One of the iconic Japanese food for me aside from Sushi has got to be Tonkatsu. You won't fail to find it in the local Japanese menus whether it be from the usual Japanese Fastfood chain like Tokyo Tokyo or in the upscale places like Inagiku.
So when I saw Yabu at the SM Mall of Asia and found that they are the "House of Katsu", I headed on to try their specialty.
Location : 2/F South Arcade, Main Mall Atrium, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City
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Well, the first thing that popped up into my mind when I saw Yabu's logo are the clan symbols of the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans (Naruto fans will get me on this, right?)...
Kidding aside, I found the theme/design of the stall quite relaxing and zen, a prelude to the meal that is about to happen.
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| Side view of the store sign |
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| Front view of the store with the iconic Yabu logo |
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I found the benches were quite comfortable
without being too comfortable that they suck you in and
make you feel like a kid ;-) |
During the time we got there the store was packed and we were on the waiting list so I'd advise you to come early if you plan to dine here especially if it's the weekends. They were kind enough to serve you Japanese tea while you wait... (is this a growing trend for long restaurant queues?)
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| Their signature Menchi Katsu and Soft Shell Crab Katsu |
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| The so-so complementary tea served in a tasteful cup |
While waiting, you could look for what you will order later (they don't allow pre-orders, order only once you are seated). You can also find some interesting stuff about the store.
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Some trivia regarding the chef who helped in
establishing Yabu |
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| The Menchi Katsu that I ordered later on |
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| Their seafood katsus |
The very first thing that they'll serve you once you are seated are a bunch of seeds (I recall seeing and smelling sesame there but for the others I don't know). What you're supposed to do with them is to grind them thoroughly to release the flavors. Then put the signature sauce using the spoon that will make you feel like a Zen master :)
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| The seeds, pre-grinding |
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| All ground up |
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| Pour the signature sauce |
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| Mix, Mix, Mix! |
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| Everything mixed up! |
Now, let's go through the wonderful set of condiments that they have set-up on your table. The pot on the left contains the salt for your fruit dessert later on (forgot what the waitress called the salt). The pot on the right contains the special sauce. The two tall ones in the middle contain the mayo and vinaigrette for the cabbage (I highly, highly recommend using both of them). The three small ones are different chillies/wasabi/etc. You can ask the wait staff to explain deeper as I was salivating already by the time we were seated. hahaha.
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| The beautifully arranged condiments |
That day we decided to go for the pork dishes, Seafood will just have to wait another day. Here is their regular Katsu and their Menchi Katsu (with cheese).
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| The Menchi Katsu |
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| A look at the inside of the Menchi Katsu |
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| The Hire Katsu |
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| A serving of Fruit for dessert |
What you get with the order of Katsu are unlimited rice, unlimited cabbage, some mustard/wasabi (this stuff's hot hot hot!!!), fruits (we got 2 slices of pineapple and 2 watermelon).
The rice was good and it was the typical Japanese rice. I had a lot of the cabbage owing to their super delicious tangy and sweet dressing (no kidding here, I ate more of the cabbage than the rice). The wire mesh that they put the Katsu on really helped me since it guaranteed that the Katsu stayed crisp and unmolested by the generous amount of dressing that I put on the cabbage so kudos there.
The Katsu had a nice texture, unlike the ones that they serve you on low end Japanese restaurants which are tough, greasy, and bland. It was soft on the inside and crisp on the outside. I especially liked the cheese which although didn't pop in terms of taste, did tonnes in terms of presentation. I couldn't say much for the taste of the Katsu though, I found it quite bland by itself. The saving grace was the Katsu sauce, which was tangy and bombarded your taste buds with the different flavors of the seeds earlier. Sadly for me, I found that something was still lacking in the Katsu. It wasn't the superhero of the dish and it didn't stand out.
The dessert was good especially with the salt and it helped to freshen up your taste buds. I warn you though to keep away from the yellow sauce on the plate if you're not all that into spicy/hot food.
Well I guess that's it for Yabu for now. I'll come back a second time for their seafood katsu especially the soft shell crab one :)
