Dining Snippets: Omo Diner x Fumizen Japanese Restaurant x Hai Chix and Steaks

OMO DINER

Omo Diner is one of the many quirky restaurants that started opening up in literal ‘food streets’ in Makati City such as Palanca. This is one of the reasons why I terribly miss working in Makati – when all of these restaurants were simply within walking distance – so I honestly don’t mind braving EDSA traffic to meet with friends in Makati after a busy work day to sample them nowadawys.

TOOWOMBA (P488)

Prior to visiting Omo Diner, I was already checking out its socials to see what items I’d like to try and its Toowomba easily caught my eye – and I was so happy that when it was served to us – it looked as mouthwatering as it did on its socials! Omo Diner dresses up instant ramyeon by tossing in some cream sauce, frozen shrimps, scallops and parmesan cheese to make up a spicy creamy noodle dish. It smelled heavenly but unfortunately, I did find it to be too salty for my liking (despite being someone’s who’s addicted to instant noodles).

CLASSIC TTEOKBOKKI GRATIN (P388) and ORIGINAL KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN (P388)

We then ordered the Classic Tteokbokki Gratin – which unassumingly made me appreciate this Korean street food staple for the first time EVER (yes, I didn't even enjoy this in Seoul and Jeju)– I loved that their tteokbokki is on the softer side and came with a delightfully cheesy spicy sauce. I thoroughly enjoyed going through this dish!

We paired the Gratin with their Original Korean Fried Chicken – which delivered on crunchy skin and juicy meat. They give you the option to add a dip for a reasonable P50/dip – you can choose from Oh My Garlic, Yangnyum, Sriracha Aioli and Cheese Fondue to pair your chicken with.

BANANA CARAMEL BINGSU (P380)

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take a decent photo of their Banana Caramel Bingsu – which failed to give it justice as it was a delightfully refreshing bingsu. I love its light shaved ice which wonderfully melted in your mouth – and came with delicious caramelized bananas as toppings – definitely, perfect for sharing in its alfresco area.

Sadly, Omo Diner closes quite early – so you do have to hop to another place if you’re looking for a long night to unwind with friends. Fortunately, there are a lot of options within walking distance!

Omo Diner

Cattleya Gardens, Don Carlos Palanca, Legaspi Village, Makati City

Date of Visit: March 10, 2023 with Ana Bautista and Samantha Bautista

FUMIZEN JAPANESE RESTAURANT

Fumizen has always been a family favorite for Sunday lockdown family lunches so we were really quite ecstatic to finally try dining in one of its branches (we usually order via Grab from its QC restaurant but we decided to try its Shangrila branch).

We each ordered our individual main dishes which all came with unlimited appetizers – potato salad and wakame on top of the usual unlimited rice, miso soup, fruit and lettuce) which makes it more ‘sulit’ than Yabu when compared to the quantity of items available for refills.

GYOZA (P215)

We ordered some fried Gyoza as appetizers for sharing – Fumizen’s version is just alright – I love that it came with a golden crust but nothing about it was noteworthy.

SPICY TUNA SALAD (P250)

We also ordered its Spicy Tuna Salad – which came with tiny spoonfuls of diced tuna sashimi that are essentially unnoticeable once you toss it in the humungous slices of lettuce it came with. I definitely wouldn’t mind extra spoonfuls of tuna and for the kitchen to shred the lettuce a bit more to make it easier to mix and eat.

LOIN TONKATSU (Ala Carte)

For me, Yabu’s tonkatsu is unparalleled; which is why my family usually opts for either Fumizen’s Gindara or Unagi for our main dishes. However, we were curious to see if eating Fumizen’s tonkatsu – as it’s freshly-cooked would taste better than the one we first tried via delivery. The result? Its quality when it’s served via delivery is the same; which means, it's still a far cry from Yabu's.

GINDARA (100g) RICE SET

Of course, as I’ve shared earlier – my family would usually just alternate between its Gindara and Unagi – as Fumizen’s offerings come at a great quality at a really reasonable price.

Fumizen Japanese Restaurant

Level 5, Main Wing, Shangri-la Plaza, Mandaluyong City

Date of Visit: March 12, 2023 with Wilson Chua, Lily Chua, Jared Chua and Jem Chua

HAI CHIX AND STEAKS

My family has been craving for some steak – and since it's been a while since we dined in Hai Chix and Steaks, a revisit was in order.

CAESAR SALAD (P395/P765)

We started with their Caesar Salad – and boy, was it a feast! I loved how the ratios of all of the ingredients were just perfect – that every bite guarantees a nice combination of fresh greens, dressing and bacon. Definitely, a worthy salad for sharing on every table!

BUTTER GARLIC SHRIMP (P495)

You shouldn’t sleep on their Butter Garlic Shrimp either – Hai Chix’s version of the classic Gambas is a steal as it's one of the most affordable ones out there - which is insane given the plump sizes of their shrimps! Definitely, a delight to eat!

FRIED HAINANESE CHICKEN WITH CHICKEN RICE (P535/P1985)

My preference for Hainanese would always be its fried version (except if it’s my mom preparing it - then her version of the classic Hainanese beats out the rest); unfortunately, despite bearing the name of the dish in its name– the chicken was on the dry and bland side. Yes, the blandness can be addressed by dressing it up with the trio of Hainanese sauces it comes with; but the dryness of the meat really sucked out the joy of eating it.

PORTERHOUSE (1200g) – P5750

Nothing beats the pricing of Hai Chix and Steaks for the quality of steak you get – this 1.2kg perfectly-cooked and well-seasoned Porterhouse also comes with three cups of steak rice, mashed potatoes and a bottle of not-so-good wine (but this can be forgiven)! If you’re picky with wine, best to just bring the bottle home and use it for cooking!

The best part of dining at its Estancia branch is that you can cross order your caffeine fix from Cooper’s Coffee Haus!

Hai Chix and Steaks

GF Camino Verde, Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons, Meralco Ave., Pasig City

Date of Visit: March 19, 2023 with Wilson Chua, Lily Chua, Jared Chua and Jem Chua