Review: Yabu Glorietta 5
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Yabu is a known Japanese Katsu place that is making it's name here in the country. It is considered one of the top must-try katsu places in the Metro. It was good news that they are opening more stores in the Metro, making it easier for people to get their katsu fix. I was delighted that they opened a branch just below our office, making no excuse to try Yabu's katsu goodness.
My friends decided to try Yabu out to celebrate Ephraim's success in passing the broker exam. All of us are first timers at Yabu so we were all giddy and excited.
Ephraim got the 180g Chicken Katsu Set. It is soft chicken fillet covered in golden panko and fried for crispy goodness.
Nadine ordered the 90g Rosu Set which consists of 3/4 inch-thick Rosu (US Grade porkloin), with a sliver of glistening fat trimming its edges and deep-fried in crisp golden panko. Nadine wanted to order the Layu sauce that time because she's fond of putting a little kick in her food. Unfortunately, Yabu Glorietta 5 had run out of it.
I ordered the 90g Menchi Set which is a delicious mix of minced premium beef and pork covered in crunchy panko filled with oozing creamy cheese. It was good for the first few strips, but afterwards, the taste became blah.
Dave ordered the Oroshi Katsu, a special take on our favorite katsu topped with grated radish and spring onions and served with a wedge of grapefruit and ponzu sauce. I took a bite on his katsu and it tasted the same as Nadine's katsu. I still preferred the regular katsu-sesame sauce over the ponzu sauce.
All katsu sets are served with unlimited Japanese white rice or organic brown rice, miso soup, japanese pickles (which btw, looked inedible), organic cabbage with your choice of two dressing and a bowl of fruit. The group loved the unlimited cabbage and the unlimited bowl of fruit that all of us had 2 or more servings of cabbage and fruit. It was Php300-400 peso well spent!
Yabu: House of Katsu
2/F Glorietta 5,
Ayala Avenue, Makati City
Contact no: 823-6903
My friends decided to try Yabu out to celebrate Ephraim's success in passing the broker exam. All of us are first timers at Yabu so we were all giddy and excited.
I noticed their sign that at for every P700 bill, you can get a free set of appetizers for some partnered companies and Convergys was on the list. Since he was treating 5 persons, we were able to get 2 of the free set of appetizers.
Wakame
Wakame is a sweet and juicy seaweed salad topped with ebiko. The only seaweed I know is Nori, I never thought fresh seaweed could be this good.
This appetizer had chunks of potato and egg, tossed in creamy mayonnaise-mustard dressing. It was too creamy for my liking, so I just moved to the next dish.
This salad was comprised of shredded chicken with wonton strips tossed with seasonal vegetables. This was a surprise because it tasted like a tex-mex salad because of the wonton strips. It was refreshingly good.
Here's a new appetizer on the menu. I forgot its name but it's made with baby octopus in a tangy-spicy sauce. I usually don't eat octopus tentacles, but the tangy-spicy sauce had me completely sold.
We were excited to order their Katsu sets. Here's what we ordered:
Potato and Egg Salad
This appetizer had chunks of potato and egg, tossed in creamy mayonnaise-mustard dressing. It was too creamy for my liking, so I just moved to the next dish.
Chilled Chicken Salad
This salad was comprised of shredded chicken with wonton strips tossed with seasonal vegetables. This was a surprise because it tasted like a tex-mex salad because of the wonton strips. It was refreshingly good.
Here's a new appetizer on the menu. I forgot its name but it's made with baby octopus in a tangy-spicy sauce. I usually don't eat octopus tentacles, but the tangy-spicy sauce had me completely sold.
We were excited to order their Katsu sets. Here's what we ordered:
Chicken Katsu Set
Ephraim got the 180g Chicken Katsu Set. It is soft chicken fillet covered in golden panko and fried for crispy goodness.
Rosu Katsu Set
Nadine ordered the 90g Rosu Set which consists of 3/4 inch-thick Rosu (US Grade porkloin), with a sliver of glistening fat trimming its edges and deep-fried in crisp golden panko. Nadine wanted to order the Layu sauce that time because she's fond of putting a little kick in her food. Unfortunately, Yabu Glorietta 5 had run out of it.
Menchi Katsu Set
I ordered the 90g Menchi Set which is a delicious mix of minced premium beef and pork covered in crunchy panko filled with oozing creamy cheese. It was good for the first few strips, but afterwards, the taste became blah.
Oroshi Katsu Set
Dave ordered the Oroshi Katsu, a special take on our favorite katsu topped with grated radish and spring onions and served with a wedge of grapefruit and ponzu sauce. I took a bite on his katsu and it tasted the same as Nadine's katsu. I still preferred the regular katsu-sesame sauce over the ponzu sauce.
All katsu sets are served with unlimited Japanese white rice or organic brown rice, miso soup, japanese pickles (which btw, looked inedible), organic cabbage with your choice of two dressing and a bowl of fruit. The group loved the unlimited cabbage and the unlimited bowl of fruit that all of us had 2 or more servings of cabbage and fruit. It was Php300-400 peso well spent!
Eating is always fun with friends. Despite the good food, we had heaps and bunch of laughter with a little teasing and bullying on the side. My stomach was literally (and figuratively) bursting that day.
What are your favorites at Yabu?
Share it in the comments below!
2/F Glorietta 5,
Ayala Avenue, Makati City
Contact no: 823-6903
Like their Facebook Page for promos and updates
Follow them on Instagram and Twitter : @yabuhouseofkatsu
3 comments
The Menchi Set reminds me of Cordon Bleu. I share your experience after a few bites as well, because the mix of special sauces & cream cheese don't appeal to me for a big piece of meat. With food items elsewhere like Philidelphia Cream Cheese maki, at least you can control the quantity. I balance flavors with the cabbage's dressing.
ReplyDeleteHi Ricky!
ReplyDeleteYabu has the best cabbage side as compared to Terazawa and Kimukatsu. But as for the katsu, I still like Kimukatsu for they are way juicier and a bit affordable. Have you tried Saboten? They just opened beside Bo's Coffee at G5.
Saboten's on my food list until now. There's so many places to try & I'm on a student budget now. ü I got good feedback about Kimukatsu from 2 people too!
ReplyDelete