Zomato.Com Feature

So I noticed that in the last couple of weeks, I’ve been more vocal about my food choices and opinions. I’ve always written about books I’ve read, so when I started liking eating and eating out, I decided to join in and give my two cents about the places I go to or I’ve been to. Fast-forward to my few reviews on Looloo and Zomato, both food and restaurant review sites featuring restaurants here in the Philippines. Looloo is Philippine-based and features restaurants and other service-focused places throughout the archipelago. Zomato is more international, as it’s originally based in India, and features restaurants throughout Metropolitan Manila.

Despite being a blogger, what I love about these sites (also available as apps on smartphones) is that they reach out to the common person. You don’t have to be a famous person or a master chef or critic to give your two cents on a restaurant, their service, food, prices, and other related opinions. You just click away on your phone or on your computer and you can gauge if a restaurant is a good place to set up a date, or lunch with friends, if you’re getting your money’s worth, what you should or should not order, and the like. I find it really helpful as so many people have so much to say, and recommend, and it’s usually very easy to say straight-out what you like or don’t like about a place.

So going back to above image, one of my restaurant reviews was featured on the Zomato.Com yesterday, to my surprise. I was amazed to find an email (or two) waiting in my mailbox telling me that they choose my review to appear on their site. Not only that but.. (look at the image below)

I got an email congratulating me for my review of the restaurant Omakase (Greenhills branch) as it was picked as the review for their Write for a Bite contest! This is what I said in my review..

I’ve been coming to this Omakase branch since it first opened, and I’ve been going to Omakase since my university days (Libis-Eastwood branch). So you can say I’m a really really big fan of Omakase.

One of the things I love about this Omakase branch is their cozy interior design. It can be fun, warm, a good place to go with friends or with family, or if you’re on a date with someone. The service here is almost always amazing, I always feel like they are catering to my every whim and fancy, except for the few times where there are too many people and my hand-in-the-air goes unnoticed….but this rarely happens. This branch is so popular that if you want to come for dinner, you have to go really early or reserve ahead of time.

Omakase’s house tea is delicious. They either serve it to you cold, or warm, so take your pick depending on what you feel like drinking for that specific trip. I am especially fond of Omakase’s Dynamite Roll – which is a either (or a combination) of spicy tuna or spicy salmon, served with 8 pieces. I am also fond of their pork tonkatsu, and back when I wasn’t too fond of sushi, I would always order their Tonkatsudon (Pork Tonkatsu with rice). I’ve always been a big fan of tamago, so if you love eggs like me, you have to be sure to get an order of tamago! I’ve also recently been ordering their salmon nigiri, and most of it is a hit-and-miss, sometimes I get really good tasting salmon, and sometimes I get some that aren’t top quality salmon slices.

The one thing that makes me happy about going to Omakase, is the good company combined with the good atmosphere. (At this branch) I’ve held 3 despedidas here before (in a span of 1 week), before I went to China. I’ve celebrated many birthday celebrations here, I’ve celebrated get-together lunches with friends, bonding with my family members for no-special-occasions, bonding time with my nephews and nieces who also love Omakase; and sometimes I’ve also come here alone, just to enjoy the food and to satisfy my Japanese food craving.

I really want to keep coming back to Omakase, because I have so many good memories here. I hope that whoever reads this also makes good memories of their time here, with their loved ones.

 

And the price here is not bad. It’s so worth what you spend for!

You know, the last time I got something like this was when my book review was on Fully Booked’s website. And what makes it more unexpected is that this time, we’re talking about food! Of course, this doesn’t make me a food connoisseur or anything remotely close to that, in fact….I’m still finicky with my food, and I’m far from adventurous when it comes to eating. But it just goes to show that sometimes, when you least expect it, something like this happens and there’s just another thing to smile about. A lot of people love eating, and places like this – where you can find recommendations of places to go to, is very helpful. And anyone can contribute their ideas and their experiences, which ensures that you (almost) never make the mistake of ordering the worst dish, or of paying too much for something when another place offers the same things for less (and it’s more delicious too!). Of course, adventurous foodies can still go for the adventure by trying out a place without knowing what’s good or what’s bad, but for people like me who often answer the question, “So, where do you want to eat?” with “Kahit saan. (Anywhere is fine.)”, having a little bit of help goes a long way.