The ReigningTatay is a huge ramen fan. Who isn’t these days? Japanese everything is taking Manila by storm. Crazy.

I am a huge Japanese food lover (hello sushi and maki) myself, waaaaay before the rest of Philippines go crazy with them. So when I heard that a restaurant in BGC now specializes in Japanese udon noodles, I know I have to go check them out.

I first heard of Oudon from my best friend's blog. She gave it a really positive review but the dish she tried isn’t one of their best udon dishes, so I know I have to check it out myself. So when my friends from Zomato invited me and my fellow foodies, I know I just have to go to the 1st restaurant in the Philippines that offers authentic udon noodles.

For those of you who’s not familiar with udon, it is a type of thick white flour Japanese noodles. Very similar to our own lomi (though lomi is an egg noodles), though much heavier. Udon is usually served hot or cold. They are much less popular than ramen though according to the staff of udon, it is the much healthier option.

Oudon is located at the 2nd floor of The Forum in BGC right above McDonalds. The interiors are that of a traditional Japanese restaurant. Minimalist style with lots of woods. The place is spacious and well lit.

The restroom is clean and spacious too. I love the sink and the minimal decors inside. Really clean rest room is a major plus points for me.

The wait staff are attentive and friendly. I love that they know the dishes enough to answer basic questions.

So now, on to the best part – the food.

The moment we were seated, we were asked if we wanted hot or cold tea for refreshments. I opted for the cold tea because we came all the way from Makati that time and I want something cold to freshen me up. Their cold tea is really nice. Well, I generally love tea but theirs is really perfect to cleanse the palate after all the eating we did. I love that the tea is not too strong.

 

For starters, we were served with Ika Daikon. A simmered squid and radish dish. I love this one. The radish is soft and the squid is perfectly cooked, not rubbery.

One of the best dish on the table is the Teba Gyoza. I am not really a fan of gyoza but this one is a genius! Teba gyoza is stuffed chicken wings and they are yummy!! Oozing with flavor with the just the right amount of crisp. I found myself munching on this one over and over. Too yummy for words. Really!

Karaage is my perfect ramen partner. Oudon’s Tori Karaage is oour usual crispy fried chicken. Nothing really spectacular but I have to admit that the sauce that comes with it made this dish stand out.

Another crowd favorite is Satsuma Age or the fried fish cake. The moment this dish hits my mouth, I just have to know what it is. I can’t explain the dish but it’s like crab meat and fish cake deep fried into perfection. It has that mild sweet taste with a little crisp. Hay! This is really super yummy my mouth is watering just imagining it. Must try.

Their sashimi is nothing spectacular but is really delicious. I have to commend on the quality of the tuna and salmon they used – super fresh. You could really taste the freshness.

I am very hard to please when it comes to tempura. I don’t like heavily breaded tempura. And I also don’t like those super oily ones. I must say that Oudon’s tempura is one of the best I’ve tried so far. The shrimp are really fresh and they are not too oily. Plus the dip is really, really perfect.

For my main dish, I opted for their hot oudon meal – Nobeyaki Oudon. It’s a hot pot of udon with tempura and veggies served on a not too rich broth with japanese rice on the side. I love that the soup is not as thick as ramen (which I somestimes find nakakaumay). The udon noodles though is very heavy. I can’t even finish it! Oh my gulay.The tempura toppings is perfect for the soup and noodles. I think I prefer udons more than ramens.

Though I didn’t try the cold noodles, I took the liberty of taking a picture of my fellow foodie’s meal. Haha! When she was served with this huge tray, I literally saw her eyes popped. Too much. Too much food on one tray. Hahaha! So I could say that their meals are not pricey at all. Not pricey! And if I may add, the noodles are refillable. That is, if you ever want more. Which I doubt.

For dessert we had matcha ice cream. It was yummy and really rich. Perfect way to end a meal.

Though I prefer the ankoro mochi more, just beause its mochi. But I tried to combine this with the matcha ice cream and it was soooo much better. I am one happy kid!

Are you looking for some feel good, comfort food in BGC? Well, here’s my review of Grams Diner. Let’s see if they indeed have that promised comfort food goodness.

I went to Grams Diner a couple of weeks back during one of our Zomato foodie meetups. I really don’t know what to expect but since it’s a “diner”, I was thinking if it would indeed deliver those super greasy, fatty food we always see on diners.

The moment I entered the place, I was amazed at how nice the ambiance is. It really resembles those diners in the US with high-back red couch & wooden tables. While talking to the restaurant owners and managers, I have learned that they commissioned an architect/interior designer to do the full layout of the restaurant. It reminds me so much of those diners that serves big, fat, juicy and sinful burgers.

I super love this graffiti wall. It adds character to the restaurant’s interior and just gave that “chill” vibe. It definitely looks like a nice place to hang out with friends.

I super love the ceiling decors and drop lights. It seems like the stars are shining inside the restaurant. They even have that 3D effect where you’d see some bright lights while the others looked a little far. Very relaxing!

Though their restroom is a bit cramped. I think it’s part of the overall theme/vibe but I suggest they put a bag hook at least. So girls, like me, could have a place to put our bags or clutch.

The staff are very nice and friendly. They are also very attentive (or is it because the bosses are dining with us?! Hahaha!) and very accommodating. Although I hope they’d go the extra mile by giving information about the food they offer. Some of us ordered a meal, and despite arguing loudly about how full we already are and debating which one to get, the staff didn’t inform us that they offer smaller servings of the meal. I love it every time I dine on a restaurant and meet staff that would get out of their way to really inform you everything you have to know about the menu. Just those little things go a long way. They could even pitch a sale! They could, say, recommend a drink that goes perfectly well with the dish the customer is ordering.

But anyway, the managers and the owners are extremely nice. I’ve been to a couple of foodie meet ups and I really could say that they are one of the most hands on & very accommodating. You could even say your comment (positive or not) spot on. And they’d appreciate it anyway.

We were served with A LOT of food. As in a whole lot. I went home super full and computing all the calories I ingested. But I went home happy, so it’s all good.

I super love this crispy bread fingers. Each big basket of this goodies has, I guess 3 flavors (more or less). This one is a table favorite. I love that it’s crispy on the outside but super soft and chewy on the inside. The fillings are very flavorful and the cheese dip goes perfectly well with the bread fingers. Super love it.

This huge sausage platter was also served to us. It has 2 types of sausages, some onion rings and french fries. I love the fries and the onion rings. But I never really liked sausages in general so I didn’t enjoy it very much.

This spicy buffalo wings are crispy and juicy at the same time. Though I wish it’s a tad bit more spicier. Now don’t get me wrong, unlike my bestfriend Jerellt who loves anything spicy, I am not really a big fan of spicy food. But buffalo wings are different! I hope you’d agree with me when I say that buffalo wings are extra yummier if it’s a bit spicy, or maybe semi-super spicy.

A basket of calamari was also served to us as an appetizer. The sauce is perfect for the calamari. The squid is not rubbery and it’s crispy. Just the ay I like it.

Now on to the main dishes, shall we?

I got grilled liempo which everybody loves. My liempo was grilled to perfection. Not rubbery or too chewy. Just the perfect softness of a freshly grilled pork with enough coating of marinade. This plate made me really, really happy.

One of my fellow foodie ordered their famous beef tapa. Here’s the thing, one of them says that the tapa is hands down his favorite and deserves it’s “world famous” tag line. While another says that he finds it bland and well, for the lack of term, sad. So I was intrigued.

Here’s the thing. Here in the Philippines we have 2 different tapas. The one which is dry and salty and requires a generous amount of vinegar with garlic to make the richness of the flavor come out. And the other is the sweet, saucy tapa. Sad to say, the latter was more popular these days. Although real foodies (and those who knew their tapa so well) would argue that there’s no such thing as sweet, saucy tapa. Hahaha! So that’s where all the confusion lies. The one that says it’s the best tapa in the world is not lying. I tried it with the different vinegars present on the table and it was oh so yummy! I like my tapa swimming in vinegar, so it made me really happy. The best thing about Grams Diner is the presence of the 3 types of vinegar on the table.

One is a bit sweet but not too tangy. Another very light but not sweet and is full of garlic and onions. And the last one is a very tangy vinegar bursting with flavor, which I super love. My kind of vinegar! There’s really a vinegar for everybody unless you’re the foodie who says the tapa is bland. Hahaha! Apparently, he likes his tapa saucy and is not very fond of vinegars. So that explains everything. Mystery solved!

Their roast beef’s serving is super big. As in huge. The owners are not lying when they said that they decided to increase their serving size so as to give more value for money. This serving is definitely good for two. Although they offer a much lesser serving on their breakfast menu but it comes with eggs.

The roast beef is really delicious. Bursting with flavor. Though I find it a bit greasy (well, I’m in a diner for crying out loud! Food are supposed to be greasy.), I still enjoyed it very much. The gravy was perfect.

Another foodie ordered the grilled chicken. He says some part are burnt & gave it that bitter taste. Although I was not able to really try it. Well, I had a small piece of chicken but not enough to give my verdict. Though my fellow foodie says he loved it.

Another dish I wasn’t able to try but definitely looks delish. Look at that big, fat burger patty and yummy mushrooms. Plus the brownish fries that looked crispy and delicious. Next time, I would definitely try their burgers.

For desert, some ordered a couple of cakes though I only had the chance to try this red velvet one. When my fellow foodie asked me if I want to order a cake, I told them I don’t want to. Because My Sweets Haven, my best friend’s sweet shop, raised the bar a bit too high. I’m now hard to please when it comes to the cake department. And yeah. I’m disappointed. I find the cake too spongy. And the icing too sweet. Hahaha! It’s all Joie’s fault. My gosh. I am now super picky with cakes. But if you want a spongy cake then I gues you’d still enjoy this one.

And last but not the least, the king of the show! Oh my Geee! I swear. They serve the best milk shake in Manila. As in. Do you know that it’s on spot.ph’s list of best milk shakes? I guess it got the top spot too. And I swear it’s super yummy. All calorie counting forgotten! The hell with my taba! I‘m gonna gulp down this goodness like there’s no tomorrow. Hahaha!

During our visit, we we’re served with Badoit, sparkling natural mineral water. This is great for foodie meet ups because it’s great palate-cleanser. It is best served chilled & is very light on the stomach. A bottle is a bit expensive though but they said that sparkling water are the best health-wise so I guess it’s all worth it. Aside from Badoit, we also had Evian. Sosyal! Haha!