JiPan

Restaurant: JiPan (Japanese Bakeshop)
Budget: Php. 180.00 - 300.00

I was still in highschool when saw this restaurant at Megamall. I never tried eating there since I thought that all of their items are expensive like other Japanese restaurants, but I was wrong. XD

Kuni and I gave it a try, since we both like Japanese food and JiPan is one of the restaurants in SM Megamall that we haven't tried yet. 

So we have tried...

Curry (Kare) Udon - Since my husband and I likes to eat curry, this is the very first dish that we have tried from JiPan. 

Hamburg Steak - Meal for big tummies. This meal comes with chicken sotanghon soup, hamburger steak and veggies. Heavy and complete! 

Hiyashi Chuka Soba (Cold Noodles) - Kuni was the one who ate this, right after his wisdom tooth got extracted. He says it was really good although he didn't get to enjoy it that much. The dish was loaded with pork, shredded crabstick, cucumber, and corn and tomatoes, which was unusual. It also had a light shoyu-based sauce.  

Salmon Teriyaki - Very tasty! The salmon was cooked perfectly, the inside was not raw, but was still pink and the outside was nicely seared. (Mapapaextra rice ka sa sauce!). The sweet and salty teriyaki sauce was really delicious. 

Karakuchi Negi Ramen (Spicy Pork) - Probably one of the tastiest ramen that I have tried. It's very rich in flavor, but since it contains pork, it is very oily XD

Bento (Pork Shogayaki Bento) - Very tasty. A complete meal, it comes with miso soup, picked eggplant, oyakodon, spicy pork with eggplant and salad.

Futomaki (Fat Rolls) - 8 pieces for Php. 100+, not bad. 

Shoyu Ramen - Light and very comforting

Cheesy unknown bread (we forgot the name) - Baguette slice filled with white creamy sauce, ham, corn and topped with melted cheese. It was good, we both liked it and we recommend it! 

Tuna Pan? - We were supposed to get the curry pan but mistakenly got this one. For tuna and cheese lovers.

Okonomiyaki Bread - The taste is slightly close to a real okonomiyaki. The obvious flavors are from the bonito flakes and beni shoga (Japanese pickle). Savory nonetheless.

Matcha mini croissant - For me, this is one of my favorite pastries from JiPan. The matcha icing/filling makes it different from other croissants and for me it is very addicting. (And yes I love matcha)

Matcha mochi doughnut -  This is also one of my favorite desserts from JiPan. It's chewy since it is made out of mochi (rice cakes) and the matcha frosting is just right, not to sweet, not to bitter.

Kouign Amann - It's like a flattened croissant with crispy sugar glaze. It's quite sweet, I'm sure the average person will find it delightful. 

Baked Sweet Potato - This is one of my husband's favorite bread from JiPan. It tastes like sweet mashed potato and is quite heavy. 

Japanese Cheesecake - They said that it was their specialty, so we tried it but there was nothing extraordinary about it. The texture was similar to a chiffon cake but has a light cheesecake flavor.  

Mochi (rolled in black sesame seeds) - Mini mochi roll filled with red bean paste covered with black sesame seeds. 

Mango Parfait - Sweet and creamy. Perfect for a light dessert. 

Most of their meals are really healthy and heavy, complete meal. That's why I love Japanese food. Now, JiPan is one of the restaurants that we usually visit whenever we are in Ortigas. 

Complimentary Tea!

Japanese Genmaicha for Php. 100+ (Refillable water!)

Si Christina Gateau Sans Rival

Restaurant: Si Christina Gateau Sans Rival
Budget: Php. 150 - 250

Kuni is from San Pablo, Laguna, so we usually go there when we have the time during the weekends. We discovered this cute and cozy cafe call Si Christina sometime last year so you can call this a bit of a late review. Now there are a number of food bloggers that have already written about them and they even got mentioned on Yahoo!.

Anyway, we really like this place because the meals they offer are really tasty and reasonably priced. This is one of the restaurants that we visit often every time we are in San Pablo.

Here are the meals that we have tried:

Gateau Sans Rival

This is supposed to be their specialty. We tried a slice of this with cappuccino on our first visit (sorry no pictures). I really can't recall how it tasted but Kuni said that it was just second best to all of the sans rivals that he has tried, the best one being a custom made cake baked by family friend in San Pablo.

Si Christina's sans rival is nevertheless nice. The butter they use is light and creamy, and the meringue or dacquoise? was chewy, but was not that soft, not also as hard as Goldilock's. The texture was just right or at least how Kuni likes it (Kuni is a big fan of sans rival XD)

Fruit Smoothies:

If you want something refreshing and something healthy, then try their fruit smoothies. It'll make your tummy feel good, especially if you have hangover, trust me. XD

Salad:

Their salads are one of the dishes that I usually order (since I like eating veggies). Their salads have always been fresh every time we order, and is quite affordable since it can be shared by 2-4 people :D

Shepherd's Pie:

Loaded with ground beef and veggies, topped with creamy mashed potatoes :3

Clubhouse Sandwich:

Their sandwiches have a good ratio of bread to filling. Aside from that, it can be shared by 2 light eaters as a snack. It is enough to satisfy your tummy and cravings as well. For those who love bacon, you will like this!

Pasta:

They have different kinds of pastas and sauces. I've tried their chicken stroganoff pasta; it's light but very tasty. Most of their pastas are just the usual, but are ok if you like eating comfort food.

I think that prices are ok considering that all of their meals and dishes are quite tasty and well prepared. They are also one of the very few places in San Pablo where you can get good food along with a nice ambiance, which is why we visit often.

Check out Si Christina's page on Facebook!