Ryuma Restaurant
Last Sunday, Dad decided to try something different. He said that he heard about this new Japanese restaurant in Laguna which was worth trying.
At first, I asked if he was willing to go all the way to Laguna to have lunch. If he was, then how could I complain?
Well, it turned out that this trip out for lunch was worth it. Not only because the SLEX was all done with construction and 2 lanes wider than before...
But also because the restaurant was different from your ordinary Japanese restaurant
Upon entering, one would wonder if it was really a restaurant or a Japanese goods shop. Once you get through the rows of stuffed animals and other Japanese merchandise, you see the marble tables and the special seating rooms to the side.
LCD TV's are all over the place (though, muted), showing Japanese channels or American movies with Japanese subtitles.
If you happen to have a child who's below 10 yrs. old and below, he or she can play the mini-lottery for free and win a free toy! And with all the merchandise lying around, I suddenly wished I could be 10 years old again.
While we were waiting for our order, I couldn't help observing the place more. It seemed more like a mini museum with all the swords, bows and Samurai armor displayed. On the side, they also had specialty hobby magazines. Again, Japanese merchandise. Samurai armor appraisal, anyone?
And how could I avoid eavesdropping on the Japanese customers' conversations? I know it's rude, but for a while I wanted to see if my Japanese was still good. Since my back was to the customer, I thought he was talking to a lady friend about what to order... only to realize that the waitress was the one fluently conversing with him in Japanese.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was the price of meals. I mean, it was a lot cheaper than its counterparts in more commercial areas. Dad's huge order was around 200 bucks, and I got a big serving of fresh, cold zaru soba for about the same price.
Huge servings, but also huge savings. I think we'll have to go back soon.
Friends? Interested to drop by some time? :)