Chibo Okonomiyaki in Manila

It was a spur of the moment thing.  My friend Jill found out that the Okonomiyaki joint we went to in Osaka, Japan finally has a branch here in Manila. Chibo Okonomiyaki is very popular in Osaka.  The one we went to was in Dotonburi and we had to wait for an hour before we could get a table.

I told Jill that it's a MUST that we check this Chibo place at S' Maison, at the new Conrad Hotel in Pasay City, immediately.  Let me first say how awestruck we were upon entering S' Maison.  Maybe because there weren't alot of shops open yet, or that we saw billboards of soon to be opening favorite eateries, but seriously, we knew right then that it would be our new place to hang out.

Back to the Okonomiyaki place.  The interior of Chibo is different from the one in Osaka.  It's a little bit on the high-end side.  Though they remained true to the concept of the original Chibo, which is inspired by the great emperor Hideyoshi Totomi, the one at S' Maison looks like a fine-dining restaurant.

Jill wanted to try the Cheese Yaki.  The Cheese Yaki is only served in the Philippines.  I guess because they think Filipinos love their cheese so much, they decided that they'll do a cheese version of their Okonomiyaki.

Each table was equipped with a teppan grill.  The server came in with our Cheese Yaki and placed it at the grill.  We waited for it to start sizzling and then he started doing the usual theatrics, Okonomiyaki-style.

The cheese Yaki was well worth the Php280.  It was packed with the teppan noodles, bean sprouts, pork and lots of cheese.  Imagine the crispness of the bottom of the pancake, mixed with the creaminess of the cheese, and topping it with lots and lost of bonito flakes.

The size of the Okonomiyaki is big enough for two persons.  So, if you decide to eat here, better be hungry coz you need a lot of space in that tummy.

Ofcourse, it wouldn't be Chibo if we will not try their signature Okonomiyaki, the Chibo Okonomiyaki (hindi sila nahirapan pangalanan tong dish na toh!).  It's the same dish we ordered in Osaka and yes, the taste, texture and size were all the same from what we were served here in Manila.

The prawn's head and tail served as decoration but you can still eat them.  The Chibo Okonomiyaki has bits of beef, shrimp, and i'm not sure if that was scallop or squid (sorry naman, na-excite lang masyado).

We noticed that they kept on refilling our glass with barley water.  It really was the perfect combination with our Okonomiyakis.

Too bad we couldn't order more.  We were not prepared that we will be that full after just ordering 2 okonomiyakis.