This place used to be called Samurai Balls…read more I'll give you ten seconds to giggle about that. Done? Good. Me too. This stall is actually where I got my first taste of takoyaki. That was when I was young and impressionable. Now that I've tasted pricier takoyaki from other establishments, it's safe to say that their takoyaki is sub par at best. It's mealy and hot with barely a scrap of octopus... and yet it's actually quite tasty. If you separate it from what you know about takoyaki and consider it a snack all its own, they actually aren't so bad. They're inexpensive and make a good quick snack when you're jonesing for something that isn't your usual fare. It won't win any awards but it's still a place I go back to on occasion whenever I find myself in Megamall.

Samurai's kamameshi is what I go for when I want fried rice and too lazy to wait for a proper…read morerestaurant. While not the best, I find that it is more than good enough for a post-grocery meal. Sufficiently tasty with good slices of beef stir-fried into the rice, it makes for a nice combo with their gyoza or takoyaki, affectionately formerly called Samurai Balls (years ago, i think). As for their other menu options, it would probably be best to buy elsewhere.

The best takoyaki I've had by far, here in the Metro, is by Samurai. Located in the supermarket…read morearea of SM Southmall, Samurai has been serving close-to-legit takoyaki for an affordable price. They also have other Japanese food like Okonomiyaki, Gyoza and Ramen but I wouldn't recommend it that much. Samurai doesn't have an actual restaurant but their food is easy to eat so you won't have to worry about them being just a food stand. What I also love is that their service is pretty fast even though their takoyaki is always freshly cooked.

This was part of my childhood. So nostalgic. They used to have this by the Rustans grocery store in…read moreMakati next to Kodak. The best! Love this OG local takoyaki. Its like the filipino version of Osaka Takoyaki - a bit more runny on the inside with the sweet tangy sauce. Cant wait to have this again.

When we were younger, I remember we would head to Makati on Sundays and go around the mall or watch…read morea movie. Before all that though, we would pass Rustan's to all have a serving of takoyaki from Samurai. Gone are those days when we would do that, and even Samurai is gone at Rustan's. However, I got the shock of my afternoon when I was looking for something light and easy to eat and saw a Samurai stall at Glorietta 4's Food Choices. I immediately got excited and became even happier when I saw the prices. PhP35 for four pieces or PhP68 for 8 pieces is ridiculously cheap considering the quality and taste of Samurai's takoyaki. It's batter is made fresh and is always cooked upon ordering. Because of that, it's soft and cooked well, still with their signature ingredients (which includes octopus of course), sauce, mayo and bonito flakes. With all the other newer takoyaki stalls that have opened in and around Manila, samurai remains to top my takoyaki list. I'm certainly glad I know where to find good takoyaki again.

I remember the time when Hong Kong Style Fried Noodles first opened up its kiosks in malls…read more Everyone would always be lining up and for a good reason! Just for under 30 php, you can have a regular bowl of fried noodles topped with a siomai flavor of your choice. You can pick from beef siomai or pork siomai. The order comes with two pieces. They fry the noodles while you watch and when it's served to you, there's a try with the different sauces you can put. I always mix the oyster sauce and terriyaki sauce and add loads of chili. The chili they have is no joke! Usually, in other places it's not that spicy but here one spoon does the trick. I like to eat their noodles from time to time because it really is good. It's also very light on the pockets. It's very affordable and very filling!

This food stall just reminds me everything of my childhood. Ever since I was a kid, I would always…read moreforce my mom to bring me to the nearest Hong Kong Style Noodles stall. I would always crave for their fish balls and their Hong Kong noodles with steamed pork siomai. I really like Hong Kong Style Noodles, because unlike most food stalls out there, they actually look like they care about what they cook and what it tastes like. Once you order a bowl of their fried noodles, you can add any type of sauce without limit. There are different types of sauces to choose from, but the only ones I can remember are the soy sauce and the teriyaki sauce. I also like the texture of their stir-friend noodles. It is smooth, firm, and crispy. They also make it really quick, so you can easily buy anything from their menu when you are on the go.

Arki Vickie's siomai is just one of the gems that you will discover after hanging around the UP…read moreDiliman Campus. When I started doing my graduate studies in the UP, I also started eating my way through the iconic campus favorites that students and faculty alike enjoy. Fishball and squid ball stands are commonplace everywhere in the campus, and there is alway something to eat or snack on in every turn. What sets Arki Vickie's food stall apart from the others is its offering of siomai with a quail egg inside. That seems like a simple enough idea. Nothing special, right? But it is actually quite delicious and much better than I thought it would be. A friend introduced the "arki siomai" to me, and he said that it would be much better when enjoyed with the signature Pantea that they also offer. Though obviously named as a pun to women's undergarments, Pantea is actually short for pandan tea, which is a milky and sweet accompaniment to the siomai. I would drown my siomai in toyo-mansi sauce and pour copious amounts of the chili garlic condiment, and would quell the fire and the spicy aftertaste with the tea. I am not a big fan of instant pancit canton, but I would find myself ordering it to go with the special quail egg siomai. The manang that sells the siomai is adorable. She remembers you by face or name and would also remember your pancit canton order (spicy, classic, toyo-mansi).

When it comes to siomai, most Diliman Iskos point at Arki Vickie's as the best around the…read moreuniversity. I completely disagree though, not because I dislike Arki Vickie. It's that the siomai at School of Economics is much, much better. Still, Arki Vickie's is still one of UP Diliman's pride and joys. The quail egg hidden inside the siomai is a nice surprise for those first timers. It gives the siomai more flair, for lack of a better term, I guess. Aside from the siomai, the pantea is also a must-buy. It's amusing how people just blatantly say, "Isang pantea po" ("One pantea please") to the vendors, and the vendors reply with "Anong size?" ("What size?") Now, I do agree with the others when they say that the pantea is the real deal. I just love the unique, refreshing taste! Too bad Arki's too far from my college, otherwise I wouldn't hesitate to purchase panteas all the time.

Those who enjoy takoyaki balls from the usual food stands in malls and metro train stations, will…read morefind Hokkaido Takoyaki a welcome upgrade in terms of the quality and size of the beloved Japanese treat. I have accompanied my wife to the grocery one weekend and I discovered this food kiosk in front of the supermarket section in SM Makati. This is not your ordinary takoyaki store. Perfect for fast bites when you're hungry after roaming the aisles of the grocery or when you want to pass the time avoiding the MRT rush hours, Hokkaido Takoyaki offers four main varieties of the ball-shaped snack, namely: The Original (made with octopus), Bacon and Cheese, Scallops, and Kani and Mozzarella. I have tasted all except the Kani and Mozzarella takoyaki. Generous amounts of toppings composed of dried bonito fish flakes, aonori or green powdered seaweed, Japanese mayo, and okonomiyaki sauce are added to the large size balls. Minimum order size is six pieces. Hungry mouths can also go for nine- or twelve-piece orders. For their price and quality, I'm sure Hokkaido Takoyaki will stay long in the business. Anytime within the mall operating hours is a good time to visit the kiosk. However, the store space is very limited as it only has six small tables that can seat four persons each. But you can always have your takoyaki in a takeaway box. Parking would be in Glorietta or the new Ayala Center Parking Building just beside SM Makati. If taking the MRT, just go directly to the SM Supermarket area.

Talk about budget tonkatsu. Truth be told, I was a little surprised to see a place like Ichiro in a…read morefood court. See, out of places like Crazy Katsu, people have started to associate tonkatsu as probably one of the next food crazes. Personally, it's about bleeding time. Done well, tonkatsu is a joy. Lightly breaded, crisp, juicy cuts of pork... how could you go wrong? Ichiro is an accessible Yabu, I suppose. While you can expect to spend at least 500php for your meal at Yabu, you can go to Ichiro and spend around 200php. You're not missing anything, either. They do give you the same choice of hire or ross but I do have to say I like the fact that Ichiro is more like a regular Japanese restaurant and not purely tonkatsu on the brain. They have a good selection of donburi as well as sushi and maki and ramen. Their tonkatsu isn't bad either! It's light and juicy, not at all dry and you get a good amount of it to go with your rice. Still, you have to remember that this is a food court stall so you can expect having a bit of trouble looking for a seat during the lunch rush.

I'm pretty sure you've seen one of these around somewhere. These ubiquitous stalls dot the…read moremetropolis, from train terminals to food courts. Don't be put off--there is some really good value for money to be had at one of these. The key is to make sure you have the right one. The "right one," in this case, being Siomai House. Admittedly, they only have one thing on the food menu: siomai. No sharksfin, nor Japanese, nor fried variants to be had here. Just siomai. And that's great, because that's just what they're best at. Each less-than-30 peso order is perfectly steamed and meaty. No extenders here. The great part is you now have the best gulaman in the category ready and waiting to wash it all down. With the siomai stalls all basically looking and sounding the same, it's easy to forget that there is a wide gap in quality from franchise to franchise. Make sure you're at the best.

Siomai is that one snack that has survived and thrived long after the food cart craze. One…read moreparticular brand of that best-selling mall food is the Siomai House. You are bound to find a Siomai House kiosk in shopping centers and transport terminals in Metro Manila. Over the years, this dumpling station has not lost its appeal to the Pinoys. Tired and starving members of the working population would often stop by to have a quick bite before embarking on at least an hour's worth of travel to their respective homes. Siomai House is also a favorite among shoppers as they can have a 4-piece steamed pork and shrimp siomai for only Php28. It's one of our must-have meriendas after doing errands at the nearby supermarket. Whenever I buy an order, I would ask for more of the garlic and chili flakes, squeeze two pieces of calamansi to add zest and pour them with their special soy sauce. That's one heavenly and filling snack for me! I pair my siomai with a cup of iced cold gulaman which is also available at the kiosk for only Php12.