Food Thoughts: Ho Dai Japanese Fusion

As you enter Examiner St., from West Avenue in Quezon City, you would see a slight shift from plain residential to businesses popping up serving the residential community.  A meat shop here and a laundry shop there, but who would have thought that there is an Asian inspired restaurant too in the said area?

Welcome to Ho Dai Japanese Fusion Restaurant!

Personally I would call it Ho Dai, the Asian Fusion Restaurant for it has the classic Japanese, Korean and Chinese style and flavor of cooking.  To be more correct in presenting this restaurant, please welcome to  a Japanese-Korean-Chinese inspired dishes completely refillable now made available in Quezon City.  Yes, you can ask for a refill per plate free of charge as long as you finish it off (no left over’s and to go).  The serving only stops when you say it stops.

Their serving is categorized into bronze, silver and gold.  Each category has a specific number of dishes being served and all is set for a free refill.  So if you are really hungry (not starving cause the style of eating when starving is not the one advisable on this situation), then bring a friend to help you finish off the plates that doesn’t catches your palate fancy.  I did say it is a fusion of 3-styles and flavor of cooking and so be ready to be confused with some of the terms that I will be using since I will refrain from using those terminology denoting their origin.  All I can say is that it was one happy eating experience.

Here is the list of dishes served to us (I was brought here by a good friend):

-          Crab green salad or commonly known as Kani Salad

-          Gyoza – fried and with kimchi filling

-          Fish in egg batter with light soy-tamarind sauce aka Teriyaki

-          Glass Noodles stir fried - Yakisoba / Rose Cream Pasta or what is available

-          Pork in light batter aka pork katsudon (sa ordinaryong pinoy ito ay porkchop) 

       Korean Fried Chicken-         

-          Spicy Beef Barbecue with cheese sauce

-          Roll Tower or what I call the roll platter

-          Tempura (shrimp, egg, vegetable)

Again I repeat, you can ask for another serving of any of the dishes part of the set that you have ordered.  Just the dish, not the drinks.

Since this is Japanese fusion, there are some things that I wasn’t able to taste, namely those with crab.  Yes I have an allergy to crustaceans.  Simply crustaceans and not the entire seafood offering.  Sorry, but feeling ng iba nakakaawa ka pag may allergy ka sa crustaceans.  Haler!  Meron kaya may allergy sa mani, itlog, taba ng baboy at kung ano-ano pa. Kung ako kaawa-awa ano naman sa kanila na combination pa ang allergy, kahabag-habag?  So the tower, salad, some of the tempura was consumed by my good friend while I enjoy the rest of the dishes served that night.

Spicy Barbecue

Noodles are noodles and any respectable Asian guy will always give thanks to noodles.  Noodle means long life for Chinese, Japanese and Korean alike.  What topped my taste meter that night was the spicy beef barbecue with cheese sauce.  Served on a hot plate, the fat and creaminess from the cheese sauce added flavor to the beef raising the barbecue flavor to a higher note.  The vegetable side dish adds texture to the beef and cheese when eaten all together.  Whatever sweetness the barbecue has is balanced off by the saltiness of coming from the sauce and the vegetable.  This is one dish worthy of going for seconds.

The katsudon and teriyaki – fish (start thinking of Neemo’s friend) and pork comes in its usual form which is meat covered with a batter then fried.  What makes it noticeable is the type of batter and breading used on each type of protein before it was submerged in hot oil.  The fish, being delicate, is matched with a delicate batter made out of egg – my mind is still tossing the idea whether is it more on the yolk or the white used.  The pork on the other hand is covered with a little breading with batter and fried to perfection giving it a crunch without making the meat part tough.  Fried till golden, then placed on a paper towel to soak off or placed on a strainer to drain off the excess oil.  This technique of using really hot oil allows the batter to be cooked fast without affecting the softness of the meat -same technique, different timing for two different protein source.

Regarding the fried chicken, I felt it lacked something to make it more enjoyable and fun to eat.  A little lettuce on the side to serve as a wrapping may give it more texture and flavor.  I know that there is rice made available for those who want but it one wishes to nibble along the course then the greens will help a lot.  The fried gyoza is interesting as a palate opener since what it has inside is kimchi.  Kimchi is your pickled vegetables done the Korean way.  Make sure that you get to finish the gyoza first before finishing the other dishes for it may throw in a challenge later on (The busog na ako, hindi ko na kaya or the nagkahiyaan pa sa huling piraso).

Did I like the experience?  Yes I did!  Will I come back and dine again?  Yes, and with proper reinforcements! 

Located along Examiner Street, this restaurant is not with your usual restaurant façade.  It is one of those residential houses converted into a dining place giving you a homey yet exclusivity feel without breaking your wallet or purse.  Since it is residential by nature, expect to see the owners walking and serving you your meal. 

Come and experience this Asian food fusion the Ho Dai way.