Masuki

Kim and I go through phases where we'd get really addicted to a specific food or restaurant, that it'll be a constant in our diet for the next few weeks or so. In the past 2 years we've gone through a Nolita/ cheeseburger phase, BWNT/ buffalo wings phase, pizza phase, etc. And now we're sort of in the middle of a mami phase.. specifically mami from Masuki.

We've spent our weekend dates in Masuki for the past 3 weeks! I've always loved mami, but I never thought that Kim would also be quite addicted to it. We've been to both the Greenhills and Megamall branch, and would want to visit the original one in Binondo in the future.

Megamall branch

Megamall branch

I love how mami houses are a no frills kind of restaurant. You go there to enjoy their good food. The menu is always kept to the bare minimum of just different kinds of mami, siopao, different kinds of dimsum, drinks and that's it. And the smell! No mami house would be complete if it didn't smell and reek off the mami broth. Ma Mon Luk is the perfect and quintessential example of a mami house that has all of these characteristics. Just think of Masuki as its more modern brethren. For starters there's airconditioning and it's located in more accessible locations.

I ordered the Special Beef Wonton Chicken Asado. 230php.

This is basically their ultimate mami. It has everything in it! It's for people like me who can't decide which kind of mami to get, so why not just dump everything together. Works for me! Hehe. What I do before eating is to take about 2 spoonfuls of Masuki's special sauce and put it in my soup, then I'll put some ground black pepper in it and mix.

I tend to take a spoonful or chopstick-ful of each thing in my bowl then repeat the process. Usually its broth, noodles, chicken, asado, wonton then lastly beef. Rinse and repeat. This is just heaven in a bowl. Everything in it works together! But of course the most important part is the soup or broth of which its great taste actually ties everything together.

Special just means that it has more soup, more broth and more beef, wonton, chicken, or asado in it.

Kim had the Regular Beef Wonton. 180php.

Same broth, same noodles but this one only had Beef and Wonton in it. Kim seems to enjoy this as this has been her regular order.

We also had a Regular Asado Siopao, and a couple pieces of Siomai to share. 55php and 35php per piece respectively.

Masuki's special sauce works well with both the Siopao and Siomao, but it goes really well with hot sauce on the Siopao. We love how plump and siksik the siopao is, and who un- perfect its shape is compared to those fast food siopaos that just doesn't give off the same vibe.

Masuki's Siomai has got to be one of the biggest we have seen! And even with the size, it is still packed with flavor all the way inside.

So for those who we are friends with on Facebook, expect more Masuki picture posts from us in the coming weeks as we are sure to be back... and back again for more!

Megamall branch

Sekai Center branch (Kuya waiter is so cute! :D)

Masuki
Masuki Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Masuki/193897223966668
2nd Floor Sekai Center,
Ortigas Ave Cor. Madison Street,
Greenhills, San Juan
(02) 744 - 2720

Yabu: The House of Katsu

October 12, 2012. Friday.

After reading so many great reviews about Yabu, we just had to try it for ourselves. We both haven't been to Megamall in awhile, so it took a good minute for me to get by bearings on right to navigate the 2nd largest mall in the country.

Yabu is supposed to be the first and only authentic Katsu restaurant in the country, or so they claim. I am not sure if that account is true, but that's what it says inside their informative menu. For those who are not familiar what katsu is, to quote from their menu, "The word katsu is an abbreviation of the word "katsuretsu," which means cutlet. It generally refers to a sliced piece of meat that is breaded and deep fried." So if you are overly health conscious, this place is not for you 'cause almost everything is beautifully deep fried in here. Anyway, if you want to learn more about Yabu and katsu, their menu is very helpful.

When we finally found the place, we were ushered into our tables which had comfortable leather seats. Yabu has 2 dining areas, separated by a divider adorned with manga depicting the cooking of katsu. There's probably no difference between the 2 areas, it's probably just divided to avoid monotony. The restaurant is well lit with a golden color scheme. Made me feel like royalty.

Since it was our first time to eat at Yabu, so we thought we would need to ask the waiters to help us out in ordering. But upon being handed the menu, we found out that it was not needed. Everything you wanted to know was in the menu! So we proceeded to order. But before that, we have to show you how to make your very own katsu sauce!

First, you grind the sesame seeds. The waiter advised us to grind about 50% of it to preserve the taste of the sesame seeds.

Second, you add 2-3 scoops of the tonkatsu sauce. The more you add, the more sour it gets.

Third, mix them together. And enjoy dipping your katsu in it!

I ordered the Rosu Tonkatsu Set.

Rosu - Pork Loin Set 120g. 355php.

At first I wanted to order the Premium Kurobata Pork Set, but I wasn't really sure if I wanted to spend 575php on something I'm not certain of the taste. So to play it safe and still satisfy my love for pork, I got the cheaper Rosu - Pork Loin. It is a juicy 3/4 inch thick pork cutlet with a very generous trimming of fat. Each katsu set is served with unlimited Japanese rice, unlimited cabbage, miso soup, Japanese pickles, and a bowl of fruit. The pork was really juicy and tender with the fat separating immediately from the meat once you go through it. And the breading of panko flakes was very thin unlike the ones you get from fast food chains. It is deep fried in Canola oil which has 0 trans fat thereby eliminating the overwhelming greasy feeling which is common in deep fried food. I'm sure that the pork was well prepared, but I found it a bit bland for my taste. Good thing the katsu sauce made up for it. I'm thinking maybe the pork from the Black Berkshire pig of the more expensive Kurobata Set would taste better, I have to come back and try that one.

Kim got the Chicken Katsu Set.

Chicken Katsu Set 120g. 325php.

When our orders came in, we really couldn't tell the difference between the two. The chicken looked like pork and vice versa. Well at least the chicken tasted like chicken, and the pork tasted like pork. Similar to the pork loin, although the tenderness is commendable, the chicken katsu is tasteless alone. But over-all, the combination of the whole set, with the DIY katsu sauce, makes a one-of-a-kind katsu experience. Every element goes well together, but a variety of condiments is readily available on each table for more preferences. The condiments include Japanese spices, sesame dressing and vinaigrette sauce for the cabbage and salads, and Himalayan salt if you need to add flavor to your food.

Condiments. Tonkatsu sauce, Japanese spices, Sesame dressing, vinaigrette suace, and Himalayan salt inside the pig- looking container.

To wash it all down, we ordered Ripe Mango Shake and a can of Coke which was for 100php and 70php respectively.

We'll probably be coming back here again as I wasn't totally blown away by it. But since it has received a lot of good reviews, then maybe I really have to experience it again and order something different. Other than my complaint of my order tasting a bit underseasoned, everything was great in this place. Service was really fast, and everyone was very courteous from ushering us to our seats, to offering us extra orders. The ambiance and overall look of the place was nice, with the quote riddled walls of the restroom standing out the most. With all that being said, expect us back in Yabu again soon.

Yabu: The House of Katsu
2/F Mega Atirum, SM Megamall,
1552 Manila, Philippines
https://www.facebook.com/yabuhouseofkatsu
http://www.yabuhouseofkatsu.com/index2.php#/home/