Laksa Restaurant

Tom and I have been wanting to try Laksa for over a month now but never really got to crossing over to Magsaysay.

Because of an intense craving for some sort of noodle soup (initially thinking of ramen or pho) we remembered that we had yet to check out Laksa - what I assume is the only South East Asian restaurant in this side of the country.

Nicely situated next to Chef Doy's (which we haven't gone to yet either), the casual, al fresco dining area boasts of beautiful wooden benches, attractive orange walls and a very unique wooden ceiling piece. All proudly made by a local carpenter, we hear.

We came at around seven in the evening - bumping into a few familiar faces (enjoying their own dates at Grissini and Uncle Johnny's). Surprisingly, there weren't many diners when we came in - but then again, it was a rainy evening. After a good hour or so, more families started trickling in.

We ordered Singaporean Laksa and Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls. Beautiful presentation and very very tasty. I was so not disappointed. In fact, it was very good laksa - even better than Secret Recipe's! Just the right amount of spiciness, getting better with every bite (or slurp, rather). I don't remember having it with pineapple before, but this one did. And the combination of sweet and spicy was perfect. The spring rolls were excellent as well. I love the sweet sauce that accompanied it. I was tempted to order more for "dessert".

The best part of dinner though was our gracious host, Mr. Johnny Casilang. He sat with us throughout our dinner, sharing stories, photos and dreams.

We talked about moving back to Naga, choosing to raise our family here. He nodded his head in approval. Everything in Naga is seven minutes away from almost any and every point. No stress from traffic, he said. So true! Although a native of Pampanga, this man has had the opportunity to live in the Visayas and Mindanao, carrying with him a wealth of experience. And he too chooses Naga to be his home. :)

We left Laksa with our tummy's full and our hearts bursting as well. Such an affirmation that we made the right choice to come home and settle here. There is so much potential in this little city and we are just beginning to discover the treasures that are hidden here.

On another note though - we are definitely going back to try the Pho and the Pad Thai. It's a good thing we aren't going anywhere - we've got a lot on our check-list of things to eat.

Maki Yaki

If there is one thing we'll miss in Vancouver, it's Japanese food. Almost every weekend, we searched for the best sashimi, gyoza or ramen in town. We were hardly ever disappointed over there - the fish was always fresh and the rolls were always super.

We heard Maki Yaki is the only Japanese restaurant in Naga (someone correct me if I'm wrong) and so we decided to give it a try the other night with family.

Maki Yaki is a cute, clean little restaurant on the first floor of Avenue Square (although there is another branch at SM Naga which I hear has a limited menu). The food is good - of course we cannot say it is the best Japanese food we've ever tasted - but it's flavourful and decent. The pork gyoza was tasty and surprisingly, the sauce had a sour kick to it (much vinegar and not enough sugar but still okay). The miso soup was a little on the salty side (for me, but alright for Tom), but was neutralized with the other dishes we ordered.

The sushi boat was alright. The sushi rice was sweet and moist and quite tasty on its own. Although there was not much variety in the boat we ordered,  we enjoyed it nonetheless (it was mostly tamagoyaki [egg]). There are more rolls on the menu that looked promising, so we'll come back to try them some other time.

The food was served quite quickly but when it was time for dessert, it took way too long. It's possible though that we were there way too late, as it was almost eleven in the evening. They might have had to reopen the whole kitchen. I don't know.

Overall, it was a good dining experience. We will  go back to try the rolls and the sake.

TOM'S GRADE -  3 out of 10
TAM 'S GRADE - 5 out of 10