10/14/2005 - An Afternoon at Okame

Okame Japanese Grocery was the place where I first encountered a shop-full of things Nihonjin.  Around seven or so years ago, after a truly gruesome day at the office, I wandered into this little shop on the ground floor of Park Square II.  You could probably say that I was lured by fate into the shop, but I'd rather be honest and say that I was drawn in by the smell of dorayaki (known as Japanese cakes, these little beauties are griddle cakes stuffed with sweetened bean paste, yam paste, or even peanut butter) and takoyaki (octopus-filled flour dumplings cooked in a uniquely-shaped griddle) cooking in the shop.  Call it retail therapy, but I felt much better after buying a box of Glico Pocky (the plain chocolate kind) and a little brown paper bag of fresh dorayaki.

It's been years since then, of course, but I still like shopping at Okame in light of the fact that their selection of goods - from foodstuffs to beauty products - from Japan is extensive and quite reasonably priced.  (Of course, it's a bit pricier than the Japanese stuff sold in major supermarkets, but the variety more than makes up for it.)

During a recent trip to Makati, I noted that Okame was holding its anniversary sale and decided to stop by.  New flavors of Tohato Caramel Corn caught my eye.  As seen in the picture above, my old fave now comes in such flavors as vanilla milk, mango pudding, and green tea cream.

There were also a number of other sweets and treats that caught my eye like the miniature chocolate pies pictured above, cans of Kirin Afternoon Tea (both milk tea and lemon), Pocari Sweat (the Japanese answer to Gatorade), chahan mixes (flavor packets for fried rice), bags of Kaminari rice for making sushi, bottles of sake, and shelves stocked with enough varieties of instant noodles to keep any homesick Japanese expatriate from pining away.  (Konnichiwa, Takafumi-sama!) There was even a rather interesting product from Nestle-Japan called Nescafe Icecool.

(Sorry for the rather blurry pic!)  These are miniature tubs filled with concentrated, pre-sweetened coffee that you just pour into iced water or cold milk for a refreshing beverage.  The one on the left is the mild kind; the one on the right is the sort you need to pull off major all-nighters.

Incidentally, the shop also sells various beauty products and medicines from Japan.  Oh, and it also has a dine-in sushi bar in case you're craving for something heavier than dorayakiand takoyaki.  Prices are fairly reasonable and you can get a great Japanese meal in the sort of ambience that will make you think you're eating in Tokyo.

Okame Japanese Grocery @ Park Square II   Ground Floor -Park Square II, Ayala Center, Makati