February 15, 2024

Kojiro Ojiisan Food House in Cavite: Home of Koroke and Veggie-Filled Ramen

Here in Silang, Cavite, we found Kojiro Ojiisan Food House and it’s not like any other Japanese place you know. Instead of the conventional staple food like sushi, they serve Japanese treats that have been given a fun twist at such affordable prices.

IMAGE from Philippine Primer

This hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurant was named after Seigo “Kojiro” Sasaki, the patriarch of the family who owns the food stall and the one who made the recipe for everything on their menu.

Elsa and Rei Sasaki / IMAGE from Philippine Primer

Seigo Sasaki was a native of Japan where their family used to have a yakiniku restaurant called “Yakiniku Kojiro” in Miyazaki, Kyushu. Unfortunately, an epidemic hit the town and people avoided eating out at restaurants, which strained the food establishments including their own. Eventually, they were forced to close it down.

It was after the unfortunate incident that Seigo and his family moved to the Philippines, where they finally found their home in Silang. They opened a new food business, which was then simply called Kojiro Food House, a small food stand in front of the family’s own house. The name was recently changed to Kojiro Ojisan Food House after the passing of Seigo to commemorate him, whom many loyal patrons have fondly treated as their uncle, or “ojisan” in Japanese.

IMAGE from Philippine Primer

In the early days, students from the nearby schools would flock to their place for their bite-size Koroke, which has been the crowd-puller until now. These Japanese potato croquettes are made tastier with pork bits and flavorful toppings.

Korokke / IMAGE from Philippine Primer

Koroke is often paired with Kafe Jelly, which you can have as regular or upgrade to special with milk and chocolate powder.

Kafe Jelly Special and Kafe Jelly Regular / IMAGE from Philippine Primer

Due to the high demand, the family expanded their menu and moved to a more spacious location to accommodate their growing number of diners. From a food stand with a very limited number of seats, they now have a dining space that can accommodate up to 30 customers. Their customer base is also more diverse now.

IMAGE from Philippine Primer

One of the newly-introduced items is the Nabi Yaki Ramen served in a piping ceramic hot pot. It is filled with more vegetables than your regular ramen, and the flavors are robust. You can also opt to give it a Korean touch by adding gochujang to make it spicier.

Nabi Yaki Ramen / IMAGE from Philippine Primer

Another must-try is the Napolitan Spaghetti. Napolitan spaghetti itself is a famous ketchup-based pasta dish in Japan. However, the food house’s version is given a unique twist—this pan-fried spaghetti is served on a sizzling plate with a scrambled egg like an omelet. It has a distinct sweet taste brought by the egg mixture and the onion slices in the spaghetti. Aside from onions, carrots, and bell peppers, it also has slices of ham to give it a mild meat flavor.

Napolitan Spaghetti / IMAGE from Philippine Primer

The Okonomiyaki (Php 180) on the other hand, is a Japanese pancake filled with cabbage, leeks, crab sticks, fish cakes, and lean pork. It is topped with a special sauce of mayonnaise, nori, and bonito flakes.

Okonomiyaki / IMAGE from Philippine Primer

They also have their own version of Yaki Udon, a tasty serving of Japanese stir-fried udon with generous amounts of vegetables and pork belly, which make gives you a mouthful of flavors.

Yaki Udon / IMAGE from Philippine Primer

15 years of operation and a couple of tasty and unique food offerings later, Kojiro Ojisan is still well-loved by the people of Silang!

How to get here:

By car: You can get to Silang Town Plaza via SLEX Carmona Exit or Cavitex and Aguinaldo Highway. Once you reach the town plaza, you may park your car at the public parking in front of the municipal hall, and proceed walking to M. Belen Street, where Kojiro Ojisan Food House is located, which only takes 1-2 minutes.
By public transport: Kojiro Ojisan Food House is situated close to the Silang Public Market as well as the tricycle and jeepney terminal in the town plaza, which are both within walking distance of the restaurant. You may also opt to take a tricycle from the public market, which costs Php 30.

This first appeared in Philippine Primer’s Japanese and English Magazine November issue.