Ahoy! hobby enthusiasts and collectors! although I’m not a collector of anything or a full-time geek, except maybe for my old GhostFighter and GundamWing teks (amf, what a lame collection), I enjoyed this convention. lots of stuff too see, and the stuff I particularly enjoyed was the celebrity vintage photos and other retro stuff!

The collections range from the nice, and very well-maintained comic book issues, manga (back issues of shonen jump and japanese text books), RCs, figures, and much more! On the contrary, I’m not aware of this event, but it’s a nice surprise!

there’s so much stuff to see, some of my favorites were:

1. Anime media stuff: I got a maskman episode cd! (thanks jep!)
2. Vintage stuff: I was looking for an old bruce lee poster, but I was unfortunate. boohoo. want..bruce…lee..
3. Cosplay of: batman, joker (picture with him will be posted later.), Darth Vader, and the all-white soldier from star-wars (sorry,I can’t remember the name).
4. Lots and lots of people with DSLR cameras: Man, that camera thing trend is so expensive, but I still want one too!
5. RCs that could drift! :am I the last person on earth that these RCs can do that? I hope not. T_T..
6. geeky, but cute guys!

the event runs until tomorrow, october 5,2008 at the atrium, Midtown, Robinsons Ermita, Manila. For more details, check this event here

Hmm. anu pa ang masasabi ko dito? Tokyo Cafe is located in SM Mall of Asia at the south wing section, main mall.

The interiors:

Cool, sleek and very modern. the interiors will remind you of those modern japanese houses. though limited ang color codes ng buong cafe, bumawi naman sa textures ang walls. Bakit? kasi, sa tingin ko ay kelangan mong mag-concentrate sa food mo. The only color that you will see are those fake-food displays dun sa labas. everything else is just the plain gray-to-white color schemes. the seating is nice and comfy, perfect for long talks and pig-outs. my favorite places in the cafe ay yung malapit sa windows kasi maganda ang lighting, para kang nasa magazine pag kumakain, and those dun sa couches kasi super comfy and spacious. really nice.

The Food:

If you would expect that this particular japanese-inspired restaurant is serving the usual raw favorites, think again. this is a hip japanese resto. the continuous westernisation of japanese food culture is obvious in the menu. not to worry though, nandun parin ang mga tonkatsu style dishes nila. And, how could I forget, the japanese twist! one of their menus has this steak dish that comes with an egg! and at of course, the seafood based pizzas nila and soups.  the food presentation: this is one of the things I loved about japanese cuisine, they follow the golden rule that dapat sa simple white plate lang naka-serve. bakit? e kasi sa food ka dapat naka-concentrate, at pag sa food naka-concentrate, maganda dapat ang presentation ng food. fortunately, It definitely and effectively works for tokyo cafe.

The Price:

Quite pricey. On the other hand, sulit naman.  IMHO, deserves to be pricey kasi masarap naman talaga. hehe

Recommendations:

Boneless chicken with gravy - yummy. though loaded with seasonings, hindi ganun ka-alat. which MIGHT mean na less salt. To foodies: it has rosemary, and the gravy is seasoned just right.

Pepperoni Pizza - Thin-crust, not too extravagant, quite pricey for a simple flavor. perfect for picky young eaters who might join the group.

Symphony - A dessert bliss. layers of vanilla ice cream, Iced coffee, loads of Coffee jelly. Perfect Dessert, I wish the cafe had put more servings on the glass. medyo bitin eh. (o baka gutom lang talaga ako. hehehe.)

Hamburg Steak - Now, this is the steak that comes with a sunny-side-up egg! kewl!!  the patty itself is yummy, and lives up to my expectations that it is just a burger. Had I ordered a fancier steak, will I get something better than a sunny side up? for foodies: the mustard in the patty can be clearly tasted, so its good.

Iced chocolano - was this drink spiked with cuppucino or espresso? nah, I can’t remember. basta, masarap din to, not recommended though for lactose intolerants: settle with iced tea instead.

So what’s the verdict? 4 out 5 stars.. medyo mahal kasi, and at para sa tulad kong estudyante di ko carry ang presyo! for the record, 3rd time ko palang kumain dito. But on the other hand, I’m still looking forward na kumain dito. hehehehe.

there are more dishes that I have yet to try, at isa sa mga yun ang mga crepes nila. ansarap kasi kung titingnan yung fake food displays sa labas. dibale, sa susunod na allowance nalang