It took me two hours to get here, but heck, it was worth it.
If there's one thing I hate about Makati, it's the traffic. I try to avoid it as much as I can, but when my favorite tita, Tita Jaz, invited us to try out her friend's restaurant, I couldn't say no. And so I went and braved the traffic one Saturday afternoon.
10 Ronin is a Japanese carinderia of sorts, where the food is Japanese-inspired, but Filipino-cooked. Now this is one fusion I can definitely support. I mean, I LOVE Japanese food - a lot of us do - but 10 Ronin gives it a bit of a twist so it fits and tastes better for the Filipino palate.
Though there's no airconditioning available at 10 Ronin, the place is well-ventilated. Still, I suggest visiting in the late afternoon or early evening so the weather's cooler.
Here's what to order:
Spicy Crispy Onion Frizzles (P95)
A light, addicting snack while you wait for your meal to arrive. These thin onion strips goes perfectly with the dipping sauce.
Mixed Tempura Platter (P220)
For fans of tempura, this one comes with an assortment of eggplants, squash, crab meat, and prawns served with flavored salts.
Yakitori Platter (P295)
A variety of Filipino skewers for everyone in your group. Enjoy pork blood, pork ear, bacon wrapped chicken liver, beef belly wrapped leeks, and chicken thigh served Japanese style.
Ronin Adobo Flakes Maki (P125)
Spicy Tuna with Tempura Batter Flakes (P175)
Affordable maki rolls you can't just get anywhere! The Adobo Flakes Maki is made with tamago, pickled cucumber, mango, and salted egg sauce. While the Spicy Tuna Maki is more like your traditional Japanese roll - with fresh tuna, salmon roe, chili paste, and crispy batter on top.
So far, so good!
Onto the mains:
Bagnet Japanese Curry (P195)
Corned Crispy Pata (P450)
If you absolutely have to have meat in your meal, then I suggest ordering these two! The Corned Crispy Pata comes with a sweet dipping sauce, unlike the usual soy sauce/vinegar/calamansi combo.
Of course, what's a carinderia without soup? In this case, ramen!
Bacon and Grilled Adobo Cha Siu Shoyu Ramen (P155)
Spicy Miso Tinola Ramen (P155)
Spicy Kimchi Sinigang Ramen (P240)
Among the three, my favorite is the Sinigang Ramen! It's not super spicy as one might think, but I'd have to say, the combination of kimchi and sinigang really work well together. A perfect treat for any rainy afternoon!
And last but not the least, the Ronin US Beef Tapa Gyudon (P145).
I didn't expect to find such a great bowl of gyudon here. The beef strips were cooked perfectly with a sweet teriyaki sauce. Just mix it together the rice, fried onions, and runny yolk! I guarantee you, you will wipe this bowl clean! We certainly did!
Thanks for an amazing lunch, 10 Ronin!
10 Ronin is located at 4357 Montojo Street, Santa Cruz, Makati City.
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