Japanese culture in a bowl

Much-loved Hokkaido Ramen Santouka started in Japan in the 1980s when its founder Hitoshi Hatanaka said to his family, “I’m going to make delicious ramen.” It started with a single restaurant in Asahikawa, Hokkaido.

Today, the restaurant serves masterfully assembled and robust, long-lasting flavored ramen in its several locations around the world. Recently, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka opened its 11th branch in the Philippines at the UP Town Center on Katipunan Ave. in Quezon City.

The newest Santouka branch, which opened with much excitement, is envisioned to become a hangout for students. Santouka president Annaliza Lim said, “We opened our branch in UP Town Center because we wanted to tap the younger market.  The look and feel of this branch is more modern and appealing.”

Joining Lim in the ribbon-cutting ceremony were Santouka Japan executives Tsuyoshi Nino and Fumihiko Nishide.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka UP Town Center has new offerings such as fried chicken tsukemen and tonkatsu tsukemen. Also launched were light meals targeted for millennials on a budget. 

Even with its current and youthful vibe, the 11th branch still offers the same family recipe that was developed in 1988. Its ramen offerings are made with imported ingredients — from the noodles down to the soup, which is cooked for 20 hours daily to keep it fresh and healthier but delicious to the last drop.

(For more information, visit www.facebook.com/RamenSantoukaPH and @SantoukaPh on Instagram.)

Stretch(ed) Mark(ed)

Family, friends and members of the art community trooped to the Kaida Contemporary Gallery in Quezon City to lend their support to young visual artist Ina Evangelista Jardiolin for her second solo exhibit Stretch(ed) Mark(ed). For this exhibit, Jardiolin used discarded treated leather scraps as her canvas.

In Stretch(ed) Mark(ed), Jardiolin delves into self-identity and the intangible, fleshing out the beauty in androgyny, while touching on the realities of life. Her art, which draws inspiration from such forms as printmaking, ceramics and illustration, is in constant flux, much like the fluidity of gender.

“My art is my own reaction to identity and the cultural expectations regarding gender,” Jardiolin explains. “I want the world to be more open to different ideas away from usual norms.”

Among those who graced the exhibit were artists Elmer Borlongan and his wife Plet Bolipata.

Legacy of timeless design

Blims Fine Furniture, one of the country’s largest one-stop shops for furniture, continues its rich legacy as it recently unveiled its timeless designs to coincide with its 40th anniversary.

Blims Lifestyle Group (BLG) vice president for merchandising Katrina Lim gave guests a tour at Blims Fine Furniture CW Home Depot Ortigas showroom. She said, “Our vision is to define lifestyles by offering a wide range of timeless pieces that are meant to last. It’s also important to us that our collections are functional, reasonably priced and durable.”

Among Blims’ functional collections are The Urban Living for fashionable storage pieces and The Condo Collection for multi-functional furniture items perfect for limited spaces. The Sofabed Hub offers a broad range of sofa bed styles and mechanisms. The Mattress Gallery provides a Sleep Clinic to try mattresses from the top five brands in the country: Ambassador, King Koil, Salem, Slumberland, and Uratex Premium.

The showroom also highlights a wide selection of style vignettes: Timeless Elegance; Modern Minimalist; Contemporary Zen; and Mid-Century Modern.

There are also the French Country Chic that features occasional series designed and made in France; the Modern American, a collection that exhibits a modern twist on American interiors; and the Scandinavian Design, which displays simple, minimal and functional pieces.

The company takes pride in its exceptional customer shopping experience as it allows shoppers to have consultations with in-house designers and it also offers easy payment options. *

(For more information, visit blimsfurniture.com.ph.)

(Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)