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| Waiting for tonight, woah! I've dreamed of this love for so long! |
Since everything on the menu was free for our choosing, we took it upon ourselves to order pieces that we haven't tried yet. We started off our gluttonous dinner bonanza with appetizers.
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| Wakame / Potato Salad Php195 |
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| Japanese Spinach with goma sauce / Tofu Php195 |
Appetizers came in twos. You could mix and match your preferred combo. I liked the Potato Salad, while Mykee went for the Japanese Spinach. The Wakame was alright too. It's a seaweed salad with fish roe. It's a bit on the salty side, and the textures are definitely interesting. The tofu went well with the ponzu sauce, and the bonito flakes gave it a good contrast from the otherwise mellow tofu taste.
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| Swanky wooden interiors. |
The interiors of the Yabu in Town was consistent with the other existing branches. Warm lights complimented the food to be served, chunky wooden tables and soft chairs for the hungry customers, comic strips depicting how the katsu is made, and the iconic masu cups lined up on the walls.
Fun fact: Masu cups (those neat small wooden boxes pictured above) were originally used as measuring cups for rice grains. In modern times, it's more commonly found at bars to serve sake (Japanese wine). Here in the Philippines though, we take it to the next level and use them as fancy decorative wall art.
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| Sesame seeds for grinding, to be mixed with the Bulldog Tonkatsu sauce. |
Okay, fair warning, when we eat, we mean we REALLY EAT. And since this was a food tasting event, we had to of course, taste the food. Like. Every. Item. We. Possibly. Could. Enjoy this picture of my date whilst you prepare your judging eyes.
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| We're both thankful that this didn't happen on our first date. Otherwise, we'd both just drive ourselves nuts trying to remain prim and proper amidst all the food. |
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| Hire Pork Tenderloin Set 150g Php405 (pictured above) 100g Php330 |
We both agreed to order a mainstay dish of our own, and just share food from the ala carte menu. Each katsu set came with its unlimited serving of hot miso soup, white or brown organic rice, pickled vegetables, cabbage slaw, and fruit dessert (pineapple and/or watermelon).
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| Half of the ala carte menu on our table. Oink! |
Pictured above are (clockwise) additional Hire Katsu 150g (Php120), Menchi Katsu (Php120), Scallop 1pc. 30g (Php110), Salmon (Php150), Jumbo Prawn 1pc 23g (Php140), Chicken Breast 60g (Php105).
Like I said, since this was a food tasting, we really had to taste different items on the menu. And I'm glad we did. We had never tried out the seafood and menchi offerings prior to this event. Yabu's more known for their chicken and pork sets, so those are the familiar staples we stick to. After sampling everything though, I think I may have found a worthy contender in the scallop. It was so soft and fresh. Each bite I took gave me small shreds of tender meat I didn't even have to chew. It's definitely something I'm looking forward to on our next visit. The salmon and the prawn were a bit too flavourful for my taste. Nothing bad though, just different strokes for different folks, I guess.
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| Menchi Katsu Php120 |
The Menchi Katsu was a dish I've been meaning to try. It's a mixture of beef, pork, onions, and cheese. I expected the patty to be firm and solid, much like a cordon bleu. What I got though was a soft dough-like texture. It was basically a really fancy horizontal meatball. I liked the cheese, but I'll stick to my newfound scallop love.
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| Secret off-the-menu Hire Katsu |
Much to our surprise, as our table was brimming with food, our waiter surprised us with a secret dish! It was a new Hire Katsu that was hidden from the menu. We were brought over a serving to sample, as I've ordered their existing Hire Katsu.
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| For comparison's sake, here is a cross-section of the normal Hire Katsu |
As you can see, the new Hire has a thicker cut to it. The meat is a lot darker and firmer when you bite into it. It's thickness doesn't make it any tough to chew, but it is a mouthful when you take a bite. I prefer the new Hire better. The old one pales in comparison as the new one is a lot more tender. I also like how you get big crunchy bits of Panko breadcrumbs with every bite. The midsection cut makes all the difference. It's like getting the nice crunchy ends of the katsu every single time. Think of it as the opposite ends of your favourite cake roll, with all the icing.
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| Good food, and even better company. What more could I ask for? :) |
Thank you to our good friends at Yabu for this opportunity. It was a lot of fun for us and the bottomless pits we call our stomachs. I'd wish you guys good luck on this new branch, but I don't think you'll be needing it with all the good food and kind and attentive servers.
Yabu: The House of Katsu
2/F Alabang Town Center (beside Pepper Lunch and Recipes)
http://yabu.ph/
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