We've heard nothing but great news over this newly-opened restaurant and we thought it's about time that we try this one out. We've been putting it off for quite some time due to our long list of places to try but after having our first Yabu experience, we now see why people would go out of their way to eat here.
Caution: Don't come here if you're mad hungry of if you want something fast. We arrived at around 1:30 PM and was 13th on the reservation line. But we were actually called faster than we thought, roughly around 15 minutes.
Condiments heaven: salt, oil sauce for cabbage, cream sauce for cabbage, teriyaki sauce, pepper
If you like options with regard to your sauces/flavorings to add to your Tonkatsu, this is the place to be! You might be overwhelmed at the start though with all the mixing and matching of flavors, but once you've found your preferred taste, you're all set :D
To add a dynamic twist to your dining experience, Yabu lets you grind your own sesame seeds. It gives you something to do while waiting for your food and it also probably saves them a significant amount of time. Win-win. Also, the smell after grinding the seeds, hmmm bango :)
After grinding, pour the secret Tonkatsu sauce and mix. I was actually expecting the sauce to be sweet (since it resembles fishball sauce) but I forgot that Katsu sauces are actually supposed to be a bit sour and tangy. I didn't mind though because it goes well with the breaded pork cutlet.
Kurobuta Pork Set (120 grams) - P575
They also serve unlimited cabbage and rice. At first I thought, who would want unlimited cabbage? But when I mixed it the cream and oil sauce (the one in clear, tall bottles), it suddenly made sense. It was delicious :D I actually had to ask for a refill of my cabbage supply because it was that good.
Seafood Katsu set 1 - P485
To add variety to our meal, we also ordered the seafood set.
Which is which: Black tiger prawn, scallop, cream Dory, oyster, squid
Nothing really special. Best you order the Kurobuta Pork Set, unless you're a on a seafood diet or something.
Secret to happiness: Yalu chili sauce - P35
The icing on our cake - if you're going to dine in Yabu any time soon, I suggest you also order the Yalu chili sauce. I'm not a big fan of chili sauces actually but this one, A MUST TRY. It adds a salty and garlicy flavor to your dish. It's not really that spicy mind you and this is why I actually loved it. Hehe. It goes well with the Tonkatsu sauce. (You could add salt if you prefer your sauce to be less tangy buuut the Yalu chili sauce provides a much yummier alternative.)
On the way to, and inside, the washroom are walls of food bloggers' raves about Yabu. Something entertaining to do while doing your business inside the room :)
A side note on the service:
1. At one point, three people quickly approached us when we called for attention.
2. I softly remarked that I was going to call over the "cabbage lady" for a refill and the manager passed by and said he'd call the cabbage lady right away. (How he heard me, I have no idea. A little disturbing haha but I know he meant well.)
3. They all looked so happy to serve :) Makes me think of the incentives given by the management.
All these even when the restaurant was full of customers. Now that's quality service!
OVERALL RATING
Food: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Great flavors!
Service: 10/5
(see note above)
Value for money: 3.5/5
A little on the expensive side. I wish they could provide an option to do away with the fruits and miso soup. There's a cheap Katsu place in Maginhawa street called Crazy Katsu. We'll make a review of it on the days to come but one of us has eaten there before and it serves good (and less expensive) pork and chicken katsu.
+++++
Yabu: The House of Katsu
2/F, SM Megamall, Julia Vargas Ave.,
Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila
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