Izakaya Den : Japanese food haven in Malate

Nothing complements Japanese food like KIKKOMAN (bow)

And whenever dining at a Japanese restaurant I would always love the sight of this sexy body with the red cap, not that I don't appreciate the beautiful condiment containers of other restaurants, but nothing beats simplicity.

By the looks of IZAKAYA DEN's facade, I was totally excited because I feel like a lot of Japanese people eat here (which would say a lot about it's authenticity) and also because I have seen the place for quite a while now and have been dying to see what the inside looks like. I have passed by this place over and over again, but never had the time to stop and give it a try.

.... Til now! For the longest time, my mind has been constructing the inside of this place! Seemed to me like it is the Japanese "A" place to be and it is! And I would always see a ton of cars parked outside whenever passing by.

Money well spent at : 8 STREET BITES at SM Manila

Back when I was still in high school, I would always love to go to Sm Manila. I would be there almost 3 times a week, which would be a lot for a high school student right? I don't know why but I just really loved eating out even on a school night!

So even on a school night or on a work day, Sm Manila would always be filled with people from different offices near by like from the City Hall or the schools near by like PUP or Adamson. I was so used to the crowd that it was a shocker to me that on this fateful Saturdate, there were barely any people.

But even if it has really been a long while. The stores were pretty much the same but the restaurants.. It was news to me!

I was  a little melancholy but somewhat happy. I was actually craving for some good BRASO DE MERCEDES from REYES (which is now sadly gone!). But it was truly a blessing in disguise.

I was now on a mission to find a new place to eat at.

Sm Manila is a little place and if I put it to will, I can finish roaming the place in less than an hour.

On the 4th floor, I noticed the biggest change. There were a couple of great places to eat at like RED TABLE, SEAFOOD ISLAND, ARISTOCRAT, KEBABERS, but what caught my attention was :

What is it about the number 8? It seems like the number 8 is making it's mark on the industry. Eight this and 8 that. Did they forget about lucky 9? Lol