The first step in re-creating a dish is looking for the recipe. Second is the ingredients. Recently I've been creating meals to satiate my Japanese cuisine cravings, and let me tell you, Japanese food is a particularly expensive food to crave, and the ingredients to make them are especially hard to find. I mean, Cooking with the dog, I love you and all, but I didn't know where to get all those dried seaweed for the UMAMI flavor here in the Metro.

If you're one of the lucky one's, your supermarket is already your one stop shop for these ingredients, with the oh so amazing international aisle, but let me tell you, some of the price points of the produce are significantly cheaper. So keep reading. Ha!

There are two particular shops I go to which are fairly beside each other. It's located at side of the wet Market facing the parking lot of  Farmer's Market Plaza in Aranteta, Cubao. 

I originally brought my camera, but eventually had to take paparazzi pictures. I ended up whipping out my phone instead to be inconspicuous, while my friend Rom distracted the sales lady.