Yabu: The House of Katsu

I have been reading and hearing a lot of good things about Yabu, a Japanese Katsu restaurant. Being a newly-converted Japanese food fanatic, I dragged my friends here for dinner.

Yabu: The House of Katsu is the first and only authentic Katsuretsu (Japanese for "cutlet") restaurant in the country. Guided by the head chef of popular Katsu restaurant in Tokyo, Yabu assures each katsu is perfectly and deliciously-made.

pink salt container

The place is quite full by the time we arrived that we had to sit at the common table first, but the servers were gracious enough to let us transfer to another table as soon as it was vacated by the previous customers. The ambiance is Zen-inspired with good lighting. A wall was adorned with comic strips about Yabu. My friends and I just noticed that the chairs are quite low (hello, anthropometrics?)

My friends and I tried different katsu sets. Each set has Japanese pickles, miso soup, Japanese rice, a bowl of fruit, and unlimited cabbage. A server is moving around with a bowl of shredded cabbage that you can ask for a refill anytime.

House Tea

While waiting for our orders, we were given a mortar set with sesame seeds to grind, before pouring the tonkatsu sauce. It was really fun grinding the sesame seeds, though I'm not sure if it really made any difference with the tonkatsu sauce. You may also ask for a house tea while waiting for the dishes to arrive.

Japanese pickles

I ordered 100g Hire ("Pork Tenderloin") Tonkatsu Set (Php 295 + 12% VAT).

Hire Tonkatsu

Japanese rice

Hire Tonkatsu Set has 2 pieces of 3/4 inch thick and flaky pork with no fat. The tonkatsu was served already cut into pieces, so I already dug in.

My friends ordered 120g Chicken Katsu Set (Php 290 + 12% VAT) and Chicken Katsu Curry Set (Php 290 + 12% VAT).

Chicken Katsu

Chicken Katsu Curry Set

The Chicken Katsu Set has 3/4 inch crispy Chicken Breast Fillet. For the Curry Sets, you can choose the level of spiciness: mild, regular, or hot. Since my friend loves spicy food, she chose hot. Though I'm not into spicy food, I didn't find the curry hot enough. Or maybe it wasn't supposed to be very hot.

The bowl of fruit included in each katsu set has two slices of watermelon and two slices of pineapple. I'm not used to having fruits for dessert but I realized it was meant to break the umay.

Overall, Yabu is quite a learning experience for a new Japanese food fanatic like me. The service was superb that a server is always nearby if customers need anything, the dishes were served quickly and the staff is accommodating. The prices are a little above average but if you really want to experience the authentic katsu, this is the only place you should go.

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Yabu: The House of Katsu
2nd Floor
Mega Atrium
SM Megamall
EDSA corner Julia Vargas Avenue,
Mandaluyong City
Contact No.5763900
Email address: yabuphilippines@gmail.com
http://www.yabuhouseofkatsu.com