However, since it was just downstairs, I decided, “Hell yeah, I’m seeing Gloc-9 and Kat Agarrado on stage tonight!”

K24/7.

Gloc-9 accepting the award for being the Best Male Hiphop Artist.

Kat Agarrado of Sinosikat? won the Female Style Icon Award.

Jay Durias is a legend.

Some awards of note: Marcus Davis won the Best Male Soul/R&B Artist award, Amber Davis won the Best Female Soul/R&B Artist award, Billy Crawford won the Male Style Icon award, Mainit won Best Video honors, and Taas Noo by Amber Davis and Gloc-9 won the Best Original Song award.

It was a great awards night packed with performances from local hiphop and R&B artists, and here are a couple of them:

Best Male and Female Soul/R&B Artist awardees Marcus and Amber Davis perform Filipina Girl and See You Soon individually.

Here they are again on a duet, performing Manila.

It was a great night to cap a hectic week off. (The event was sponsored by PLDT MyDSL Watchpad: if you missed it, try looking it up their archives!)

Tempura-meets-sashimi by Teriyaki Boy.

Where and how much? Teriyaki Boy (Eastwood). Php 135 per order.

I’m back in my comfort zone! This here, Teriyaki Boy’s Tempura Tuna Sashimi Tartare, is one of my favorites. This is what you get when cross a tempura with tuna sashimi: dip it in soy sauce with wasabi and your tastebuds are in for quite an experience.

I first tried this out about two years ago after a meeting we had in Greenhills (we were reserving the Theater Mall area for flyering activities), and I was freaking tired from all the walking and running around the place to secure the necessary permits for the floor space. I was so goddamned hungry, too. Once we were finally issued the permit, we walked around looking for a place to eat when this huge Teriyaki Boy sign caught my eye. “Damn, I’mma help myself with all the tempura I could devour. Now.”

I ended up buying this weird bunch of breaded tuna pieces (because as much as I just wanted to sit down and eat whatever, I also felt a bit adventurous). It was really freaking delicious! However, I had one complaint: I didn’t want to eat anything with wasabi because whenever my stomach’s churning in hunger, spicy just doesn’t taste right. (It’s not you, sashimi , it’s me.)

A few weeks ago, when I revisited Teriyaki Boy after a long time, I ordered a plate of Tempura Tuna Sashimi Tartare again, and as I thought (because I wasn’t too hungry then), it really tasted way better! The pieces were cut small enough for me to indulge in its goodness for quite some time. The wasabi wasn’t a problem at all: I enjoyed every dip and every freaking bite.

I don’t think this is for everyone, though. I grew up loving Japanese food and tuna sashimi and tempura were staples I couldn’t do without since I was a kid, so this kind of marriage is something I find acceptable (and really delicious, too). However, if you don’t like tempura, tuna sashimi, or wasabi, go for something else instead. But then again, you probably won’t visit a Japanese restaurant if you know you don’t like the said items.

The verdict. Oh yeah, I’m giving this nine bites out of ten.

I could eat these things all day. Non-stop.

Where and how much? Omakase (Eastwood/C5). Php 200 (plus 10% service charge) per order.

I just couldn’t wait until my next Omakase visit, not after they had me at the California Crunch experience. I was definitely going to try another variation, that I was sure of, and I was lucky I picked out another winner: the Rising Sun. It’s cucumber, kani inside with tuna, salmon, and avocado; the mention of avocado kind of put me off, but I was ready for a mini-adventure so I thought, “What the hell am I contemplating about when I’m here for weird food?”

Again, they served it with their special dipping sauce but this time I felt like comparing which sauce the maki tasted better with: the special sauce or the plain, old soy sauce and wasabi dip? Short and sweet answer to that: the former. After all, adventurous food should complement adventurous sauces, right?

It tasted really good, however, this time there were no Cooking Master Boy moments. No more: “Fuck lah send summore my way!” (Or maybe yes, but just a bit.) Also, it was a bit difficult using chopsticks on such a big sushi piece. But that doesn’t mean you should avoid the Rising Sun at all. See that picture above? It’s as good as it looks, that I can attest to.

The verdict. Not as good as the California Crunch, but hell yeah, I’d pay good money for this again. It’s that good on it’s own. How good? Well, how about a nine out of ten?

Teriyaki Boy's Curry Tofu Raisu.

Where and how much? Teriyaki Boy (Eastwood). Php 145 per order.

Obviously, this isn’t your typical tokwa’t baboy fare. And this isn’t something you can eat with just your chopsticks.

I was browsing through Teriyaki Boy’s menu when this whole page dedicated to their curry offerings caught my eye. Teriyaki Boy is serving curry now? Really? (Yeah, so I called the waiter and ordered a bowl.)

After a few minutes, the waiter reappeared with this huge bowl of tofu, minced pork, curry stew, and rice. I could swear it’s good for two people (which makes it just enough for me); I don’t think there’s anything more they can do to improve the presentation, but at first sight it honestly didn’t look that enticing. I’m not that big a fan of curry (which makes you wonder why I ordered curry in the first place) primarily because it doesn’t look that appetizing to me.

However, the bowl of Curry Tofu Raisu made me realize something I’ve been missing out on every time I pass up on curry. It was good! I think I was able to appreciate the taste better because on the side, I was also eating Tempura Tuna Sashimi Tartare (which I’ll feature some other time); the tastes were much different and I think the contrast between the pair’s flavors helped bring out what that bowl of curry had to offer.

Teriyaki Boy also offers Curry Nasu Hotpot (eggplant wedges and minced pork), Curry Hamburg Chizu (grilled burger patty and flame-torched cheese), Curry Ika Fry (squid rings), and other curry options; I’ll probably try the burger-and-cheese variant next time.

The verdict. For offering something different and making me a curry convert (uh), I’m giving the Curry Tofu Raisu an eight out of ten.

Torikatsudon at Omakase.

Where and how much? Omakase (Eastwood/C5). Php 160 (plus 10% service charge) per order.

Continuing my feature on Omakase (I previously reviewed their California Crunch, which I rated 10 out of 10 for being so damned tasty), there was another item on their menu that I felt like trying out: their Torikatsudon. It’s a donburi served with chicken cooked in sauce with egg, onions, and scallions, which sounded good to me because I was in the mood (as usual) for an egg-and-chicken meal.

It tasted good, yeah, but halfway through it, I realized something was amiss. “Haiyo, the rice doesn’t hold!” I don’t know if it was the sauce or the way they cooked it, but I had a hard time picking through the bowl’s contents with my chopsticks. Or maybe I’m just no good with chopsticks? No matter.

I don’t have any complaints with the chicken nor the egg (which, in fact, were deliciously flavored), but I think they might have put in a little too much onion in the bowl. I felt like the taste was a bit too overpowering (especially once I’ve finished most of the meat and was mostly left with onion strips and rice), but make no mistake, it was still good.

It went well with my (bottomless) glass of red iced tea.

The verdict. Not perfect, but I think I still enjoyed it enough to deserve a 7 out of 10. Maybe next time, I’ll go for gyudon instead.

(The Japanese Nomnom Journal chronicles the author’s encounters with tasty Japanese food around the metro.)

Omakase's California Crunch.

Where and how much? Omakase (Eastwood/C5). Php 160 (plus 10% service charge) per order.

I’ve been meaning to visit Omakase since we moved to Eastwood, but it was only today that I found the time to actually eat there. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the restaurant, and I’m glad to report that, at least with one of the items I ordered, it did not disappoint.

The California Crunch is simply a fried version of the California Maki: doesn’t sound too exciting, no? However, since I thought I had to begin with something I’m already familiar with, I went for it, and hoy! It was a Cooking Master Boy moment (you know, when the judges taste the food prepared by the contestants and actually cry/scream/levitate in ecstasy)!

It must be the special dipping sauce that comes with the California Crunch. It added a very tasty flavor that complemented that of the maki perfectly. Also, yeah, fried maki can’t be this good on its own, right? (Or can it?)

Look who's really enjoying his California Crunch.

The verdict. What do you think? Ten exploding flavors out of ten, yo.

(The Japanese Nomnom Journal chronicles the author’s encounters with tasty Japanese food around the metro.)