Of barbers and barber shops

My favorite barber passed away earlier this February. I only learned of this a couple of weekends ago and was a bit sad that I wasn't even able to visit the wake. I considered him a friend even though we met only on for my regular haircuts typically at the end of the month. However, "regular" here actually spanned roughly 30 years since I could remember as my father first took me to this makeshift barber shop at the Cainta Public Market sometime in 1983/84. The only significant break from the regular haircuts was in 1996-1999 when I was studying in Japan and I had my haircut at another barber shop.

I was introduced to this barbershop in the Meguro district of Tokyo in 1996 by one of my good friends. I helped that the barber shop was a few minutes walk away from the JR Meguro Station of the Yamanote Line and I could easily go there whenever I was in Tokyo. Being a creature of habit, I made the effort to go there for my haircuts even though I lived in Yokohama, a good 45 to 60 minutes away by train. My Nihongo wasn't really good so I always asked them about the pictures they had showing different haircuts in front, side and back so I could point to how I wanted them to cut my hair. I remember that I never had a bad haircut there and always got my money's worth. They even had a promotion where each haircut a customer was given a coupon indicating points earned. You could exchange the points for a haircut or perhaps items they had on display that you may exchange the points for. I still have the nail cutter and nose hair scissors that I got from accumulating so many points

I remember at least 3 barbers who usually gave me a haircut. One was a mute, one was a woman and another was a young man sporting long hair. I'm sure I picked up their names at one time but I forget them now though I do remember their faces. The last time I had a haircut there was in 2008 when I stayed in Japan for 1.5 months. That was good enough for 2 haircuts and again, I made the effort to travel the distance from Saitama to Meguro just for the haircut and shampoo that's always been my routine whenever I was there.

With all the changes in Tokyo from 2008, I wasn't sure that the barber shop would still be there when I made the trips to Japan from last year. I really didn't have time to go for a haircut last October as I wanted to re-explore Kamakura and Yokohama. This time though, with some time on my hands and feeling a bit sentimental because of the passing of my old barber, I decided to go around Meguro and check on the old barber shop there. I did find the old barber shop but it was closed and there was a sign there saying it had moved. I couldn't read Japanese well so I couldn't get the details from the sign. However, after crossing the street at the next junction and walking along the other side, I quickly found  where the barber shop had relocated - just across the street from its old location.

The old barber shop is now closed.

And that's because it had reopened just across the street from the old one.

Peeking inside, I happily saw that at least two of my old barbers were still there - the woman and the guy with the long hair. Surprisingly, they looked the same as when I had last been there in 2008. With this knowledge, I now look forward to the next time I could be in Tokyo and maybe have the time to get a haircut at Meguro.

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Roadhouse Grill

We were curious about the steak restaurant beside a gas station along Ortigas Avenue Extension in Taytay, Rizal. We had passed by the area quite frequently the past months as we monitored the construction of our soon-to-be home in Antipolo but we had never had the chance to eat there. We only speculated that it must be a good enough restaurant judging from our observation that it appeared to be usually full whenever we drove past it. We finally got the chance to sample their food one weekend last January.

The Roadhouse Grill along Ortigas Extension is a straightforward, no frills steak restaurant. The menu is not complicated and unpretentious. I used that last word as some other restaurants have lots of items not their menus, indicating different kinds of steak but then they all seem to be the same taste and texture. That is, it doesn't really matter if you order sirloin or tenderloin as you won't be able to tell the difference. In other words, they don't pretend to be in the league of Outback or other more reputable steak restaurants.

Grilled pork chop

Mango salad

Tenderloin steak with mashed potatoes

We enjoyed our meal at Roadhouse Grill. The tenderloin and pork chop were cooked just right and served within a reasonable time. The surprise was their salad, which we thought was really good given the fresh ingredients. The lettuce wasn't soggy and the mix of mangoes and crab sticks were just right to go with the meat dishes we ordered. What's more is that prices are very reasonable so it won't hurt your pockets to eat here from time to time.

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Sushi Horikawa

Back in Tokyo after only a few months, I was trying to compile photos before posting them on different articles. However, after our reception today after completing the final symposium for our study on ASEAN, I just had to post some photos I took of the sushi section. Featured is a really experienced sushi chef who was preparing the sushi as participants quickly queued. The Japanese among us seemed excited in their own way and I understood that there was something special about the guy behind the counter who even had this old lady to assist him in preparing the trays and shoyu for the sushi. It turned out that this was Sushi Horikawa, a very good sushi restaurant here in Tokyo. It's probably one of the best if not the best sushi I've tasted and made me crave for more of this and at this high level of quality. I already look forward to eating at a sushi restaurant we found in Asakusa six years ago, the last time the Clairvoyant and I were in Tokyo together.

Preparation of sushi from the raw sea food and Japanese rice (note the assistant on the left)

The chef taking a slice of fish before fusing it with rice and wasabi

The chef molds the fish and the rice in a manner that's artful in technique while the assistant pour shoyu on the sushi tray

Each sushi is a handmade work of art

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