RaiRai Ken - Gaisano Grand Mall

Mactan has had a Rai-Rai Ken for the longest time, but they close after 2pm only to open at 5pm and they don't have proper airconditioning.  At least not the few times we were there.  So it was nice to see Gaisano Grand Mall open with a Rairai Ken branch.  And we just had to try it out.

Bummer.  Their airconditioning was not working too when we got there.  They said that they relied on the mall's airconditioning which conked out the day before.  And they had no fans. But that didn't stop us from ordering their Ramen.  My absolute fave.  Rairai Ken, I think, has the best ramen in Cebu, barring those expensive authentic Japanese places where you're forced to take off your shoes and squat like an Indian to eat.

This ramen is far from Japengo's version, which tastes like overcooked instant noodles.  Dining at Rairai Ken is always a pleasure and for somebody who has a picky eater as a wife Japanese food is a rare treat.

 This tofu soup came in free with the wife's order.  We forgot to take pictures of what she had out of sheer heat and hunger.  But she said it was good as well.

Rairai Ken is quite pricey, where a good meal for two people could easily run up P500 to around P700, but it's worth it.  In fact, it was so good that the wife was terribly inspired that upon arriving home, she worked on origami geishas

and raped the kokeshi dolls.

Just kidding.

Rairai Ken had cool lanterns and great interiors too.

Now if they could only work on their airconditioning!

This post was written by A.

Wakamatsu Yaki.niku

Yaki-niku is Japanese for grilled meat.  And Wakamatsu Yakiniku is an all-you-can-eat Japanese grill.

I was (and am) never fond of all-you-can-eat restaurants or buffets because I always find myself "shortchanged."  My tummy can only take one round, at most two rounds, of food.  And when I come back from the buffet table, you don't see my plate being filled to the brim.  My husband and my friends (my constant food trip buddies), however, can go up to five rounds.  And that's why they love all-you-can-eat fares.

When one of these amazing food-trip buddies celebrated her birthday, she suggested Wakamatsu.  And although I knew she'd be paying for the tab, I couldn't help but show hesitation.  Why?  Wakamatsu charges PhP535 per head, excluding the drinks.  My mind has this automatic shut-off when it comes to numbers, but I couldn't help but calculate the cost versus the amount of food I am capable of eating.  I do this all the time when I get invited to buffet meals.  So I automatically did the math and figured I'd only be eating a quarter worth or even less of the 500+ cost.  And this is considering I am not fond of Japanese food.  When the birthday girl said it was a Japanese place, I instantly had a picture of a long table laden with all kinds of sushi. And since I don't eat raw fish, I pictured stuffing myself with nothing but tempura.

The Birthday Girl

Birthday Girl had to correct me and say it's a Japanese grill.  Now, I love grilled food.  So to Wakamatsu we went.

And we all loved it there.  Just make sure you don't need to go to any event afterward as you'd be smelling of smoke.  Or better yet, bring a big bottle of perfume with you.  This is because you do the grilling yourself! 

Get dirty and grill or else you go hungry.

Your table has its own grill at the center and you only need to choose from their selection of meat (and seafood).  You will be the one to cook the meat, just the way you like it.  You can have things rare or well-done.  They do serve their meat in little portions so it doesn't take too long before you can start eating away. 

Eat while the second batch is grilling. 

You don't want to wait until everything gets cooked.

(Because the wagyu beef is so yummy, the grilling never really ends.)

We had shrimps, scallops, kawali, and wagyu beef.  We liked their wagyu best and kept on asking for more.  It's marinated, and it suits our taste.  We also had ramen, which, fortunately, is still included in their all-you-can menu.

Others also recommend their chili squid shashimi and their green salad.

 Even little girls love ramen!

We'd certainly love to go back to Wakamatsu.  We're thinking of taking the family with us, but I don't think we're ready to spend thousands (at least PhP3000 for a family of six adults) for that yet. They do charge half for little kids (although our 3-year-old wasn't charged anything that time). 


Wakamatsu Yakiniku is located at Pacific Square Building, F. Cabahug St., Mabolo, Cebu City, Cebu.  Call for reservations at (032) 232-5897 as they are always a full house.

This post was written by F.