Yabu, House of Katsu

We were supposed to be in Subic that Monday morning however a small but very painful incident (calls for another blog entry) set us back. I attacked my favorite friend, Google, and looked for other things to do. After a million suggestions which ranged from, "Should we go to Tagaytay instead?", "Maybe we should just eat out, I'm in the mood for Japanese!" and "Let's stuff ourselves and go to a buffet!" I convinced, more of forced Echo to drive to Megamall so we can try Yabu.

EDSA traffic moved fast! I think we traveled for less than an hour, and finally, Yabu! I have read a whole lot of blog entries about this Japanese restaurant that made me want to try it real bad! I was so excited to order. :)



I checked in to Foursquare soon as I sat down and there was a tip, you can get a free appetizer just by flashing your SM Advantage Card, that easily saves you 175 pesos. So, make sure you keep yours handy. Apparently, we get to choose two, we had the Edamame (Young green soybeans) and Hiyayakko Tofu (Cold silken tofu cubes in ponzu sauce, sprinkled with bonito flakes), happiness!


They then gave us this small bowl filled with sesame seeds, so we had to pound them to bring out the flavor, and just within minutes of "torture" I could already smell the flavor coming out. The next step was to pour their sauce into the bowl, the waiter specifically said, "Dalawa lang po, ma'am." My friends know me as safe, so I stuck to the formula. LOL.



Echo ordered the Rosu, 3/4 inch thick and juicy: rosu is Japanese for pork loin, wherein the slice of pork has a trimming of fat with it (365 pesos for 180 grams) and I got the Hire, 3/4 inch thick and flaky: hire is Japanese for pork tenderloin, where the pork has no fat attached to it (295 pesos for 100 grams). I was so overwhelmed when our orders arrived, wow, it was well worth the price! Aside from the katsu, there was Japanese rice, miso soup, shredded cabbage which was unlimited, plus pineapple and watermelon slices for dessert. It's a full freaking meal! YUM!



It was the best katsu I've ever had, the meat was so tender. I was kinda disappointed at myself for not being able to finish my meal, believe me, I tried. I think there was only one little sliver left but my stomach could not take anymore.

The staff was very attentive, they immediately refill your drinks and ask if you want more shredded cabbage if you are almost running out. Echo asked for katsudon sauce and when the waiter didn't know what he wanted, one of them came to the rescue and gave what Echo wanted. How's that for customer service?

The Verdict. Did Yabu win our hearts? Yes! We will definitely be back for more. One visit for two would set you back more or less a thousand pesos, it's not a restaurant that we people in the middle class can go to every weekend. But if you're craving for true blue katsu then you should go and experience it.

Yabu, House of Katsu
2/F, SM Megamall
Julia Vargas Avenue
Mandaluyong City
(02) 576-3900