food for the soul : June 14 2025

this was how it looked like that day, but i guess nothing can stop us from going out. food is a very strong motivational factor, no amount of rain can prevent us. last night, our housemate suddenly had cravings for filipino food. that quickly escalated to some google searches and here we are today, out in the elements.

it was but a four station ride, but that mere four stations took us out of tokyo. we are here in the neighboring chiba prefecture, a 20 minute 400 yen ride. i just found out of this after getting off of that train. but will i regret this trip? we will soon find out.

the area is called kashiwa, and i honestly have no idea of what to expect in here. i knew that one time a friend of mine once lived in here, and i do not know anything else. there was a shopping street, a shotengai, near the station. i guess that this is a city center.

the road to the target restaurant was quite suspicious, we were getting away from the busy center. the road was leading away the buildings and into residential houses. is this still the correct road? how did we get this address again?

beni halo-halo

it looked like a normal house from outside, except that this one had banners and a menu board. that was reassuring! and it looked really neat and quaint inside the restaurant. we arrived around 12 noon, one other customer was there. we found out that they just had a renewal last month, and they did a great job at the interiors. after placing the order, here came the food.

kare-kare

Kare Kare is a traditional Filipino stew complimented with a thick savory peanut sauce. ... Besides the peanuts, this dish depends on the shrimp paste (on the side) in order to be fully enjoyed. ^source

the version they had in this shop used fried pork on a kare-kare base, equally delicious. bokchoy, eggplant, and bagoong (shrimp paste) completed the dish. this was a set meal; rice, simple green salad, and sinigang (sour soup) was served together with the kare-kare. this was what i ordered and i enjoyed that a lot.

beef pares

Beef Pares are cubed beef briskets cooked with spices and tenderized to perfection. The aroma of this dish alone is enticing. The taste is captivating. You will surely ask for more after tasting it. ^source

my housemate ordered this with rice. i have only heard of the dish's name but have never really tasted this. i lived in the part of the country where this dish is not commonly served.

pork barbeque

i guess there is no need to introduce this as barbeque is widely recognized. japan even has versions of barbeque (in skewers), but i guess what differs the filipino style is the taste. this one gave me a sense of nostalgia, that savory salty yet sweet flavor and that vinegar sauce is truly filipino. charcoal grilled with a fatty portion at the end is how it is done in the philippines.

halo-halo

is a popular cold dessert in the Philippines made with crushed ice, evaporated milk or coconut milk, and various ingredients including side dishes such as ube jam (ube halaya), sweetened kidney beans or garbanzo beans, coconut strips, sago, gulaman (agar), pinipig, boiled taro or soft yams in cubes, flan, slices or portions of fruit preserves, and other root crop preserves. ^source

and oh boy, that was delicious. the shaved ice in this version was infused with ube (purple yam) flavor, and no sugar was used. the owner told us to ask for sugar if we wanted it sweeter, but this taste was perfect for me. not overpoweringly sweet, the fruits, beans, and ube jam gave just enough sweetness.

i am pretty sure we will be back here after some time. it was just far! i guess that was for the better for if not my wallet will be thin for a very long time.

after that sumptuous meal, we went back and the plantito (plant enthusiast) in me got activated. there is so many plants in this area, flowering plants looked so good. even the fake plastic ones were great to the eyes. i was so joyful that i bought a plant. it was just a small plant and a first after a long time. hope she survives for long.