Mr. Misono cooks ups affordable Japanese cuisine for the Ilonggos

I turned Japanese later that night as I went with the members of the Iloilo Bloggers to a food tasting session at Mr. Misono upon the invitation of Mr. Gian Javellana, owner of the Japanese fastfood joint.. “It’s Tokyo-Tokyo meets Teriyaki Boy” opens up Gian as he explained the concept of his restaurant. I couldn’t agree more having tried those two restaurants in Manila many times.

Unlike most Japanese restaurants in Iloilo City, Mr. Misono has the fastfood feel that doesn’t seem to be intimidating. “Mr. Misono is trying to bridge the gap between ordinary Ilonggos who are not attuned with Japanese specialties but are willing to try, budget wise ” he said. Thus a big menu board that announces their specialties and the respective prices dominates the counter.

Samplers of California maki and sashimi came to our table and after a series of clicks and flashes – all were devoured with gusto. Gian shared despite his low prices customers are assured of the food’s quality. “We get our stocks from Japanese stores in Manila like most other restaurants and hotels which offer Japanese cuisine”.

He shared some anecdotes while we waited for our next dish but the one with the sashimi drew the most laughs. It turns out someone ordered sashimi not having any idea about and when it came the customer gave it a long gaze and said “Is this a joke? Why is this fish raw?” From then on, Gian said he tries to be in the restaurant as often as he could so he can explain each dish to some customers.

Like the Beef Sukiyaki, it’s a dish with rice noodles, beef strips and vegetables cracked with fresh egg before serving. “I make it a point to tell them that it has a sweet broth so that they will be ready for it”. It was a delicious soup – perfectly seasoned for me with just right mix of sweetness and flavour. The beef and vegetables were good too that I finished my bowl in no time.

By the way, the raw fish that was complained before was cooked by Gian – wakadori style though it’s not part of the menu. But there’s Chicken Wakadori that comes in original or hot and spicy blend. Perfectly fried chicken pieces that smothered with delectable sauce that you’d even lick the bones off!

A bento meal of their Mixed Misono served with Mr. Misono Fried Rice and Sautéed sprouts came next. It had a combination of chicken, beef and seafood pieces – a perfect order for those who can’t make up their minds.

This is where the food memories of Tokyo-Tokyo come in – I can still remember our tray oozing with so much grease like we can see ourselves on the plate. But surprisingly Mr. Misono has found a way to lessen the grease yet still make the perfectly fried and sautéed bento meal.

Finally there’s Tai Teppan, fried fish fillet with vegetables smothered with a savoury sauce. It was a fitting end to a night where our all our palates turned Japanese during a wonderful meal all courtesy of Mr. Misono.

More photos on Facebook

Mr. Misono by Misono Express

Casa Plaza, Corner Gen. Luna – Iznart Streets, Iloilo City
Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 9 pm
(033) 336-4189

Misono Express

108 N- Jalandoni St. Brgy. Lourdes Jaro, Iloilo City
(033) 329-0487

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece por...

Easy Century Tuna Recipes

If you're looking for simple, easy and delicious Century Tuna recipes online, congratulations, you've found it right here! How about spicy tuna sisig or tuna sinigang ? Maybe stir fried tuna with pickles or just yang chow fried rice . I love Century Tuna from its flakes in oil variety, the spicier the better, but when I discovered the versatility of its solid variant, it became an obsession. At first I was just into the usual tested recipes; pasta and sandwich filling, but then it got simpler – I just eat it straight from the can! Usually with a piece of bread or an apple. I just add a few drops of vinegar to spice it up a bit. Then came the experiments. Yup I got tired of that habit that one day, I decided to test my skills in the kitchen. Serendipity, you might call it yet most of them turned into good recipes that I have shared now and then. Satisfying my Palabok cravings had me experiment on this recipe on the spot. With Century Tuna in lieu of the us...

An Ilonggo favorite - Suman Latik

Suman Latik is one of my favorite native delicacies - plain suman/ibos topped with sweetened coconut strips or bukayo . Most of the time those sold in the markets have this two (suman and bukayo) already in one wrap and all you have to to is devour it. But most of the time, the bukayo portion is bitin that I wish there's more. So why not make our own suman latik so you can have all the suman we want with all the bukayo toppings we desire! Here's a simple recipe for Suman Latik

Lauya nga Pata sang Baboy

It was a typical fiesta scene in a barrio that I got to taste this cholesteroliffic and delicious pork dish. I can still vividly remember that decades old gastronomic memory - very tender and almost fall of the bone pata, vivid orange sour and sticky broth, large chunks of unripe langka; all in one big large kaldero ! And it's been really a while since I've tried to recreate that taste memory and a few days ago, it was worth another try. Here's my simple recipe for Pata Lauya

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Search This Blog