Shachihoko Japanese Restaurant, Circle Mall, Marikina

We finally got to go to Marikina again to try out one of the many restaurants in the city. There are actually several areas where you can have good meals in the city. These include Lilac Street, the streets near and around City Hall, Gil Fernando Avenue, and the Circle Mall in SSS Village.

I usually pass the Circle Mall of SSS Village en route to my office via the Tumana route and have been curious about this ramen restaurant.

We had an early lunch and arrived in time for the restaurant to open business for the day.

We were the only customers so it was easy to take photos of the restaurant. The main dining area is on the 2nd floor.

Nice clean set-up with ample space for groups

They had lunch sets (bento) and typical Japanese desserts, which were presented to us when the waitress handed us the menus (opened to these pages).

Menu

Ramen and udon items in the menu

Donburi or rice toppings for people on the go

Other Japanese food favorites on the menu

I had the Shiroi Ramen, which was delightful though a bit on the creamy side. That's gyoza near my bowl. We usually order gyoza to go as additional viand on the side whenever we have ramen.

The bar set-up at the first floor allows customers to observe the kitchen.

Shachihoko serves good food and the service was also good. To be honest, the ramen is good though not at the level of the more authentic restos (e.g., Ikkoryu Fukuoka, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, etc.). It should satisfy your Japanese food cravings though and it is on the more affordable side.

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Flatbread Cafe, Marikina City

The Clairvoyant was always telling me about this restaurant in Marikina City and I thought it was along Lilac Street. I was trying to spot it as I made my way through my alternate route to the office via Tumana and couldn't find it. We finally got the chance to try it out one morning we had to leave one of our dogs at the vet for grooming. It turned out that the Flatbread Cafe was not in Lilac but actually closer to Gil Fernando Avenue and a few minutes drive from the vet (near our former home along Marcos Highway).

View from within the cafe

The interior of the restaurant is quaint and cozy. The decors are already Christmas-themed.

The artwork on display added color and character to the restaurant's interior

There are boxes containing toys that children can play with

A bar-type set-up for individual customers or perhaps groups who opt for the higher chairs

Bacon, eggs and fried rice

Yakiniku beef tapa

Flatbread Cafe is along Sparrow Street in San Roque, Marikina City. The only hitch is the limited number of parking slots in the area. I say area because parking is generally on-street and there are other establishments there that share parking demand with the cafe. We went in the morning so there wasn't much traffic along the street and we could park across from the cafe. The food is good though and I hear their flatbreads are definitely the must-try items. That's for the next time we eat there...

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Seifuku, Gil Fernando Ave., Marikina City

We have eaten at Seifuku several times but that was when we were still residing at a subdivision nearby along Marcos Highway. We have not dined or lunched there in more than 3 years. And so when my father expressed his wanting to eat Japanese food, I took him to Seifuku where I knew they had a good selection in their menu. Earlier, Tatay had lunch with my brother at a ramen restaurant. He enjoyed it but wanted to order others like sushi and sashimi, which the ramen restaurant did not offer in their menu. Unfortunately, my brother could not make our date that Friday evening so we'll probably be coming back at Seifuku so he'd know where he and his fiance can enjoy good Japanese food in Marikina.

Quick menu for their ramen promotion

The main menu is quite thick as the restaurant offers a lot of choices for those wanting to enjoy Japanese food

Sashimi and sushi are usually popular and we usually order salmon sashimi, which is our favorite

The menu contains a definition of the name of the restaurant as well as its short history in Marikina City.

Shake or salmon sashimi

Interior showing their display of spirits

Their kurobuta katsu was good though not as good as Yabu's or Ginza Bairin's

Their bento box was also good and should satisfy one's cravings for Japanese food.

We will definitely be back for lunch or dinner at Seifuku. They offer good food at reasonable prices for a full service Japanese restaurant. I think they are currently the best bet for Japanese food in the area outside of the Teriyaki Boys in Sta. Lucia and SM as well as the mainly ramen choices at Tamagoya.

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Blake's Wings and Steaks, Marikina

We frequently pass by Gil Fernando Avenue (formely Angel Tuazon Avenue) in Marikina and try out some restaurants in the area. A favorite is a Japanese restaurant along the road. As we were already hungry and we wanted to try a new restaurant, we decided to try out Blake's Wings and Steaks, which we spotted as we passed Seifuku. 

We ordered steaks instead of wings (did I mention we were hungry?) and our orders included mashed potatoes and buttered vegetables on the side. The Clairvoyant ordered java rice to go with her steak while I opted for plain rice. You can check out their menu to see what they have to offer.

Porterhouse steak with original flavor and mushroom gravy

On-and-on strings - lightly breaded, fried onion strips

Porterhouse steak with Hickory BBQ flavor and pepper mushroom gravy

We also had their house lemongrass iced tea, which was good. We definitely will be back to eat the restaurant and maybe the next time we will be trying their wings. We also noticed that entire families had lunch there so it is something like a neighborhood family restaurant. The service was okay as their staff were attentive and you didn't have to wait long to be served your food.

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