BOTEJYU Introduces TEISHOKU Meals and New Endorsers JERALD and KIM MOLINA NAPOLES

BOTEJYU is currently celebrating their 10th year, and the mark of having 100 stores in the Philippines. To make this even better, they're coming out with TEISHOKU Meals (The Complete Japanese Meal) as part of their efforts to make sure food is affordable at this joint. What surprised me most is that in the past, they knew people have been avoiding them because the restaurant was looking expensive, but if you look at their menu, much of what they have are actually affordable. They're making it more obvious with these TEISHOKU meals so you have protein as mains, soup, rice and a side dish included.

For starters, their Rice Teishoku have Unlimited Rice, Miso Soup and Kimchi (this is amazing!). Their lowest priced one is the Prawn Tempura Teishoku which costs Php 355, that's usually one dish in most restaurants but you get a meal with them. They also have other varieties like the Pork Tonkatsu, Teriyaki Chicken (which I had that afternoon), Diced Teriyaki Beef Garlic Steak, Fried Prawn Katsu, Samurai Sausage, Botekara, and Fried Salmon Teishoku set meals for you to enjoy. If you are more of a Ramen fan, get the Ramen Teishokus instead (these all come with Unlimited noodles) all for Php 495. They have it in Ramen-Amiyaki, Ramen-Botekara, Ramen-Gyoza, Ramen-Tempura, Ramen-Teriyaki Chicken variants, so you can choose what you want anytime of the day.

Check out the food here! 

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JERALD and KIM MOLINA-NAPOLES

Dubbed as the POWER COUPLE, newly weds Jerald and Kim was introduced as the endorsers for the BOTEJYU brand. They were very honored and grateful for this and it was awesome to see them excited to help the brand achieve its goals. They also talked lengthy about relationship changes after the wedding, and a new movie called "PINAKAMASARAP NA PARES SA BALAT NG LUPA" which Jerald Napoles did with Pepe Herrera.  

If you spend 2K in any participating Botejyu branch (with a Teishoku meal included), you get 2 FREE Movie Tickets for the film. Branches include SM Cinemas, Robinsons Movieworld, Ayala Malls, Gateway). This is for their August 26 screening. Jerald also lauded the folks from Marketing and Viva boss Vic del Rosario for thinking of this, because it's really going to benefit folks that are looking for deals! 

 Here's more of the press conference!

After seeing all that, are you raring to try TEISHOKU meals (The Complete Japanese Meal) and watch the movie? (ANG PINAKAMASARAP NA PARES SA BALAT NG LUPA). Make sure you also follow Jerald and Kim on socials as they're going to come out with more material from BOTEJYU there!

BOTEJYU Opens One Bonifacio High Street Mall Branch

I was invited to a luncheon a couple weeks ago but didn't get there because of travel schedules. One of my favorite joints called Botejyu owned and operated by Viva International Food and Restaurants Inc. (same mother company with Viva Films) just opened up shop at the 3rd floor of One Bonifacio High Street Mall in Taguig. 

Honestly, I didn't know the mall existed til now, but it sits right across the Mango boutique in Shangrila Fort Bonifacio along 5th Avenue. 

Botejyu is an Okonomiyaki and Okosoba specialty restaurant from Japan. In a nutshell, the name comes from the Japanese impression of how the Okonomiyaki pancake sounds as they flip it on the teppan or steel plate and how it sizzles til it gets crispy outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Their menu is filled with different versions of it but what tickled my fancy during this visit were a couple of things. Of course there will be Okonomiyaki, but take a look at this.

Their Grape Shake wasn't overly sweet, it was just right and might be a good accompaniment for the savory dishes that were about to come to the table. I could taste the tannin of the red grapes they used for this drink, so it is legit. Very refreshing!

The Bacon and Cheese Okosoba was already halved when it reached me. This is an Okonomiyaki with a filling of soba noodles, bacon and cheese inside. As you may prolly imagine, this is a good representation of east meets west because you get the firm springy noodles with the smoky flavor of bacon and melted cheese. Who doesn't love cheese eh? This is good for sharing, around 3-4.

The Pork Cutlet with Egg Rice Bowl was filling. You get white rice, breaded pork with sauce and a serving of fresh salad on the same bowl. If you're a big guy like me this would be good for one but if you don't eat that much rice, go ahead and share as their servings are a bit large. This is one of 4 donburi varieties so order this if you want a rice meal today.

My personal favorite is the Takoyaki All Star! It's firm outer shell and soft interior are what Takoyaki dreams are made of. You can also treat this as a sampler because each piece has a different sauce on top of it. Although I was looking forward to the original Takoyaki, this was a welcome surprise and I loved it!

This one's called Kyoto Paitan Ramen. They serve the chicken pieces separately so that when you do decide to eat, you can just drop it off the bowl and enjoy. It's a bit on the salty side and the ramen likens egg noodles. It is also served with half boiled tamago and springs of onion leeks. If it's raining hard outside this could warm you up in a jiffy. It is rich in collagen too, so you get skin nourished while you eat, imagine that!

This is their Mochi and Gouda Cheese Okonomiyaki. The name alone would make you salivate as it is served hot with soft melted mochi pieces and cheese inside the fluffy scrambled egg. I suggest you finish this fast because it wouldn't feel the same if it's already cold for obvious reasons. I like this the most amongst their various Okonomiyakis.

Do not order one or the other, order both! These chocolate and milk pudding is just so good on so many levels, you need to treat yourself every once in a while anyway!

For matcha lovers, try the Matcha Ice Cream in this store. Ruth loved this so much she finished it in a few minutes LOL!

If you want something fancy to end your lunch or dinner, try the Honey Toast with Brown Sugar Syrup and Creamy Kinako. The crunchy toasted bread topped with vanilla ice cream, brown sugar and Kinako syrup makes you appreciate the existence of sugar in your life. Everything is better when you share so please do!

Now for people in BGC and nearby Makati and Taguig, if you're in the area and want a more filling but comforting Japanese meal, make sure you visit Botejyu at the 3rd floor of One Bonifacio High Street Mall and enjoy these dishes. Their dishes cost around 300-400 pesos so bring around 1,500 for two people (if you have a date please order dessert). This is the new Asian comfort food you are looking for, I have always dined at their Vertis North Branch on Sundays and I vouch for their service and good food. 

They're worth it.

MARUGAME UDON Opens in the Philippines

The Japanese culture and food invasion continues with this new restaurant that just opened in BGC's B7 Section. Say hi to MARUGAME UDON.

A small private event happened a few weeks ago as Suyen Corporation adds another one to their throng of number 1 brands from Japan. Marugame Udon is the same namesake as with Marugame Seimen, and the ambiance alone could take you there without paying a single Yen or a 4 hour flight. You'll love the smell even from the outside of the establishment as they're probably preparing the fresh Udon and Tempura in their open kitchen.

What's mind boggling is the price of the food in this joint because it's not as pricey as I thought it would be. Japanese Udon and Ramen in the Philippines usually costs Php 400+, but they haven't even broken the 300 mark on their best sellers. 

To order, one has to line up and choose their Udon bowl. The open kitchen concept would let you get to know the person preparing your meal, either hot or cold, those udon noodles stay absolutely firm and springy.

The place can accomodate about 80 people in one go and the decor stayed absolutely genuine, much like a noodle shop on Tokyo or nearby prefectures. This would be instagrammable in every corner if it weren't for low light. I bet they did that because it's conducive for eating, rather than talk, you'll love your Udon bowls more.

If it weren't too busy that day I'd have this table right beside the kitchen, so I could do my favorite past time in the world, people watching.

There were about a hundred guests that evening including beauty queens, artists from ABSCBN and GMA, Instagrammers, influencers and bloggers. Of course the main man himself Ben Chan was there together with the executives, CEO of Marugame Seimen from Japan. They flew all the way here just for this!

Curry Rice - My heart skipped a beat after they served this on my table. I am so much of a fan of Japanese curry and this was hot, super thick just the way I liked it. The beef strips were soft, it was subtle, not overly spicy, laid over a heaping bowl of hot white rice. I loved this but they had other hits on the menu.

Tempura - They had tons of choices for the tempura. I had one, okay two of the Ebi (even if I was allergic I had to give in!), a few sticks of Chicken Karaage, the Vegetable Tempura plus Sweet Potatoes. They serve this freshly cooked, so don't forget to have this with your Udon Bowl. 

Gyudon Rice - You don't have to go far to get a bowl of full Umami goodness. I could taste a hint of sweet sake, dark soy  and smell it too. If you are finding comfort food with strips of beef, a little fat, this bowl of rice would be a good place to start. Make sure you have this as soon as they put it on your tray because it's best when it's piping hot. You don't even have to add anything but I tried this with Japanese chili oil that day and it was even better. I think I just like everything that's hot LOL.

Teriyaki Chickendon - This would be a great treat for kids who love anything sweet and savory on their food. Make sure you order this for them because it's tender and would make you full in a jiffy. This would also be best for take out since it won't get overcooked on your lunchboxes, and it's a pretty good deal for the price.  

Beef Ontama Bukkake Udon - You won't find anything fresher as these hand made noodles on their joint. They have researched and looked for the perfect flour available in the Philippines so they can recreate what they legitimately serve in Japan. Think of thick udon noodles served in a hot broth with soft strips of beef gyudon, caramelized onions with all the umami goodness in it plus soft cooked tamago which you can just poke as it envelopes each strand of udon on your bowl. It's super good, you'll instantly be a fan and know why it's number 1 in Japan. 

Now I don't want to just make you drool with these photos, I suggest you go to BGC's B7 section and look for Marugame Udon for the best Udon and Tempura in Manila. You get it for less than the price of other Japanese restaurants in Manila but get the legit taste of what's served in Japan, wouldn't that be a nice idea to have it during this long weekend? To know more about the restaurant, follow them on their social media accounts https://www.facebook.com/marugameph/ and http://instagram.com/marugameph on IG. I loved it, you will too!