Today, after finishing my morning work, I decided to go to Ueno. Since my evening work is further ahead in Kitasenju, I stopped in Ueno for lunch, which is a midpoint. When I think of Ueno, "Mala Daigaku" comes to mind, but let's go back to try for revenge from last week. Oh! It looks like it's open! It's a Filipino restaurant called "POGI". It's said to be "TAMMY's very delicious restaurant" (laughs). Lunchtime is all-you-can-eat for 1000 yen (+ tax). It seems that the dishes vary daily. There are grilled salmon belly, meat sauce spaghetti, and Filipino dishes available. I was given a paper plate and told to "eat a lot", so I started by putting a little bit of each dish on my plate. The dishes were not warm, so they were meant to be microwaved after plating. I started by arranging the dishes like this. I'm not familiar with Filipino cuisine, so I only know Longanisa (sausage) and Lumpia (spring rolls), which is a shame. The mussels are delicious! It tastes like the broth of a kaki-tama soup, and I could eat as much as I want. Also, I liked the thick fried tofu mixed with mayonnaise-like sauce. The stewed chicken was also tender and delicious. For the second round, I plated rice and side dishes in Filipino style. Everyone except me was Filipino, and they were all piling up the mussels, so I followed suit and piled them up as well (laughs). The Longanisa was not too sweet, and it was delicious with a spicy kick! I also tried Lumpia for the first time at a Filipino restaurant. There was cake on the buffet table, so I took half of a pre-cut piece. The cake had a fragrant sponge part and was delicious. From the other table, I heard "Japon? Japon?" and the waitress answered, "Japon". It seems that I, the only non-Filipino customer among Filipino customers, caught their attention. By the way, "Japon" means Japanese. It was quite an interesting experience. Being in an "away" situation at a Chinese restaurant is common, but this was my first time at a Filipino restaurant, so it was a good experience. (From "Wandering Prince's Journey in Ueno")

Suddenly wanted to eat Filipino food and searched for it. Google showed nearby Filipino restaurants on the map with lots of food photos, so I decided to visit. Oh, Naka-cho Street? This place is full of bars. A concentration of Chinese and Filipino pubs. There have been many reports of scam incidents, a quite dangerous area. Among them, there was a signboard at the entrance of a very suspicious building saying "restaurant and bar". A bar? Is it okay? I took the elevator to the 3rd floor. As soon as the elevator door opened, it was a complete Filipino atmosphere, including the outside of the shop. There was live music playing on JBL PA speakers. It felt like I was in the backstreets of Makati. The food was help yourself, all-you-can-eat. Basically, it's a bar. There was a sign saying all-you-can-eat for an additional 1000 yen + tax. A beautiful mama-san took care of us at the table, rather than serving us. All the customers were foreigners. It felt like a bar in an area with many American military bases in the Philippines. No Japanese spoken! Around me, there were about 7 people speaking Tagalog and 3 speaking English. The conversations were flowing. The music resonated in my stomach rather than my ears. The mirror ball was flashing with spotlights! For the all-you-can-eat, you serve yourself and warm it up in the microwave. The taste was quite suitable for Japanese people. Rice and Sinigang soup were also all-you-can-eat. It was a shame we had driven there. If we could drink alcohol, it would have been a very lively place. Besides the all-you-can-eat, there seemed to be a menu, but all in Tagalog, so we didn't understand. In the midst of Covid-19, there are some parts of the Philippines that allow entry without GCQ or quarantine! The food was okay, the music was of high quality. The sound was so loud that when we looked back after a 30-minute stay, sound-absorbing material was attached to the entrance door. Tks. Short stay in Manila!

When I went, there were hardly any Japanese people, but there were a few enjoying the all-you-can-eat option. I liked all the dishes. They also sold bread, which was delicious. I recommend the purple bread.