I had to pick up my car from the shop today, and since the shop is just down the street from my mom’s office, I was able to have lunch with her. This means I’d be able to have lunch in a place I wouldn’t necessarily want to spend on if I were on my own.

We ended up eating in Ukiyo, a Japanese restaurant on the 6th floor of Alphaland Tower (that building on the corner of EDSA and Chino Roces Extension).

I didn’t have much of an appetite for lunch because I had late heavy breakfast of Palm Corned Beef (w/ Cholula Hot Sauce) and leftover Honey Glazed Ham, with garlic fried rice, fried egg, and hot chocolate (I believe in a healthy lifestyle). But of course, I wouldn’t pass up the chance to have something I enjoyed, so I ordered my childhood favorite Unaju (grilled eel in teriyaki sauce over a box of rice), and I shared a portion of Uni (sea urchin) sashimi with my mom.

The Uni was, as always, delightful. What was noteworthy was the wasabi. Usually, the small dollops of wasabi served with sashimi would dissolve into soy sauce, creating a wonderful mixture of saltiness and nasal-spice. This time, the wasabi crumbled beautifully into the sauce, so that whenever I’d dip a piece of Uni in it, particles of solid wasabi would join the party and sing splendidly (and loudly) to my sinuses.

I thought it rather odd that the Unaju cost twice as much as it normally would in other Japanese restaurants (the ones I go out on dates in–no need for mom’s spending powers), but I chalked it up to the beautiful setting, the cozy ambience, and the waitresses’ Japanese costumes (complete with socks and sandals). I discovered, later on, that there was second fillet of Unagi under a thin bed of rice. It was a happy surprise.

Hurry up the Cakes verdict: Not a bad lunch.