Yabu

     On a recent trip to the Philippines I had a chance to have dinner at a restaurant that was new to me. Located on the second floor atrium of SM Megamall in Ortigas, tucked in among a row of restaurants offering varied cuisines is Yabu The House of Katsu. It is a casual Japanese dining establishment that offers various katsu dishes instead of just the usual sushi and sashimi that has become synonymous with Japanese cuisine.

     From the glass front one immediately gets a view of the dining area which is split in the middle before coming together towards the back where the bar is located. The decor and furnishings are very simple, the only overtly Japanese related decorations being panels of manga along the dividing wall and bottles of Japanese liquor behind the bar.

manga panel on dividing wall

     The menu is pretty straight forward, consisting mostly of either pork, chicken or seafood (fish or shrimp) katsudon. Katsudon is a traditional Japanese meal consisting of breaded, fried pork cutlet, egg and condiments over a bowl of rice. There are variations in the preparation and toppings used. At Yabu, they offer a number of variations as mentioned earlier. You can order different courses separately or have a set meal. The menu also offers some sushi and sashimi choices, as well as beverages (both alcoholic and non alcoholic) and dessert.  Our group that time chose set meals, mostly the chicken variety. For my part, I chose the seafood and ebi special katsudon set. The seafood part in this case consisted of creamy dory. Of course, in keeping with the katsudon style of the meal, both the fish and shrimp were breaded and deep fried. The rest of the set consists of a cabbage salad, miso soup, pickled vegetables and assorted fruits. This restaurant offers unlimited rice and cabbage salad. Prior to the food's arrival, our waiters gave us these small bowls of toasted sesame seeds that we had to pound with cute little pestles then mix with a sweet sauce from a jar at our table. I don't know what exactly was in that sauce but it was a perfect accompaniment to the proteins in our entrees.

seafood and ebi katsudon set

      Once the food arrived, it was like getting these bento boxes because each of us got a little tray containing our set meals. I have to say, just the sight and smell alone made me hungry! For the cabbage salad, each table has a choice between a vinaigrette or creamy style of dressing. The creamy dressing said sesame on the bottle, and not having had that kind of dressing before I decided to go for it. And I loved it! Such a simple sounding and looking salad, it really was just shredded cabbage, but with the dressing it was actually delicious. It made me glad to see that unlike most restaurant offerings in the same category as free bread, Yabu is offering something that's healthy. Once I managed to stop eating the salad, I sipped the miso soup. It was tasty but nothing really out of the ordinary, tasting like the usual miso soups offered at other Japanese restaurants. Moving on to the entree, I made sure to mix the egg and other condiments into the rice before digging in.  I went for the fish first, dipping a piece into the sesame sauce we'd mixed earlier before taking a bite. And what a yummy first bite it was! The fish melts in your mouth, is not too greasy and is absolutely tasty. The rice was mixed with other seasonings as well so it was very tasty too without clashing or overpowering the other parts of the dish. There was also a little extra boost of seafood flavor from the addition of shredded bonito in the toppings. I think it was a good thing that we had to use chopsticks to eat. If I had a spoon that time I would've probably eaten faster and finished everything in my huge bowl. As it was, I did manage to eat more than half of the rice. It goes without saying that I finished everything else on my tray. Since we were all really full from our entrees, we sadly did not get to try any of their desserts. Maybe on our next visit.

seafood and ebi katsudon...yum!

      The next time you find yourself in Megamall and hunger strikes, try out Yabu. It's got delicious Japanese food at a reasonable price that will surely satisfy your tummy. Two thumbs up and thanks to my friend Leah who recommended this restaurant. I'll definitely return to try other items on the menu when I'm back in the Philippines.

© Margj Castillo, In Review, 2010 - Present.

Morton's The Steakhouse

     On our last wedding anniversary hubby and I made reservations at Morton's The Steakhouse for our post theater dinner. This restaurant is well known for their steaks and has numerous locations all over the US, as well as Canada and in parts of Asia. In New York, they have three locations - White Plains, Great Neck and Manhattan. The one we went to of course, was the one in Manhattan. Located off Fifth Avenue on East 45th Street, it's convenient to the Theater District.

     The restaurant's trademark red awning over a pair of heavy dark wooden doors leads to a small vestibule and another pair of doors leading to the restaurant itself. The very first thing that hit me was how dimly lit the interior is. The place was quite busy when we got there but the ambience was pleasant and not loud. The host podium is flanked by the bar on the left and what appeared to be a merchandise counter on the right. We got there about half an hour before our 6:30 reservation but were immediately seated when we declined the option of sitting at the bar. I caught a glimpse of the main dining area as we were lead to our table, and saw that it was divided into two sections.  The larger half had booths on the sides with individual tables in the middle. The smaller half where we were seated had individual tables along one side and a row of smaller tables running along the opposite side. These tables tend to be a little tight, with a tendency for guests to accidentally intrude on their neighbor's space as well as offering little privacy for your dinner conversation. The walls were decorated with black and white pictures of people and places in the past, like the one right next to us of former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and former NYC mayor Fiorello La Guardia.

     Their menu offers quite a selection of meat, seafood and combination entrees, along with appetizers, drinks and desserts. Not feeling like having appetizers, we just shared a bowl of their Baked Five Onion Soup which is by far the best onion soup I've had. I loved the savory blend of herbs in the broth, unlike the usual onion and saltiness of other onion soups I've had. They also give out what seemed to me like an onion focaccia bread which might've tasted better if it was still warm. For our entrees I ordered the Braised Beef Short Rib & Jumbo Sea Scallop "Surf and Turf" while hubby decided to try the Center-Cut Prime Ribeye, done medium well. For sides we ordered Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes and Sauteed Spinach & Button Mushrooms. After asking for a recommendation from our waiter I also ordered a glass of pinot grigio to go with my entree.  The short rib came with its bone already taken off the meat and set to the side, resting on a bed of mashed potatoes. Next to it were the scallops which were done perfectly. I was very happy with my choice as both items were really delicious. The same goes for the rib eye that hubby had, done to order, juicy and flavorful. I loved the sauteed spinach and button mushrooms, which were cooked just right and made a perfect counterpoint to my savory entree. I now regret not having had my unfinished portion put in a doggie bag. Oh well. Our entree portions were just right, but to my dismay somehow we just didn't have any room left for dessert. I guess we'll just have to go back another day to try the souffle I was eying.

    Despite the rather dark interior and tight squeeze at our table I enjoyed our dinner at Morton's. This was, in addition to the good food, in large part to the staff whose service get a two thumbs up. Our waiter in particular was friendly and attentive without being intrusive, making sure that everything was going well at our table and seeing to our needs promptly. Our food and drinks arrived in a short amount of time, served in a pleasantly courteous manner. Being on the pricier side, we may not be able to dine at Morton's as often as we'd like, but our first time there was definitely the perfect end to our anniversary.

© Margj Castillo, In Review, 2010 - Present.