by Rozelle Javier
Yabu in Megamall (photo from katshappyfood)
Yabu's Chilled Chicken Salad (photo from itsberyllicious)
| Yabu's Rosu Original Katsudon (photo from Rage Gayondato)
Yabu's Iidako Salad (photo from jinlovestoeat)
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If you are craving sushi and sashimi, you might be headed for the wrong restaurant. If you, however, are craving katsu—Japanese pork cutlets coated with panko (breadcrumbs)—then Yabu is the perfect place for you.
“The House of Katsu” was founded by John A. Concepcion with Steven Tan and Gerry Santos. Chef Kayuza Takeda, the head chef of a popular tonkatsu restaurant in Tokyo called Tonkatsu Takeshin, has partnered up with Yabu to make sure each and every katsu they serve is perfect.
Yabu prides itself with using fresh and high quality ingredients, from using Kurobuta pork—known as the “Kobe beef” of pork—imported from the US; using fresh seafood sourced from trusted local producers, from Hiroshima in Japan, and from the US; using panko they make fresh every day; and using 100% natural canola oil, which they say keeps their breading crisp and allows flavors to come through.
The food was definitely good. My dad, who lived for more than a year in Japan and had since developed a soft spot for Japanese culture (and food, obviously), remarked that the food tasted authentic, especially their miso soup which he said was “just like the miso soup we had in Japan.”
For the appetizers, you can choose any two for 195 pesos. We had the Chilled Chiken Salad—shredded chicken with julienned cabbage and carrots, served with edamame and crispy wonton strips in mustard vinaigrette; and the Iidako salad—Iidako (baby octopus) with cucumber slices in a sweet/savory sauce.
For the main dish, I had the Rosu Original Katsudon—pork loin cutlets (rosu) topped with an egg and served with miso soup, a bowl of unlimited julienned cabbage, japanese pickles, and a bowl of fruits. This was probably the best katsudon I ever had, and I’ve eaten a lot of katsudons.
The restaurant also offers unlimited Koshihikari Japanese rice, which according to them is “the finest Japanese rice”, and an unlimited serving of julienned cabbage served in a bowl. Their wasabi mayo, which is not even in the least bit spicy, goes perfectly with the cabbage in my honest opinion.
The restaurant’s SM Megamall branch had a simplistic feel to it, with wood panels for the ceiling and walls adding to the whole modern Japanese design. A series of manga on wooden panels line the walls and serve as creative dividers. The place was especially beautiful to me, since I am very fond of cozy spaces. The staff was also friendly and accommodating, giving the restaurant an even more inviting aura.
The characters on their manga panels are based on Chef Kazuya Takeda (Master Yabu) and Yabu’s Executive Chef Lee Jose (Koji). The manga is about Master Yabu teaching Koji the perfect execution of making katsu, which is not that different with their real counterparts as Takeda passed his knowledge to the Yabu chefs.
Yabu had this sort of tradition wherein the customers make their own katsu sauce. First, you grind down black and white sesame seeds on a mortar and pestle-like device. Then, you add a thick brown sauce and you mix them together.
Overall, Yabu is the epitome of the Japanese ideal of food being not only for satisfying hunger, but for other senses as well. “We are selling not just food, but the experience. Real Japanese katsu is not eaten, it is experienced—a treat not only for a hungry stomach, but for all other senses as well,” Concepcion said in an interview with Inquirer.
Yabu has 7 other branches located in SM North Edsa in Quezon City, Robinsons Magnolia in Quezon City, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay, SM Southmall in Las Piñas City, SM Aura Premier in Taguig, Alabang Town Center in Muntinlupa, and Glorietta 5 in Makati.
“The House of Katsu” was founded by John A. Concepcion with Steven Tan and Gerry Santos. Chef Kayuza Takeda, the head chef of a popular tonkatsu restaurant in Tokyo called Tonkatsu Takeshin, has partnered up with Yabu to make sure each and every katsu they serve is perfect.
Yabu prides itself with using fresh and high quality ingredients, from using Kurobuta pork—known as the “Kobe beef” of pork—imported from the US; using fresh seafood sourced from trusted local producers, from Hiroshima in Japan, and from the US; using panko they make fresh every day; and using 100% natural canola oil, which they say keeps their breading crisp and allows flavors to come through.
The food was definitely good. My dad, who lived for more than a year in Japan and had since developed a soft spot for Japanese culture (and food, obviously), remarked that the food tasted authentic, especially their miso soup which he said was “just like the miso soup we had in Japan.”
For the appetizers, you can choose any two for 195 pesos. We had the Chilled Chiken Salad—shredded chicken with julienned cabbage and carrots, served with edamame and crispy wonton strips in mustard vinaigrette; and the Iidako salad—Iidako (baby octopus) with cucumber slices in a sweet/savory sauce.
For the main dish, I had the Rosu Original Katsudon—pork loin cutlets (rosu) topped with an egg and served with miso soup, a bowl of unlimited julienned cabbage, japanese pickles, and a bowl of fruits. This was probably the best katsudon I ever had, and I’ve eaten a lot of katsudons.
The restaurant also offers unlimited Koshihikari Japanese rice, which according to them is “the finest Japanese rice”, and an unlimited serving of julienned cabbage served in a bowl. Their wasabi mayo, which is not even in the least bit spicy, goes perfectly with the cabbage in my honest opinion.
The restaurant’s SM Megamall branch had a simplistic feel to it, with wood panels for the ceiling and walls adding to the whole modern Japanese design. A series of manga on wooden panels line the walls and serve as creative dividers. The place was especially beautiful to me, since I am very fond of cozy spaces. The staff was also friendly and accommodating, giving the restaurant an even more inviting aura.
The characters on their manga panels are based on Chef Kazuya Takeda (Master Yabu) and Yabu’s Executive Chef Lee Jose (Koji). The manga is about Master Yabu teaching Koji the perfect execution of making katsu, which is not that different with their real counterparts as Takeda passed his knowledge to the Yabu chefs.
Yabu had this sort of tradition wherein the customers make their own katsu sauce. First, you grind down black and white sesame seeds on a mortar and pestle-like device. Then, you add a thick brown sauce and you mix them together.
Overall, Yabu is the epitome of the Japanese ideal of food being not only for satisfying hunger, but for other senses as well. “We are selling not just food, but the experience. Real Japanese katsu is not eaten, it is experienced—a treat not only for a hungry stomach, but for all other senses as well,” Concepcion said in an interview with Inquirer.
Yabu has 7 other branches located in SM North Edsa in Quezon City, Robinsons Magnolia in Quezon City, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay, SM Southmall in Las Piñas City, SM Aura Premier in Taguig, Alabang Town Center in Muntinlupa, and Glorietta 5 in Makati.