A Place To Discover: Octoboy

The first time I ate okonomiyaki was at home - it was cooked by my grandfather's Japanese friend who stayed with us for a few days while she was visiting Manila. It was so good I never forgot how it tasted like and from then on, I started to look for authentic Japanese restaurants in the metro so I could sample it again. With the help of Google, I discovered Octoboy and man, it didn't disappoint.

Photo from flavorsofmanila.blogspot.com

I tweeted about craving takoyaki and wanting to try the place out and a close friend of mine said she was too. She asked if she could tag along and I told her yes so we set a date and time.

I love the ambiance of the place, very quiet, simple, and very Japanese. I love how there's a bar where you can watch how your food is prepared! We went there for early dinner and as soon as the sun settled behind the horizon, they took out a stool and a microphone! I'm going to guess they have live bands/artists at night but too bad we didn't stay long enough to witness a performance.

Octopus Okonomiyaki. Php 285.

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake with various ingredients. To some, it's known as a Japanese sizzling pizza. Octoboy offers various flavors of it - beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, and octopus just to name a few! Of course we wanted to be a little adventurous and tried the authentic octopus okonomiyaki. It was served in a sizzling plate and smelled so good. The generous servings of mozzarella cheese and the bits of octopus in every bite made it so much better!

Squid Takoyaki. Php120.

And what would a trip to Octoboy be without ordering takoyaki balls? After tasting these bad boys, you wouldn't dare buy takoyaki from stalls in malls who offer it.

Asahi Beer. Php 165/bottle.

And since we were so curious as to what "Japan's #1 beer" tasted like, we ordered a bottle of Asahi to share. Yes, it's pricey for a bottle of beer but it really does taste good. It's perfect with the savory dishes because it cleanses your palette which makes your next bite better than the previous.

We only went for the okonomiyaki and takoyaki but the experience was so good I would go back there and try out more of their dishes. Sushi rolls, I'm looking at you! Their servings are tad above average for their prices and the taste is well worth every peso you pay for. Definitely recommending everyone to try out Octoboy!

Octoboy Tomas Morato
Unit #2-C, 2nd Floor, #186 Tomas Morato Ave. cor Sct De Guia St., Q.C.
Mon - Thu: 5 PM - 2 AM; Fri - Sat: 5 PM - 3 AM; Sun: 11 AM - 12 MN
Delivery: 990-23-57 / 384-85-06
http://www.octoboy.org