Anthony and I celebrated our twelve years last May 16. We were supposed to go out on that day, but it rained so hard that we decided to postpone our dinner. Since we will be going to his Aunt's place on the weekend, I suggested maybe we should have our post-dinner celebration there. We decided to order in Foodpanda the Lomi Batangas just to have something to eat on our anniversary. However, his schedule was getting hectic that week, and we might not be able to go on the weekend.
On Friday, May 20, while I was on my way to Bacoor for some errands, I messaged him if we can have dinner in a Japanese restaurant. It was a spontaneous decision and the weather was fine at that time, so he said yes. A few hours later, it started pouring. I was in the mall waiting for the rain to stop. Thankfully, the rain slowly settled down, and our dinner was pushed through.
We dined in Ippon Yari Japanese Restaurant located in First Cavite Industrial Estate (FCIE), Dasmariñas, Cavite. It was already my fifth time eating there and has always been full of customers, but not crowded, though.
Upon entering, the staff greeted us in Japanese. They were synchronized in greeting and welcoming their customers 'Irasshaimase'. Then the staff led us to a table good for two. There are tables also wherein you will sit like how Japanese people sit, but these tables are good for reservation only. There are also seat available where you can freely watch the chef cook the orders. The restaurant is giving off a Japanese vibe. It would've been better if we were able to reserve a table for us. And I'd like to add that their comfort room is clean and has an automated toilet bowl.
Each table has already a menu on it. Anthony let me choose our food. I ordered Chashumen, California maki, and Matcha lemonade for myself. As for Anthony, I ordered Chashumen, as well, and gyoza as an add-on then paired it with a yellow mango shake. On the menu, they offer green and yellow mango shake. I'm curious about the taste of the green mango shake, maybe next time I will order it. Also, I was close to ordering a rice bowl. It was 7:30 PM, and I'm starving from the errands I did. Luckily, I was able to control myself.
While waiting for our orders, they gave us an appetizer and a complimentary green tea. The appetizer is steamed potatoes and bacon - I am unsure about the second one though, but the texture was soft and meaty. After 15 minutes, our orders arrived.
In every Japanese restaurant, I always order Tonkotsu ramen. My first time eating in Ippon Yari, I ordered their Tonkotsu ramen, but I discovered Chashumen (Chasu Ramen) the second time courtesy of Anthony. He went there with his colleagues and noticed that one of them has a bowl full of meat. Chashu in Japanese is braised pork belly. The ramen is composed of eight slices of pork belly—thick but tender and soft that it felt like it melted in my mouth as I chew them. Aside from the meat, it has mushrooms, seaweed, and onion. On the table, there are the condiments you can add to the ramen like pepper and garlic powder. The soup is rich in flavor, so it was already okay with me not to add some condiments.
California maki was really good. I could easily devour the eight pieces, but of course, I gave Antoni some, three pieces. Their gyoza is his favorite. It's flavorful, as well. The filling has green on it, so I'm not sure what is it. But it was definitely tasty, especially when dipped in their sauce.
As for my drinks, well, I'm a lover of Matcha, hence a biased comment. So yes, it was delish! I can taste both the Matcha and the lemon. For a Matcha lover like me, it's a must to try the Matcha lemonade.
For this dinner, we spent a total of 1,395 PHP (approx. 26.66 USD). I've been to different Japanese Restaurants, and Ippon Yari is one of my favorites. I will surely go back there and try their other menu.
It was a post-celebration of our twelve years. We talked before the food was served and after we ate. We don't talk when we eat, I'm not sure if it's weird, but it's okay for me since I want to focus on the blessing on the table. Our usual conversation is all about our day, what happened or the plans, and so on. Nothing fancy happened since I'm not into surprises in the first place. We just ate and had a happy tummy.
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Happy wonderful 12 years!! We celebrate the same way, as long as we're together, we're fine. I haven't tried Ippon Yari since walang malapit na branch dito sa amin 😅