Yabu: House of Katsu–heavy katsu, rice and flavor

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

I’m so late already in trying these new Japanese restaurants in Manila, I learned about Yabu last 2012 and it was the year of katsu because lots of restaurant are popping in like mushrooms and serve the same food – katsu. It’s one of my favorite food and I always order a katsu or any donburi meals in a Japanese resto, all katsus are good to me because they have all I want --rice, pork and egg in my bowl. The best katsudon ever for me is that Japanese restaurant that serves food over the counter in Vira Mall, Greenhills, too bad that the resto will never re-open when the mall was renovated.

Same reaction during the flight of ramens in Manila, I really want to try them all and see which is better, but I delayed my food adventure during 2012 because I heard that its hard to get a table in Yabu SM Megamall.

But zoom back to 2014, I am now in Yabu! hahaha, its like a dream come true and we dined in at their Yabu-SM Aura few weeks ago, with Lace and her team.

I’m a bit clueless but all I want is a good katsudon

The service crew inform us that they offer – rice all you can to their customers..
this is really a dream come true restaurant.. finally.. unlimited rice for all rice lovers! hahahah
I’m happy because I’m a rice muncher.

I ordered their original katsudon set

Hire Original Katsudon priced at PHP 335, it’s a set meal with miso soup, pickles, cabbage salad, sesame dressing and small bowl of sliced fruits. I didn’t expected that they offer more to their customers, I’m sure every customers are happy because one katsu comes with lots of freebies. Btw, the cabbage salad is unlimited, just ask the service crew for more and then add the salad dressing of your choice, there’s a 3-4 bottles of condiments in every table here in Yabu.

Our dinner in Yabu is fun, because the art deco on the resto’s wall are framed Manga or Japanese comics, we started conversations our Anime up to the live action movie of Rurouni Kenshin. Here at the table, we learned that all of us are anime fans hahaha.

Yabu is a good resto if you are an anime otaku.

Dining area

The service crew gave this wooden grinder and a small plate of sesame seeds, she said that its one of the first must do for their customers, you will grind the sesame seed into powder, then you pour some teriyaki sauce, or add chili, then you have your own sauce for your katsudon.

Here’s the service crew showing us a demo on how to grind the sesame seeds

Lace…just grind it hahahaha

At the table they gave us these free beans and that spicy thing.
as one of their appetizer.

They gave us some activity while we are waiting for our katsudon – grinding and eating some appetizers, I think it took around 15 minutes for our food to arrive on our table.

Here’s my Hire Original Katsudon and the added side dishes
my review – I want to cry after taking a bite because it reminded me that old katsudon that I always buy in Vira Mall, Greenhills. The bowl is packed with lots of rice, think breaded porkchops and a steaming hot with eggs. I like the taste and I already complained that the food is too many for me. I’m super satisfied with my meal for dinner.