That it’s hard to find good – and let’s qualify this, affordable – Japanese restaurants in Metro Manila is a given. Too often we get sanitized venues that may claim to offer “authentic Japanese cuisine”, but really just serve watery ramens or about-to-expire sushis or badly-prepared sashimis.

One weekend, a chance visit to Tanay in the province of Rizal led us to this supposedly highly-recommended Japanese restaurant called Tanto, and so we checked.

@outragemag Heard there's an okay #Japanese restaurant in #tanayrizal, so we #LGBT checked #Tanto ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the place is hard to access. No public transport was seen here; people dining in the venue had motorcycles or cars. Buti na lang there’s enough parking; that is, the entire highway is the parking space.

Ikalawa, the actual place is… so-so. The place is clean, at least, but there’s nothing special here – i.e. you just have wooden tables and wooden chairs a la karinderya.

Also, most restaurants in Tanay are open-air, allowing diners to view the mountain ranges. The view from Tanto, however, isn’t that pretty.

You may also encounter issues with some facilities – e.g. no water in the toilets, and no bidet in the male toilet.

Ikatlo, the personnel naman were okay. Some issues: the recommendations weren’t good (e.g. the food ordered), service was slow (e.g. chili powder had to be requested repeatedly), and so on.

Ika-apat, with the food, this place was a hit and miss. The tantanmen ramen (₱359) I ordered, for instance, was a big disappointment. It didn’t taste like tantanmen at all; just a tasteless noodle soup masquerading as tantanmen. The chili powder didn’t help since it wasn’t even spicy.

But at least the miso ramen (₱329) was okay, said Arthur. It DID taste like miso, even if we agreed that there wasn’t a lot of sabaw, soup, served.

Also, at least we agreed on the gyoza; those were better-than-okay. The wrapper didn’t disintegrate, and the well-seasoned meat was malasa, tasty, and not overcooked nor undercooked.

BTW: there’s no service water here; instead, we were told that what they have isn’t safe to drink so we may as well order bottled water (₱50). That’s profiteering for sure.

Gist: The prices here are higher than those in Little Tokyo in Makati City, so you’d actually expect more. But with so-so offering and so-so service, suggesting for people to intentionally go to it is hard. I’d say: check when you’re in the area… though when there, you may also just want to check the other restaurants there.

So off we go for more lafangan reviews…

Tanto Tastes of Asia is located along Marcos Highway, Sitio Malapapaya, Brgy. Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal. For more information, contact 09611434875.

If you’ve grabbed food from the street vendors of, say, Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, then you know how tasteful – albeit simple – Vietnamese cuisine is. So, yeah, it is always good to keep your eyes peeled so you won’t miss what may be good Vietnamese restaurants outside of Vietnam.

@outragemag Curious about #Vietnam food? #LGBT checking #vietnamesecuisine via #HiddenVietnam in #Cavite ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

But that’s also why we decided to check Hidden Vietnam, a restaurant chain that may have originated from Tanza, Cavite but now has a handful of branches captivating pho-hunting diners.

So… how was Hidden Vietnam for us?

Una, the original store – the branch we tried – is, yes, truly hidden. It’s inside some village, so accessing it isn’t easy for those without private vehicles. There’s also no big signage in front of the residential-looking venue, so you could even miss it if you don’t look hard enough.

Ikalawa, the actual venue is… homey. There are two “sections”, so to speak, in the restaurant: one is where you order, and the other is where the bigger tables with more seating are. Yep, malinis naman siya… even if there were flies here and there during our visit.

Ikatlo, this is not just a Vietnamese restaurant as they now also offer Thai food (via Keri Thai).

Ika-apat, the people working there were friendly while elaborating about the business and its offerings (e.g. how many branches, where these are, the differences in seemingly similar offerings, and so on).

Ikalima, how was the food?

• The Fresh Rolls (₱180) weren’t dry, so were fresh and malasa (tasty). You don’t get a lot of dip, though, so… stretch whatever is given to you.
• The Banh Mi BBQ (₱185) was tolerable… if not for that mayo/ketchup combo auto-slapped on what you get even if: it’s not to your liking, and whatever was used isn’t of okay quality for you.
• The Beef Pho (₱205) was… refreshing, the soup base actually flavorful to properly complement the more-than-enough beef slices, veggies and noodles. Alas, not enough pho condiments here, so if you want to PROPERLY season your pho, well then, sorry to you.
• The Shrimp Pad Thai (₱175), sadly, didn’t taste like Pad Thai at all. It’s supposedly because they use a “special sauce”. Though for us, if Pad Thai no longer tastes like Pad Thai it shouldn’t be sold as such… sorry.

In a gist, if you’re in the area (or at least nearby), yes… drop by this place. The offerings are not bad at all, particularly considering their prices. But is it worth to dayo, to seek out? Not when there are already branches in cities, malls, and so on. Plus the availability of numerous Vietnamese restaurants now.

But that’s why we continue heading out in search of more lafang venues…

Hidden Vietnam is located at Sta. Cecilia 1 No. 91, Irish St., Mulawin, Tanza, Cavite. For more information, contact +967 2 679 690, or email hiddenvietnamph@gmail.com.

So… Antipolo has long been promoted as a creative hub in the Province of Rizal, hosting the likes of the Pintô Art Museum, and art collectives like the ARTipolo Group, Inc. This may also explain why major Antipolo destinations are sold as art spaces that offer add-ons… such as restaurants or cafés or whatever.

And here, the Crescent Moon Cafe and Studio Pottery easily comes to mind as a Southeast Asian restaurant that’s also a pottery store and art space with creative workshops.

How was the place for us?

Una, the place isn’t easily accessible to those without private vehicles. So… from this alone, you already know the target market of this place.

Ikalawa, the actual venue is… artsy. There are various buildings here – e.g. one houses paintings that are also for sale, and another houses pottery outputs also for sale. So if you arrived early, or if the orders take too long, you can tour the area to check the art pieces on display.

Ikatlo, the staff’s okay naman, able to offer help as needed – e.g. sundo while touring another building when our food was about to be served already

Ika-apat, how was the food?

• We started with the Gado Gado (₱470, mixed spring vegetables with tempeh and peanut sauce) that may have been refreshing, but… the serving was quite small.
• The Beef Rendang (₱640) was actually good, properly blending the flavors of lemongrass, ginger, galangal, turmeric and chili for a savory, spicy and sweetish offering. Too bad the serving’s quite small considering the asking price.
• The Lemongrass Pork Belly (₱500) was delish, malasa (tasty) without the overpowering taste of any particular ingredient (not even the lemongrass).

As FYI: this is not a cheap place, seemingly emphasizing the “art is for rich people” mantra. A serving of rice, for instance, costs ₱55, which should actually already pay for one kilo of rice if bought in some marketplace. The coffee, too, was disappointing, served quite cold (not even lukewarm), making you feel you just wasted ₱135.

So…

1. Art-wise, this place is worth checking out. They may not have as big a collection as, say, Pintô Art Museum, but… what’s there is okay enough.
2. Those workshops may also be of interest to some, particularly for those interested in pottery. Plus you can buy pottery goods here, so yeah, a quick check may not be bad at all.
3. Food-wise, however, we found this place wanting. The flavors we expected weren’t there… at least for most of those served to us. Considering the asking prices (and those reviews), the expectations were high. Too high, they weren’t met.

But off we go in search of more lafang venues.

Crescent Moon Cafe and Studio Pottery is located along Sapang Buho Rd., Brgy. Dalig, Antipolo. For more information, contact +63282345724, or email crescentmooncafeantipolo@gmail.com.