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. 

GoodAh's Hotpot Shabu-shabu Hits the Heart's Spot for P149!

GoodAh!!! needs no further introduction especially if you’re a Filipino. The mere mention of the name GoodAh!!! reminds one that it had been the leading Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) in the industry which had become part of the Pinoy Pop Culture in the early 80’s when it popularized traditional hot and quick-served Filipino snacks like goto, arroz caldo (rice porridge with chicken), dinuguan (pig’s blood and innards), and pares (meaning pair: rice, beef stew and a special soup), including acronym-named ensemble dishes consisting of fried rice base (Sinangag abbreviated to “Si”), fried eggs (itlog, coined as “Log”), and combined with meat dishes like tapa (marinated beef strips) became Tapsilog, Tocino (cured pork strips) became Tosilog), and Longganisa (cured pork sausages) became Longsilog. The iconic food chain had even inspired a movie under its name with no less than iconic comediennes Senator Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey De Leon as its lead actors. It also popularized catchy phrases such as “pagkaing good for every all” and “open 25 hours”. 

The famous sweet & spicy goodness of Tocilog.

The garlicky taste of Tapsilog.

For a child of the 80’s like me, I am really glad to know that the all-native food chain is undergoing a massive makeover and an expansion program under its new owners and management, Soyamensa Foods, Inc.  In this way, I’d have the opportunity to share with Kyle how I grew up in the early 80’s when other fast food chains are still non-existent.  A food trip to GoodAh!!! is all it could take for him to know that. 

 

Upon arriving at their Congressional branch, I was surprised to find out GoodAh!!! had both an al fresco and an air-conditioned area, ergonomic comfy seats, cozy dining plus free WiFi service for their customers!  Don’t get me wrong though, it just happened that the old GoodAh!!! that I once knew was simply an al fresco dining with red hard circled chairs. 

 And yet here comes another surprise from GoodAh!!! as it introduces GoodAhotpot. Yes, you’re reading it right. They’ve got a hot and healthy concoction of shabu-shabu with meat and vegetables for a tastiest gastronomic experience. GoodAh!!! Hot pot comes in four flavorful variations of Beef, Fish, Pork and Chicken giving its loyal followers a variety of options to choose from.

The best seller among the four GoodAhotpot, the beef variation comes with tender all-beef meat strips (like the ones used for Yakiniku), thin slices of shiitake mushrooms (my personal favorite because it adds more flavor to the broth!), meat balls, crab sticks, egg noodles, and Tagalog pechay. All these ingredients in a bowl of piping hot clear soup that will surely hit your heart’s soft spot in every sip.

Those in diet mode will be glad to know that the fish variation will be perfect for them. It has appetizing fish fillet meat, shiitake mushrooms, and egg noodles, crab sticks, fish cakes, Tagalog pechay and Chikuwa ring (or bamboo ring), all in a savory clear soup.

The Pork and Chicken flavors are also available with practically the same ingredients as the Beef and Fish variations, all-promising to give GoodAh!!! customers an enriching and fulfilling meal. An order of GoodAhotpot!!! Comes with two different sauces: the sesame oil based sweet soy sauce and another one which if I’m not mistaken is based on Indonesian satay where the spiciness had some hint of nuts and ginger which make their hot pot more appealing to those with discerning palates. 

President & CEO Mr. Timothy Yang introduces the GoodAh!!! Hot pot to the audience.

My friend Rain De Ocampo tries his hand in cooking the beef in our hot pot.

Fresh ingredients like pechay tagalog, crab sticks, fish slices and Chikuwa rings.

For a sweeter part of the meal, try their luscious leche flan or sweet banana or order a cup of their halo-halo (towering shaved ice with milk, beans, tapioca balls and candied fruits)—one of the few desserts that you can’t just resist. 

Simple yet overly satisfying are the word that best describe Goodah’s modern ambiance ruled with the above-average number of cuisines on the menu. Authenticity and generosity are completely served in the flavors of their food. This is a tasteful spot where family and friends are gratified by the time they step out of the restaurant. 

 

What else can I say? GoodAh!!! reigns supreme with scrumptious delights. It had perfectly hit my heart’s soft spot with their GoodAhotpot. And with their affordable prices and generous servings, you and your family will definitely keep coming back.

GoodAh!!! has 10 branches nationwide: Paranaque (Better Living and BF Homes), San Juan (Connecticut, Greenhills, known as Gate 5), Quezon City (Congressional Avenue), Malabon (Del Pilar cor. Gov. Pascual), Pampanga (San Nicolas, Angeles City), Batangas (C.M. Recto Avenue, Lipa City), Rizal (Victory Mall, Antipolo City), Las Pinas (Alabang Zapote Road, Talon 2), and Bulacan (Victory Town Center, San Jose Del Monte).

For more information about GoodAh!!!, log on to www.goodah.com.ph and LIKE them on Facebook www.facebook.com/goodahopen26hours. 

Special thanks to Mr. Richard Mamuyac, Ms. Irish Santos of AMPR,  Mr. Timothy Yang and all the people behind GoodAh!!!. 

Disclaimer: I am not compensated for this blog post. Opinions expressed are 100% my own.