Maisen

I got the chance to pay a visit to Megamall after a while, and had lunch at this katsu place called Maisen tonkatsu. This Japanese restaurant first started out in the Shibuya district back in 1965. The reason why its first branch got plenty of attention was because of its location – Its owner, Chiyoko Koide, managed to successfully convert an old bathhouse dressing room into a katsu restaurant. Now, Maisen is more popularly known for two things – Its katsu, and the kind hospitality of its staff.

Interior.

Menu: Kurobuta sets, Katsu sets, Seafood, Katsu picks, Donburi, Curry, Maisen specials, Sandwich sets, Maisen selections, Sides, A la carte, Desserts and beverages.

Tenderloin Katsu Set. Maisen only uses the best black Berkshire pigs for making their katsu. The lean meat was very flavorful and fresh with a distinct umami flavor, even if it lacked that huge layer of fat that I really enjoy. And for the first time ever, I also ended up gobbling down that huge serving of shredded cabbage, which tasted fresh and crisp. This dish was served with a bowl of miso soup, rice, and fruits.

Chicken Katsu Set for mom. Like my katsu set, this one also came with miso soup, fruits, rice, and cabbage.

Dashimaki Tamago – Nice, huge pieces of Japanese-style sweet scrambled eggs.

IDK… Our dining experience here was good, and the food was really tasty too. But honestly, I’ve become desensitized when it comes to this whole katsu craze – Probably because, with the exception of a select few restaurants, none of these katsu restaurants have really stood out to me. I guess it’s due to the fact that 85% of them all tend to look and taste very similar? But if you’re a pure katsu connoisseur, then I think this restaurant is still worth a try.

Ambiance/Interior: 5/5
Staff/Service: 4.5/5
Food: 4/5 (taste) 4/5 (presentation)

Maisen is located at SM Megamall , Julia Vargas Ave Wack Wack, Mandaluyong. You can also find them at Greenbelt 5. Links: Facebook.

Eri Curry

Finally came back to Megamall after a long while and had lunch at this place called Eri Curry, a Japanese curry restaurant whose name translates to ‘Goddess of Curry’. The name of the resto is also taken from their main chef, a pretty Filipina who grew up in Japan and has a passion for cooking some delicious Japanese food.

Eri Curry hopes to enhance our love of Japanese curry by giving their curry a sweeter flavor that’s sure to be enjoyed by Pinoys everywhere.

Interior.

Menu: Curry plates, Sample combinations, Omelette curry, Starters, Soup and salads, Black series, Maki, Gyoza, Kiddie meals, Drinks, Desserts

A lovely plate of California Maki.

Tofu Steak. The pieces of tofu were delicious, but I feel like the serving was too small for me.

Katsu Curry. You can choose the spiciness level of your curry, the ingredients, as well as the amount of rice in your plate. It was tasty, but I didn’t really enjoy it THAT much because I chose the ‘just right’ level (aka the tamest one of the bunch – Other levels were ‘spicy’ and ‘fiery’). The katsu was also slightly tough, which is a shame, because all of their meats are supposedly US imports.

And for dessert, we had the tall, beautiful, and ultra-refreshing Rainbow Kakigori – A tall mountain of shaved ice in three different flavors (strawberry, blueberry, green apple), topped with a cool scoop of vanilla ice cream with red beans.

I really love Japanese curry + katsu + rice combo, so I guess this is why my dining experience here wasn’t so bad! Maybe I should increase the spiciness level a little bit the next time I come back. But I find it really nice that Eri Curry manages to stand out amongst other popular Japanese curry restaurants in the metro by letting people customize their own curry dishes.

Ambiance/Interior: 3.5/5
Staff/Service: 5/5
Food: 3/5 (taste), 4/5 (presentation)

Eri Curry is located at 3/F SM Megamall, Atrium, Julia Vargas Ave Wack Wack, Mandaluyong. Tel no: (0917) 821-2305. Links: Facebook

Ginza Bairin

(Hey guys! Sorry if I’ve been really slow when it comes to updating this blog lately >_< Was really busy this week thanks to work T_T)

We finally tried out Ginza Bairin in UP Town Center, yet another contender in the local katsu race. Our original plan was to go to Café Shibuya, but I had to change my mind because a very famous TV personality was filming her show in one of the neighboring restaurants. I was feeling nervous because she might end up paying a visit to Café Shibuya and conduct an impromptu interview with me and my family or something. (I don’t even know why I came up with that ridiculous theory ._.)

… *coughs* Aaaaaaaanyway, Ginza Bairin has been around since 1927. It was established by a pharmacist named Nobukatsu Shibuya (from his name alone you can already tell that he’s going to be one of the pioneers of the katsu industry in Japan). Since he works with medicine, he wanted to create a type of katsu that gave people health benefits, but was delicious at the same time. The sauce used for his katsu came from his own recipe.

Meanwhile, a descendant of Mr. Shibuya, Masaya Shibuya, was the one responsible for bringing Ginza Bairin to other countries such as Korea, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the US.

Really loving both the interior and the exterior.

Menu: Ginza Bairin sets (pork & chicken, seafood, menchi, assorted), Katsudon sets, Katsu curry, A la carte, Katsu sando, Appetizers, and Dessert.

Mom and I tried their Rosu Katsudon Set – Hailed as the number one donburi in Japan. And rightfully so! The katsu pieces were so tender, with a thick layer of fat. The sauce gives it some extra flavor. The Koshihikari rice was fantastic and chewy too.

This katsudon has received praises from some of Japan’s best food programs like ‘VVV6’ and ‘Tokyo Restaurant Guide’, as well as famous Japanese chefs like Rokusaburo Michiba (his name may seem familiar to you if you’re a huge fan of Iron Chef Japan, like yours truly).

As mentioned earlier, Nobukatsu Shibuya is the man responsible for creating Ginza Bairin’s signature katsu sauce, using 20 different spices and ingredients. The katsu is also fried in cottonseed oil, which has zero trans-fat.

Dad had their Menchi Katsu with Cheese Set. Menchi Katsu is also known as minced cutlet, and is made out of ground pork – I guess that’s the reason why the meat was more tender than the one in our katsudon.

I’m not gonna lie here – Ginza Bairin is one of the best katsu places in Manila, in my opinion. From the interiors, to the menu design, to the food itself – Everything is just spectacular! I can’t wait to come back.

Ambiance/Interior: 5/5
Staff/Service: 5/5
Food: 5/5 (taste) 5/5 (presentation)

Ginza Bairin is located at UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City. You can also find them at Glorietta 2 and Trinoma.

Tonkatsu by Terazawa

Tonkatsu by Terazawa is a katsu place owned by Mr. Terazawa Akinori, a katsu chef who hails from Nagoya, Japan. The first branch opened in 1976, and has now expanded to over four countries.

This restaurant has many branches scattered around Manila, but I picked the one in Nuvali, Laguna. We had lunch here after a visit to Tagaytay.

If the interior looks slightly familiar, that’s because this place was previously occupied by Pig Out, a barbecue restaurant also from the Bistro Group. I remember doing a review for that restaurant two years ago.

Menu: Starters (chasoba salad), Tonkatsu, Katsudon, Terazawa prime picks, Chizu katsu, Katsu curry, Nagoyameshi miso katsu, Seafood and chicken katsu, Iroiro katsu, Beverages, and Dessert.

Rosu Katsudon Set (deep fried loin). This katsu has a rather thick layer of fat. Very light, and goes well with the katsu sauce/salt. Unlike other katsu restaurants, the staff grinds the sesame seeds for you – I honestly prefer grinding the seeds myself, since it gives off a relaxing feel. ^^;

Tonkatsu by Terazawa cooks their katsu in the most traditional way possible – By using large panko breadcrumbs for their aged pork cutlets, so that it doesn’t absorb much oil and gives the katsu a crunchy and light coating, without any hint of grease.

Fish Katsu Set, with a katsu made from deep-fried cream dory…

… And the Chicken Katsu Set, this time made from a deep-fried chicken cutlet.

Here’s our dessert, their signature Frozen Green Tea! Green tea ice cream, with a graham crust base and soft and marshmallow-y meringue top. We almost never got to try this dish, good thing their chef was able to make some right before we paid our bill, hehe.

It was fairly decent – But it did satisfy my katsu craving, that’s for sure.

Ambiance/Interior: 3/5
Staff/Service: 5/5
Food: 5/5 (taste) 5/5 (presentation)

Tonkatsu by Terazawa is located at Solenad, Nuvali, Nuvali Blvd Santa Rosa, Laguna. You can also find them at Greenbelt 2, and Lucky Chinatown Mall. Links: Twitter || Facebook

Katsu Sora

Katsu Sora is a restaurant that serves four—count ‘em—four types of katsu: The Japanese Kurobuta pork, the Canadian Sakura pork, and two types of Spanish pork: Shimofuri and Iberico.

To summarize everything quickly, Kurobuta, also known as the ‘Wagyu of pork’, is made from the highly-marbled meat of Berkshire pigs. Shimofuri comes from Spanish Duroc pigs, and also called the ‘black Angus of pork’ because of its flavorful taste. Iberico, the other type of Spanish pork, has a texture similar to butter and is highly coveted for its meat. Surprisingly, it lowers bad cholesterol because Iberico meat is rich in oleic acid. And lastly, Sakura pork from Canada has a lighter color and a firmer texture since the pigs are fed with barley.

Interior.

Another thing that sets this restaurant apart from the other katsu places is the unlimited rice/miso soup/salad buffet.

Menu: Salad & dressing, Soup, Rice, Tonkatsu, Otameshi set, Katsu, Oroshikatsu, Miso katsu, Mille feuille, Katsudon, Curry, Menehi katsu burger, Katsu sandwich, Kids meal, Side dish, and Dessert.

A tall glass of iced tea for my drink.

For our appetizer, we had their Chicken Tatsuaage, aka Japanese-style fried chicken. These boneless pieces of chicken meat are marinated inside a special soy sauce and garlic concoction, then coated with flour and fried in light oil. It was served piping hot and fresh with a sweet chili sauce dip.

Mom and I shared this Iberico Pork Tonkatsu Set, which came with miso soup, salad, hot tea, and a bowl of Juugokokumai rice. As far as I know, Katsu Sora is the only katsu place here in the PH that uses Iberico pork for their katsu. According to their menu, Iberico is the most sought-after pork meat in the world! ^^ So I guess I have to say that I’m really lucky that I got to taste such high-quality meat. I also liked the Juugokokumai rice. This rice is filled with 15 different grains like corn, millet, black beans and sesame seeds – So not only is it tasty and filling, it’s also healthy for you! Hooray!

The katsu slices were very, very crunchy, and the meat practically melts in your mouth. I’ve tried other types of katsu but I have to say… This one definitely takes the cake. Its texture really does remind you of butter. It also has the right amount of meat and fat. And it tastes really spectacular if you dip it in their sweet yet tangy katsu sauce.

Chicken Katsu Set. The chicken katsu was actually just as tender as the Iberico katsu, but I could barely taste the cheese and seaweed found inside. ._.

I think it’s safe to say that my parents and I were more than happy and satisfied with our lunch here at Katsu Sora. I think this restaurant does live up to its name (with ‘sora’ translating to ‘sky’ in Japanese) – It will take you to katsu heaven once you give it a try.

Katsu Sora is located at Greenhills Shopping Center, Promenade Greenhills, San Juan. Tel no: (02) 925-1411.

Izumi Curry and Grill

After visiting the dentist for the third time this year, we headed over to Izumi Curry and Grill at The Podium to have dinner. I wanted to give this restaurant a try after it got featured on a cable channel.

The two grandsons of a famous pastry-maker in Osaka opened up their first Izumi Curry shop in 2007, naming the shop after their grandfather. Fun fact: Izumi is also Japanese for ‘wind’. Curry is actually a popular dish in Japan, and is eaten 125 times each year. Curry is usually eaten by children, and comes in three forms: Curry rice, curry udon (thick noodles), and curry pan (I’m guessing this is bread? IDK.)

Izumi Curry always ensures that their dishes do not contain MSG, have large servings with creative toppings, and have the perfect combination of spiciness and fruity taste (fruity? eh? *confused* o_o). Aside from the Philippines and Japan, Izumi Curry’s branches are also found in Hong Kong.

Interior.

Menu: Megabeef steak curry, Ebi katsu curry, grilled chicken curry, Tofu katsu curry, Toro toro omu curry, Mixed vegetable curry, Tonkatsu, Chicken katsu, Ebi katsu, Fish katsu, Tofu katsu, Grill (hamburger steak grill, chicken teppan, US ribeye steak), Donburi (gyudon, ebi fry don), Soup (pork tonkatsu udon curry, chicken tonkatsu udon curry, ebi fry udon curry, plain udon curry), Salad (mixed green salad), Dessert, Add-ons.

… A small plate of Gyoza, naturally.

Pork katsu curry with egg – Breaded US pork served over Japanese rice, topped with curry sauce and scrambled eggs. The katsu slices were large and thick. Unfortunately I was a little bit underwhelmed with the katsu’s taste—It wasn’t as tender as I expected. However, the rice and the curry were amazing! Izumi’s curry takes 7 hours to prepare. It’s filled with different spices and vegetables, and slow cooked to perfection. Some of these spices and veggies include carrots, onions, and potatoes.

Fish katsu curry – Breaded fish fillet served over Japanese rice, also topped with curry sauce. It was very crunchy, but the fish itself lacked a little bit of flavor. But of course, the curry sauce gave life to this dish.

Admittedly, this is the first time that I’ve been to a Japanese curry restaurant, and although some of their dishes could use a little more salt, I was satisfied with my meal. I want to recommend Izumi Curry and Grill to those who love Japanese cuisine, but want to try something new and out-of-the-ordinary.

Izumi Curry and Grill is located at 5/F The Podium, 18 ADB Ave Wack Wack, Mandaluyong. Tel no: (02) 571-7992

Kimukatsu

There’s katsu…

… And then, there’s Kimukatsu.

Kimukatsu is a new katsu restaurant that opened up in Shang’s East Wing just a couple of weeks ago. Their branches are found all over Japan, and have been featured in different Japanese magazines and TV shows.

What sets them apart from all the other katsu places in town is that their katsu is served mille-feuille style—Each katsu contains 25 layers of thin pork. It is firstly coated in a batter and panko breadcrumbs, and deep-fried to a crisp in canola oil for around 8 minutes. The katsu is then is given some time to steam, which allows the heat to spread through all of its layers.

The interior gives off a wonderful, modern vibe (I love the ceiling lights!!) The black and white color scheme is present throughout the resto. Heck, even the menu/plates are color coded: Men get black menus/plates, while ladies get white menus/plates.

Menu: Kimukatsu (must try flavors are plain, cheese, and yuzu kosho, which is a combination of yuzu and chili pepper), Kimukatsu assorted set, Premium katsu set (kurobuta kimukatsu set), Tonkatsu meal set (menchi, aka a minced set), Donburi, Kimukatsu sandwich (Kimukatsu plain sandwich, Kimukatsu cheese sandwich), Seafood set, Vegetable fry, Rice set, Ala carte, Side menu (ebi mayo, negi shio tofu), and Dessert (matcha parfait, soy cotta, kurogoma pudding).

Shredded lettuce, salad dressing, and two types of miso soup: White, which has a smooth, milky taste, and Red. I never got to try the red one, but I’m assuming that it has a strong flavor, one where you can really taste the miso.

They serve two kinds of dipping sauces as well, and some sea salt, which you can sprinkle on your kimukatsu (or other dishes) for some added flavor. And let’s not forget the sesame seeds – A staple in every katsu restaurant, just like the bowl of shredded lettuce. ^^

From left: Ebi Fry (which my mom ordered), Tatsuta-age (deep fried juicy pieces of chicken fillet, probably their version of chicken kara-age), two small bowls of pickled salad, and chewy steamed Japanese rice (Koshihikari). My dad ordered the Pork Loin Rosu Set (far right). The meat was a little bit tough, but the thick layer of fat makes up for it.

Meanwhile, I ordered the Black Pepper Kimukatsu. I couldn’t really taste the pepper bits… But because of the thin layers of pork, this kimukatsu was 10x more tender than what my dad ordered. I was definitely surprised after taking the first bite, since the texture was so different.

I enjoyed my meal here at Kimukatsu—Their original method of cooking katsu is definitely one of a kind, and a surefire winner.

Kimukatsu is located at Level 5, Shangri-la Plaza East Wing, Shaw Boulevard, corner EDSA Mandalyoung City. Tel no: +(632) 727-0333. Visit their official website, and like them on Facebook.

Tori Box

Finally got the chance to eat dinner at Tori Box after a long, grueling two-day trip to Tagaytay with some relatives. This restaurant is located in a narrow yet busy street in San Juan. I wanted to try their tonkatsu after it was featured in one of my go-to websites for food and restaurants.

The interior is a bit quirky, with shelves filled with knickknacks, books, dolls, and signboards written in Korean.

Menu: Katsu (pork, fish, chicken, cheese, mapo, spicy) Karaage/Platter, Appetizers and Salads (pan fried gyoza, sautéed shitake with egg and garlic, ika fry appetizer), Sides, Pastas and Sandwiches (kani mayo sandwich, tori katsu sandwich, chicken teriyaki toast, beef yakiniku pita), Ramen (spicy kara-age ramen, katsu ramen, chicken miso ramen), Grilled (rice toppings, teppanyaki), Waffles and Stuff (eggs & waffles, very blueberry, peanut nutella), and Beverages (hot coffee, frozen iced tea, iced coffee, frozen coffee, non-coffee based drinks, frozen blends)

For our appetizer, we had the Cheesy Mayo Gyoza. Delicious, but the taste of the cheese was slightly overpowering.

Dad had a nice, hot bowl of their Tori Katsudon.

Mom tried their Tori-Q Pesto.

I tried two dishes—First is their Tonkatsu, which goes really well with a cup of plain rice. Its’ not really up to par with the other Tonkatsu dishes I’ve tried, but it’s still delicious.

I also had their Kara-age Pop. This dish is served with a small sauce dish filled with sour cream powder, which you can sprinkle on top of your Kara-age. You can choose the flavor of the powder too.

For my drink, I had a smoothie called the Cherry Berry. I love this! It was sweet and tasted refreshing at the same time! The cream goes really well with the sweet cherry flavor. And I love that they put this inside a jar instead of a glass, hehe.

I can honestly say that I was surprised! I didn’t expect that I would end up eating a full meal here, since I thought Tori Box only served tonkatsu and chicken as snack options. I would recommend this restaurant to those who love Japanese food, and cute, yet peculiar architecture.

Tori Box is located at 403 F Calderon St, cor J Abad Santos, Little Baguio, San Juan. You can also find them at the 2nd floor of One Archer’s Place in DLSU.

Saboten

There is no doubt that katsu is one of my all-time favorite Japanese dishes. I love everything about katsu—The succulent combination of fat and meat, the crispy breading, and even the tangy dipping sauce. I love discovering—and of course, dining—in restaurants that specialize in good katsu, and one of the newly-opened restaurants that specialize in good katsu is the Saboten Katsu House located in Serendra. I heard that the katsu there is supposedly one of the best ones in Japan, so we decided to give it a try.

Exterior. Alas, Saboten’s arrival meant that we had to say farewell to one of my favorite restaurants… Goodbye, Silk! Too bad I never got a second chance to taste your tasty Thai flavors T__T

Anyway, when we arrived, we were told that we still needed to wait for one hour and 30 minutes before we could get our seats, so we went to Fully Booked to pass the time. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait too long—We got our seats in around 20 minutes or so. ^^

We were seated in a secluded part of the restaurant, so I wasn’t able to take a lot of interior shots. Sorry! And apparently I got so excited to eat my katsu that I also failed to take pictures of the inside of the menu book. -_-

Menu items: Specialty courses, including the Yuki (snow), Tsuki (moon) and Hana (flower), Appetizers (French fried potatoes, pork loin karaage), The original (tenderloin, loin), Original rolled tenderloin cutlets, Grated raddish katsu, Miso katsu (tenderloin, loin & chicken), Special sharing set, Variety set (Saboten special set, tenderloin & loin set, mixed set, chicken cutlet set, mixed seafood set, kids set), Shrimp set (shrimp fry set, shrimp and tenderloin set, shrimp and loin set, shrimp and chicken set, shrimp and crab croquette set, shrimp and scallop set), Katsu curry (curry tenderloin set, curry loin set, curry chicken set), and the Clay pot.

Dessert menu: Chocolate hazelnut cream cake, Vanilla ice cream with black honey, Matcha lychee almond cake, Green tea ice cream with soybean sprinkles, and Strawberry shortcake.

Drinks menu: Saboten’s signature cocktails, Saboten smoothies, Refreshments, Coffee, Beer, Sake & shochu, Wine, whisky & cognac.

Almost all of Saboten’s dishes come with a serving of miso soup, pickles, rice, and a mountain of shredded cabbage.

I got their tenderloin from “The Orignal” sets. After we did the usual procedure of grinding the sesame seeds, I picked up a piece of katsu, dipped it in the sauce, and took a bite. The katsu melted in my mouth. It felt like I was munching on a katsu marshmallow coz it tasted so light.

We also had their Clay Pot Tenderloin. I’m sure the katsu used in this dish has the same quality as the one I ate, but I think I liked my tenderloin set more than than this one… Not to say that this one sucked, but I prefer it when my katsu is served au naturel—And not coated with scrambled eggs, sauce (like what they usually do with katsudon), and what not.

I think it’s fairly obvious that we enjoyed our meal here. In fact, I’m still craving for their katsu as I type this entry (even though I already ordered a large set). There are more katsu places opening up in the metro right now, and I can’t wait to give the other brands a try. But Saboten’s katsu is a winner for me ^^

Saboten is located at G/F Serendra, McKinley Parkway, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.