"Iloilo meets Japan" at Oishi Batchoi

There's chicharon, liver, egg and noodles. And then there's narutomaki (fish cake), chasyu (classic Japanese roast pork) and a tonkotsu(pork bone)-miso(soy bean paste) flavoured broth. Now you know that there's something different about this bowl of noodle soup as gives the well-loved Lapaz Batchoy a Japanese twist!

"Welcome to OISHI BATCHOI" greets Chef Benjie Garcia during the restaurant's opening at SM City Iloilo. Chef Benjie-San as he is fondly called used to work in Japan for more than 20 years as an executive chef.

His love and passion for food made him dream to someday create his own line of food offerings where he can make use of his skills in preparing exquisite foods he learned in Japan at the same time looking back to the dishes of the Philippines.

With this knowledge and passion, he began experimenting in the fusion of ramen and batchoy recipes - one ingredient at a time. When he finally perfected the combination of miso, chicharon, pork liver, fresh egg. roasted garlic, chasyu, naruto and freshly-made ramen - a new kind of batchoy was created! And Chef Benjie can't helt but exclaim "Oishi!" And having said that, he came with the idea of of naming his restaurant venture - OISHI BATCHOY!

"I just removed the "Y" and placed an "I" in batchoy to give distinction to my brainchild" he explains to those confused with the spelling. And now, with the opening of the 2nd branch (1st one is in Sta. Rosa, Laguna) in the birthplace of batchoy, he wished that Ilonggo's would warmly welcome this twist with open arms.

For starters, we had these tasting portions of Oishi Batchoi's specialties so we can have a bite or two of its best-sellers yet still having more stomach room for Chef Benjie-San's gastronomic creations that were eager to come out from the kitchen.

And one by one, they came and first on the tasting menu is the specialty of the house (and the one that gave the restos name) - Oishi Miso Batchoi. This new genre of batchoy has a tonkotsu pork broth prepared the traditional method with rich miso soup topped with pork liver, classic Japanese roast pork called chasyu, pork cracklings locally called chicharon, egg, and narutomaki with freshly made ramen noodles.

It's definitely batchoy with a twist as the taste and texture changes from batchoy to ramen depending on which ingredient/s you are munching. If it's chicharon and liver, it's batchoy for you; but if its the narutomaki and chasyu, then it's Japanese ramen taking charge. My advice is that don;t look for a particular taste, just savor it as a dish you barely knew and tasted so you will appreciate it more.

Next to tickle our palate was the Moringa Batchoi with an obvious greenish soup. With a malunggay (moringa) infused broth soup topped with tender slices of chasyu, pork cracklings, fresh soft boiled egg and naruto with fresh ramen and a generous hint of black garlic-mayo! Now, the words "batchoy, healthy and nutritious" can go side by side in a sentence!

Our finale was another healthy option and comes in the form of Seafoods Miso Batchoi. Its another miso-based soup with seafoods (shrimps, naritomaki,etc.), vegetables (mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, broccoli. peppers, etc), fresh egg, garlic and freshly made ramen. A healthier choice indeed and no need to feel guilty...

But there's more to Oishi Batchoi than the delectable ramens above. So more of their Japanese specialties came out of the kitchen. The Kaizen Salad is a healthy mix of fresh lettuce, carrots and cucumber with fresh tuna, kani (crabsticks), tako (octopus), ebi (shrimp) and ebiko (those orange prawn? eggs/roe ) - all drizzled with special Japanese dressing.

Carnivores need not fret as there are a lot meat on the menu. One of which is Katsudon; from tonkatsu ( pork cutlet) and donburi (for rice bowl). It is a popular Japanese fastfood menu consisting of a bowl of rice topped with a deep-fried pork cutlet, egg, vegetables, and condiments. There's Gyoza - dumplings filled with ground pork and vegetables wrapped in thin dough.

And of course, you don't go in a Japanese restaurant without having sushi. Here's an order of aptly named makisushi - Rainbow Maki Roll.

Chef Benjie's mission is to showcase his culinary skills not only on Japanese cuisine but also to his ingenious original creations of delectable dishes. Sharing his passion for cooking is not only to bring gastronomic satisfaction but also to bring a smile to every customer who comes and enjoy his food.

And at Oishi Batchoi, there's plenty of Chef Benjie-San's to choose from, from what were featured above and based on the menu, you'd surely have your fill anytime, any day at Oishi Batchoi. From meats to seafood, ramen to salad; there's one that would surely fit your taste and make you shout "OISHI! NAMIT GID!"

Oishi Batchoi is located as the Lower Ground Floor of SM City Iloilo North Wing. Check out their Facebook Page >>> Oishi Batchoi

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FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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