Rai Rai Ken

UPDATE: I am definitely not going back to this particular branch. A year after this post we returned and the place is disgustingly dirty. I got a small roach on my soup and the manager did not even apologize or offered to replace the food. Damn. Don't ever go to this branch.

Location: Ali Mall, Cubao

I was already running late, missing the 7:30 p.m. screening at Gateway so we decided to go to Ali Mall instead. If you haven't been to Ali Mall, the Aranetas have tried to make the interiors look like Gateway (even the cinemas). We found a small Japanese resto named Rai Rai Ken. I liked the ambiance so we headed inside before catching a 8:30 p.m. movie.

First off, I would just want to say that their maki was the best! I am not a fan of sushi but Rai Rai Ken's (take note) "Super" California Maki (P105 for 4 pcs) was delightful. Everything was yummy. The overall taste was heaven and the crunchy seaweed (nori) wrapper gave it a nice consistency.

Besides maki, we ordered Yakimeshi rice (P65 per cup), Gyoza (P65 for 3 pcs) and Chasyu Ramen (P105, originally P210 but they had a 50% ramen promo if you buy gyoza). The Yakimeshi is a must-try. It smells and tastes really good. I wish I knew how to make fried rice like that. The gyoza tasted a little raw but it's my first time to eat gyoza (though it's basically just a dumpling) so I'm not sure if that's how the Japanese version should taste like.

And of course, the Chasyu Ramen tasted like the usual ramen but what made it really delicious was the tender slices of roasted pork. Yum! I prefer not to eat pork but Asian roasted pork is making me change my mind (check out my Panciteria Lido reviewtomorrow).

The dinner only cost us P350 (because of the promo) and we weren't even able to eat it all up (well, just the ramen soup).

I discovered that they have a website where you can check out their menu: http://www.rairaiken.com.ph/