Why does it look weird if you top a spoonful of rice with crabstick, mangoes, cucumbers and mayonnaise? But if you roll them in a perfect Maki way like this, it looks so appetizing? Thank you Japan! And I just learned that in other countries, they’d use avocado instead of mango in their California rolls. I can’t imagine mixing my avocado with rice… yet. Has anyone tried that?
The only food I’ll eat raw. Oh wait, salad greens are raw. So are fruits. Hmmm. My grandpa used to prepare his own tuna sashimi. I think I was too young then to appreciate it. Raw fish? GROSS! It was only in my late teens that I finally discovered the joy of tuna sashimi and the addicting rush of putting too much wasabi in soy sauce. Another kind of brain freeze.
Teriyaki, teppanyaki, any yaki — I love ’em! But if you’re at Tokyu Sushi Bar and Restaurant (where we had this yummy food), you have to try their Tuna Misono. The dish’s sauce has a good salty-sweet flavor and has a bit of a buttery taste to it. We love spooning the sauce over our rice. By the way, in Tokyu, they have a Rice-All-You-Can promo.
Do you prefer your gyoza steamed or fried? I can have my gyoza either way. Last night, we had ours fried. Delicious. But there was so much so we had to bring some to Erik’s. Great timing — he hadn’t had any dinner yet!
If you love Japanese food, check out Tokyu Sushi Bar and Restaurant. That’s where we had all this delicious food. There’s one branch in Pioneer Center (Mandaluyong) and one along Panay Ave. (beside Tropical Hut). Tokyu also serves terrific ebi tempura, sukiyaki and yakisoba. Their service is quick, servings are just right (sometimes more than enough, like their California Maki!), prices are very reasonable and food is consistently good.
Itadakimasu! Let’s eat!
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.
mare
April 5, 2006 at 1:36 pm (18 years ago)Yuuuuuuuuum, sashimi!
AnP
April 5, 2006 at 4:44 pm (18 years ago)oo nga no! it looks weird together pero if you roll all the ingredients together, they look so great. haha.
my dad always prepared his own tuna sashimi, as well. Fresh and so sarap. Although, I didn’t learn to appreciate Japanese food until I moved to Gemany. hmmm… ironic.
tin
April 5, 2006 at 6:21 pm (18 years ago)uy, your turn to crave for maki..
what a coincidence, my post title today is turning thai.. hahaha.
watson
April 5, 2006 at 7:42 pm (18 years ago)Toni, di ko pa rin na-try yung avocado sa cali maki. Mangga madalas kasama kasi… speaking of avocado, panahon na ba nya? Gusto ko tuloy kmain ng avocado na may gatas!
dexie
April 5, 2006 at 8:10 pm (18 years ago)i’ve chosen avocados in my rolls these days. actually i’ve used mango and avocado since I can’t have raw tuna or salmon coz of pregnancy. soooooo good. i love sushi!!!
genpot
April 5, 2006 at 9:04 pm (18 years ago)hhmm… always thought it’s made with avocado…. all of the japanese places I’ve been to made it w/ avocados… haven’t tried it with mangoes yet… I must be missing A LOT then…. 😀
jojo
April 5, 2006 at 9:05 pm (18 years ago)kami ni hubby, na addict kami sa Rai Rai Ken — partly because we had discount stubs (hehehe!). i love japanese food!
ano ba yan, pangalawa ka na…may calling na yata ako na mag japanese sooN!
paz
April 5, 2006 at 9:14 pm (18 years ago)yup, it’s actually very good!
Zita
April 5, 2006 at 9:18 pm (18 years ago)Here they use avo instead of mangoes. You get used to it after a while. But I kinda miss california rolls with mango. Pag uwi ko I’ll got to Suzukin. Super near where I grew up. I sometimes make sushi at home. My boys love them. Who would have thought a 3 yr old would like the taste of sushi?
ana
April 5, 2006 at 10:23 pm (18 years ago)i already tried it with avocado and more yummy!!!!
also avocado and and shrimp …hmmmm
iska
April 5, 2006 at 11:35 pm (18 years ago)oh i miss jap food. hmmm kelan kaya kami kakain sa labas uli? saka na uli chinese food maloloka na ko waaahhhhh!!!!!
barbara
April 6, 2006 at 6:01 am (18 years ago)hey in australia – our california rolls/maki has avocado in it – and it’s beautiful especially with wasabi and bit of soy.. hmmmm i found it weird just thinking about it, having ripe mango instead of avocado – haven’t tried that yet.
i love it with avocado and crispy chicken in it, or avocado and prawns – tapos i like it rolled in rice no seaweed outside and rolled on salmon egg roe or sesame seeds – hmmmmmmm nice one!
-miss b
Toni
April 6, 2006 at 8:53 am (18 years ago)mare : Yuuum is right! Do you make your own sashimi?
AnP : Yeah that is ironic! Hey you’re preggy so you can’t eat this sashimi! Pero California maki pwede naman right!
tin : Oh right! LOL! I wonder if any other blogger wrote about “Turning Pinoy!” Another coincidence, Yupki Girl wrote about Japanese food too. My, my, what is in the blogging air this week? We’re all going gaga over Asiaan cuisine that’s what!
watson : Hindi ko sure kung in season pero sure ako na nahawa ako sa craving mo. Avocado with gatas and asukal and yelo! Sarap!Na-try mo na ba siyang i-blender tapos ilalagay mo sa ice cube tray? Tapos i-fi-freeze mo. Kapag frozen na, para kang may ice cream na matigas. Perfect for summer!
dexie : Does avocado with rice taste good? I’m curious!
genpot : Do you live in the West? Maybe mangoes in the maki is more an Eastern thing! You should try Maki with mangoes. The sweetness of the mango compliments the rice, crabstick and mayo perfectly. And the cucumer ties it in all so well with its freshness.
jojo : Parang alam ko na kung saan ako maglulunch sa weekend. Rai Rai Ken here we come!!!
paz : Really!?!? I have to try it then. I’ve always treated avocado as dessert. It’s only been recently that I tried it on a salad. Now to try it with rice is an adventure I have yet to take.
Zita : Oh yeah, Suzukin. Makabisita nga. Thanks for the tip! And that’s cute how your 3-yo is fond of sushi. Starting ’em young on Japanese cuisine! Tama yan!
ana : Have you tried it with mangoes yet?
iska : Ay naku, sawang-awa na rin ako sa Chinese! Kaya Japanese food is always a treat for us. Sana maka-family dinner out kayo sa Japanese restaurant soon.
barbara : Oh oh oh you have to try mangoes with it!!! The sweetness of the ripe mango blends harmoniously with the cucumber, mayo and crabstick. And the rice. Mmmmm.
jen
April 6, 2006 at 9:39 am (18 years ago)hi toni! i love japanese food! love it so much that DA POGI and I actually make our own maki’s at home.
anyway, regarding your question about avocado in rice, it’s actually pretty good. there’s a japanese restaurant chain in california called mikuni’s and majority of their signature rolls have avocado in them. usually, they serve it with a special sauce rather than the usual soy sauce and wasabi.
jher
April 6, 2006 at 10:10 am (18 years ago)sawap. fave namin ni bridget ang maki!
jey
April 6, 2006 at 10:50 am (18 years ago)avocado in my maki? i really have to try that one.=)
Jing
April 6, 2006 at 3:59 pm (18 years ago)avocado in Maki, we use it here in germany. grrrr just when you are on a diet, temptation is EVERYWHERE!!! 😛
dexie
April 7, 2006 at 1:49 am (18 years ago)toni, it’s pretty good.
petite
April 7, 2006 at 12:01 pm (18 years ago)i love japanese food! my favorite maki is called a philly roll…it has smoked salmon, avocado and cream cheese. this might make japanese food purists cringe, but it’s totally delish!
i also love udon and miso soup, ebi sashimi and ebi tempura, tuna sashimi, tuna misono, and yakisoba. mmm-mm.
Toni
April 7, 2006 at 3:01 pm (18 years ago)jen : I haven’t tried making makis at home yet! Is there a recipe you follow? It must be so fun to make them on your own.
jher : Share kayo? 😀
jey : Oo nga eh! I haven’t encountered that in any local Japanese food restaurant yet.
Jing : Avocados are very fattening but I guess if you take them in moderation, ok lang yun!!!
dexie : Then I’ll give it a try sometime!
petite : Wow, that philly roll sounds good. Pretty interesting combination but I would give that a try!
stef
April 7, 2006 at 6:00 pm (18 years ago)hi toni, dito avocado rin ang main ingredient (besides the crab) ng california roll. you only see the mango in the coastal places (afaik) — like california (s’yempre!) and new york. i actually prefer the avocado and sometimes make maki-sushi with only that. sarap! Elizabeth Andoh is credited with the creation of a clear recipe for this; she’s an American who lived for many years in Japan. She now teaches Japanese cooking in New York — basically she took American ingredients and “japanized” them. she’s done this with a lot of japanese dishes — and in doing so brought a new awareness of japanese food to american shores. what i’d like to know is who invented the mango version. pilipino kaya? not unlikely.
Toni
April 11, 2006 at 10:26 am (18 years ago)stef : Wow! Thanks a lot for all that info! Kakatuwa naman; yey I learned something new about one of my favorite foods! Kakatuwa rin how you can “japanize” American ingredients. Pwede rin ba i-“philippinize” kaya ang ibang American ingredients? Baka naman meron na hindi ko lang alam!
xtianne
April 11, 2006 at 4:24 pm (18 years ago)We’ve only had california maki at one restaurant here in Stockholm but it had avocado too, plus it was sprinkled with sesame seeds instead of the orange crab roe (at least I think that’s crab roe) that we’re used to in Pinas. Don’t know if that’s really how Swedes prepare california maki or if it’s just that one restaurant
Tony
January 26, 2020 at 7:59 am (4 years ago)I totally understand how you feel, I definitely didn’t like to eat raw sashimi as a kid. But I will definitely try it with wasabi next time.