Nikuya Grill Serving Authentic Japanese-Korean Charcoal-Grill and Hotpot in Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons Pasig

Exactly a week ago, the staff of Psst.ph held one of their Christmas parties at Nikuya Grill in Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons, Oranbo, Pasig City. For those who don't know yet, I contribute to this uber cool magazine-themed website. Anyway, since we had a really good dining experience at Nikuya, allow me to share such enjoyable and fantastic lunch with you guys. 

The name Nikuya stemmed from the word butcher in Japanese. The restaurant stays true to the kind of cuisine they offer--with high quality meat sealed in vacuum packs and stored in cool temperature, you cannot go wrong with it. Nikuya is a fusion of Japanese and Korean, two of the most popular Asian cuisines that most Filipinos go crazy about. If I'm not mistaken, it's the first of its kind in the restaurant industry in the country. 

If you've been reading my food blog, chances are, you know pretty much how I also write about restaurant's interiors as well as their ambiance, that's apart from the food they offer. As for Nikuya, I love its Zen ambiance and cozy interiors. They do have high ceilings adorned by large white lighting fixtures that resembles Japanese lanterns. The wall even had an image of what seemed like a Japanese warrior or samurai complete with swords and all that. 

Nikuya is one of the few Japanese restaurants in the Philippines that have a Grade A5 Wagyu Beef (top quality). There are some grades for WAGYU beef and A5 is the highest grade given only to the finest beef. The standards of grading beef consist of Yield Grade and Quality Grade. "A" of "A5" means the yield grade, while "5" shows the quality grade. Beef are sold per 100 grams. 

COCA Restaurant Review at SM Aura: Experiencing The Art of Ojiya

To be perfectly honest, I’m a really huge fan of hot pot. I could still recall that as a kid I loved observing how the simmering pot would be split into two—spicy broth for the oldies and clear soup for us kids and for those who aren’t into anything spicy. We would fill the broth with watercress, sliced beef, pork, squid balls, fish balls, tofu and taro.  So when I received an invitation recently to review another must-try hotpot restaurant, I immediately agreed. After all, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a hot pot, I think the last one was with a Korean restaurant in Quezon City. I got really excited to try COCA Restaurant for the first time. 

Located at the top level of Skypark at the SM Aura Premiere in Bonifacio Global City, COCA’s known not only for their delicious hot pot but they really have good a la carte offerings as well. I had no regrets braving the traffic I had encountered from my place in Quezon City to BGC that weekday morning. The Buffalo Bites was so, so good. Tender yet flavourful crispy chicken in bite sizes. I was initially reminded of my nephew’s favourite Korean chicken, but I actually like COCA’s better—crispy chicken with a tangy glaze that offered a mellow kind of sweetness.

Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot Cubao: Specialty restaurant now open in Manhattan Cubao

Good news is in store for Quezon City—the newest foodie hotspot in town has opened its second branch at Manhattan Parkview, Araneta Center. The creators of Vikings Luxury Buffet and NIU by Vikings bring you Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot. A restaurant that provides a customizable, fresh and healthy dining experience for celebrating special occasions, or for when you simply want to enjoy a top-notch meal.

Kick back and take in the ambiance as you enjoy one of the Philippines’ best buffets. Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot has several impressive stations, and patrons can take their pick of their meat, seafood, vegetables, appetizers, desserts, Japanese and bar options. Indulge your imagination and make the dish of your dreams with their wide selection of broths, noodles, meat, toppings and sauces. The Cubao branch also offers a pasta station and a carving station.

For P688 for weekday lunches and P888 for weekday dinners, weekends and holidays, diners can choose from chicken, pork, fish, vegetable and crowd favorite sinigang as a soup base. Combined with their selection of noodles, decorate your soup with fresh or frozen dumplings, specialty balls, your favorite protein and choice of vegetables. Select from Sate, Szechuan, Tomato and Chinese Herbs. Amp up the flavor with the many dipping sauces available. Cook it in your personal hotpot, and experience being a chef for a day!

With so many components and combinations, the possibilities are truly endless.

Cubao’s dining scene just got a whole lot better with Four Seasons Buffet & Hotpot! Visit them at the G/F, Manhattan Parkview, General Roxas Avenue, Araneta Center, Quezon City. Open every day for lunch from 11AM to 2:30PM, and for dinner from 5:30PM to 10PM. Learn more about hotpot dining here, or visit http://www.fourseasonshotpot.com.ph/ for more details.

Wei Wei Freshly Frozen Hotpot Product Review + DIY Hotpot Recipe

DIY Hotpot from Wei Wei, freshly frozen products

I am a self-confessed Hotpot fan. I love the warm rich soup with honest-to-goodness broth especially on a rainy season. I love making my bowl and there's a good selection of  veggies and protein options to assemble it. So when I've heard about We Wei Special Freshly Frozen hotpot in a box, I got really excited to try them. Although it's going to be my first time to cook a D-I-Y (Do-it-yourself) hotpot, I know I could never go wrong because the instructions are easy peasy.

Wei Wei Cold Store Products at MAFBEX

Wei Wei Cold Store, popularly referred to as Wei Wei, is one of the leading importer and distributor of frozen processed foods in the Philippines. With special focus on hotpot products, processed seafood and meatballs, our products are specially designed to meet different demands of the food industry.