The power of suggestion manifests itself through my Twitter feed. These past few weeks, people have been raving on and on about a new tonkatsu place in the Metro, one that is very much reminiscent of Hong Kong's Tonkichi. Yabu is just a few months old but the hype has caught on and suddenly, everybody is hankering for a slice or two of their tonkatsu. I, myself, am not a big tonkatsu fan but I already missed out on the Crazy Katsu craze (as I live down South) so with Megamall being so accessible, I thought Yabu was worth a try.
Luckily, one of my good friends, Carl just had his first employee appraisal. Personally, I believe positive feedback from your bosses and a raise are always two good reasons to celebrate. So, off to this new tonkatsu place, we went.
Since Yabu is still riding the hip train, there were a lot of people and the initial service was a little confusing (we had to transfer seats, no, Angela had to fight for our seats). The food, though, was a different story.
Honestly, I wish we had the budget to order the Kurobuta pork set, which is made from the sirloin cut of a Berkshire pig, marketed as the Kobe Beef of Pork. I know that it won't be as tasty as Kobe Beef itself but the darker, marbled meat really got me curious. I was satisfied with the Rosu Katsu we ordered though. For less than the price, we get a relatively tender, properly panko-breaded tonkatsu with a bit of fat. I also liked the idea that Yabu offers a complimentary refill of the cabbage salad, just like in Tonkichi.
Carl pointed out that I wasn't halfway done my tonkatsu towards the end of the meal. I didn't notice this at all. Perhaps it was because I was busy laughing at Angela's work stories but it is with little doubt that this was because the serving was big and very filling. One tonkatsu meal comes in a full set of miso soup, fruit, salad, japanese rice and tonkatsu. I have to tell you that I also enjoyed the appetizers. For 175, you get to pick a choice of two appetizers. The Edamame beans were a little too bland for my taste (I have had softer, saltier ones) but I really liked the Wakame salad because I am a big seaweed fan. Next time, I think it's best to order the silky tofu and the Wakame.
I didn't get to try some of the other items on the menu like the scallops or the breaded Japanese oysters. These are priced per piece but they look really good. I hope I get to try the scallops in the future. I just need to find myself someone who's willing to pay 100 pesos per piece. Heehee. Here's Carl enjoying his tonkatsu pork set, if you want to see what he looks like. He's an Arsenal fan, just so you know. I also have other pictures of our meal at Yabu. Here:
Seaweed salad (Wakame) and Edamame soy beans
Sesame seeds you grind with the small mortar. You mix this one with their tonkatsu sauce, which I also really like.
I really like the anime story on one side of Yabu's wall but I think a wall of sake cups is so ingenious as a Japanese restaurant's design. It looks awesome in real life!
A portion of my meal. The Rosu Tonkatsu set, which is a tonkatsu cut with a little bit of fat. I mean, what's life without a little bit of fat? (I know, "A healthy one", but this is my blog so screw you.)
2nd Floor The Atrium, SM Megamall,
EDSA corner Julia Vargas Avenue,
Mandaluyong City
Tel. No. (0927) 398-7962, 576-3900
Open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
