industrial walls. 

THE FOOD

Okay, how do I begin? When I said rolls are boring, I think I was just going to the wrong places hahahaha. I mean you can take a look at the photos and tell me yourself. Obviously everything I’ve had from this restaurant I loved. The rolls are precious! Some notable favorites would be the Gyu Maki, Tori Kasai Maki and Lava Roll. Not only is the presentation colorful, the taste would really leave you wanting for more because of the explosion of flavors. And if you get bored with soy sauce, you don’t have to worry because each set has a customized dip. 

Another favorite would be the Udon Carbonara, I mean, how perfect can it get? I don’t like Carbonara but I love Uni. And guess what, this dish was made creamier with the addition of Uni and Salmon. It was so creamy I felt like I went to Uni heaven after my first bite which included a hefty amount of perfectly cooked Salmon. Not to mention it’s topped with Ikura! When they said fusion food is their specialty, they weren’t joking. 

Other notable favorites would be the Saikoro Wagyu Cubes Tepan which falls a bit pricey at P490.00 but it isn’t one of those fake ~wagyu cubes~ so you’re sure to get your money’s worth. My favorite rice bowl on the other hand was Gyudon, served with Onsen egg on top. Make sure to mix everything up before having your first bite—ahh perfection! To finish my meal, I had the Tiramisu and it was divine. With the coffee fingers perfectly complimenting the cream cheese, cocoa and practically everything. This also falls a bit on the pricey side at P230 per slice but again if you trust me, you know I’m not big on desserts but this was really a winner for me, 

Another week, another Samgyeupsal feature. What's new, lol! Before quitting smoking I wonder why a lot of people felt so addicted to Samgyeupsal and Milk tea, which for some reason, accounts for mostly everyone's weight gain lately. But once I regained my optimum taste since quitting smoking, I've become addicted to both also and now I get the bandwagon! Fortunately for me and for all of us, we'll never run out of new Samgyeupsal places to try because they seem to have taken the city by storm. 

This new discovery, again, comes from a targeted ad. Damn, advertisers are really getting their money's worth because I'm such an easy prey! While swiping through my Instagram stories, I saw one of their paid ads which mentioned UNLIMITED SALMON SASHIMI + UNLIMITED SAMGYEUPSAL. I mean, the sight of salmon sashimi and samgyeupsal together made me orgasm a little. I mean, isn't this what dreams are made of? I immediately followed their Facebook page and set to start my foodventure the next day. 

THE PLACE

Geonbae is located along Scout Delgado which is just a stone's throw away from Tomas Morato. The place looked like a house-turned into a restaurant. It occupies just the second floor of the entire building it is situated in. If you're bringing a car, come early because there are only 2 slots for parking. You can park at the sidewalk but of course, park at your own risk. The place on the second floor is pretty spacious. First blush you'd think they only have a few tables, but once you walk in you can see the entire place. They even have one private room that can fit around 15-20 people I think. For when you want a private Samgyeup party with your friends! 

One thing I really loved about the places is that they have charging ports for both Android and iOS users on every table! How cool is that? If you're worried about running out of battery because you keep posting all those food stories, then worry not, they got you covered. 

THE FOOD

Okay, how do I even start? To begin, they have 2 types of all-you can eat packages. They have the P499 and P599 sets, and the primary difference is that the P599 set includes the unlimited sashimi and hanger steak! The P599 set also includes more premium cuts more than the P499. But if you see the P499 set, you wouldn't feel bad because they have over 55 korean and Japanese dishes to choose from. The more expensive set just gives you access to more premium meats but the P499 isn’t bad at all. 

I was extremely overwhelmed with everything they had to offer because of course, I was paying P599 and I had to make sure I get my money’s worth. But the variety of choices didn’t help in that department because I practically wanted to try everything. From the hanger steak to the Ramyeun to the dumplings and tteokboki. 

Even if it sounds like it’s the most diverse all-you-can-eat kbbq, it also has a few downsides. One would be their serving portions; an order of salmon sashimi only has 3 tiny pieces so if you want to pack it in, make sure you get 5 orders per serving because that’s how I cut the ordering time in half. A trainee (we think) was also on duty during the time of our visit and he was pretty clueless whenever we’d ask for something, either it be food or for him to bus our table or replace the grill. During peak hours, the ordering also went a little chaotic. We started at 11 and around 12PM, the orders started arriving a bit late, some were doubled and we kept getting the same kind of meat lol. We ate everything anyway but I just wished they handled the influx of customers better because not all customers are patient. 

It was earlier this year when I first saw it. The mouth-watering Pares with a humongous cholesterol-inducing bone marrow. I mean sure I'v ad Pares before, but never with a humongous bone marrow paired with it. I love bone arrow, in case you didn't know. If you follow me on Instagram, you know the only reason why I order bulalo is the bone marrow. Lol, kidding. Of course I love bulalo in its entirety but the bone marrow is that golden cherry on top that seals the deal for me. So when I saw this Pares place with bone marrow on the Facebook group 'What's your ulam, pare?', I knew I had to try it. 

It's inception started earlier this year and I saw how long the queue was. I'm a huge foodie but I will not waste my time lining up. Some accounts of trying Shorthorn Pares mentioned they had to wait for an hour or 2 just try the dish. Just like all of the food hypes that happened this year, I waited it out. Made sure the hype cloud was over before trying it.