turning japanese.

a colleague of mine once featured a curious little japanese grocery located in little tokyo, somewhere near makati cinema square. choto stop carries japanese goodies like instant noodles, rice cracker snacks, vegetables and fresh produce for php75 each.

choto stop (all things manila)

i decided to swing on by choto stop to try out the japanese ice cream featured here. i went on a weekday evening, which was probably a bad call since the traffic at the cramped makati cinema square parking lot was a challenge. anyway, after asking where little tokyo was (just look for the japanese-looking pillars), i arrived at what may be described as a mini plaza of authentic japanese restaurants complete with outdoor tables and kimonoed waitresses eagerly awaiting customers.

at choto stop, i found a selection of interesting frozen delights, but the one that particularly caught my eye was this:

lotte vanilla monaka

apparently, monaka is a popular treat in japan. the one i bought was a simple variant. vanilla ice cream wrapped in what tastes like an ice cream cone minus the crunchiness. the ice cream stays remarkably intact even after being outside the freezer for a considerable amount of time.

it's a huge serving, likely big enough for two people.

and of course, i couldn't resist buying rice cracker snacks (in white packaging) and little packs of the things they serve at japanese airlines (in orange packaging). i really have no clue what the official term is.

japanese snacks

read more about choto stop and see photos of shelf displays at all things manila.