I first noticed Yabu at the Robinson's Magnolia a couple of months ago, and I was quite amazed at the long waiting line of lunchtime customers. Right after Vicky and Monique finished the passport renewal process at the DFA, they were famished for a late lunch, and we found ourselves walking into the Yabu store at the 2nd floor Atrium of SM Megamall (at 3pm they had available seats). This store specializes in katsu (Japanese style fried breaded pork). The interiors were simple and well lit; the staff were courteous and quite helpful.
What Kobe is to beef, Berkshire is to pork, and Yabu prides itself with their Berkshire pork katsu. We enjoyed the dish--3/4 of an inch thick, crispy light brown breading, juicy center and served hot!
To gain perspective, we also had some chicken katsu and pork curry, which were also prepared well. The tray comes with unlimited rice and salad (Japanese coleslaw). Monique noted that while there was a big price difference between Berkshire pork and local pork, the taste and texture were not really far apart--if you're not particular, you won't be able to tell the difference.
The salad sauce is prepared with ground pepper, and we spent some time enjoying the ritual. Do-it-yourself pepper grind, add lots of sauces to get the right flavor mix! All in all, we spent something like P550 per head. I understand that the restaurant was locally conceptualized with the help of some Japanese kitchen consultants, and I was pleasantly surprised to be informed that the store had a lot of repeat customers despite not being a franchise of an international chain.
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