Disclaimer: This is my first ever Restaurant Review, I am not a food critic and all opinions expressed are of my own personal experience. The restaurant has no foreknowledge that I would write this review.
I have been reading a lot of good reviews about Yabu, which made me wanna try it. And I just got lucky because recently I won a Yabu GC worth 2,000 from i am dekaphobic blog which means I'll get to try Yabu for free, yey!
If you know me that well, I am certified foodie and I love trying out new dishes, and Japanese food is no exception.
Knowing my in laws food preference I was doubting weather they'd enjoy Yabu, but still hubby and I offered to use the GC with them. It's also their first time hearing about Yabu which made them curious and accepted our offer. So last Sunday September 22nd which is also my father in laws birthday, we went to Yabu SM Southmall. I was expecting a long queue based on the reviews that I read, but as soon as we arrived there we were seated right away. Well maybe because we arrived there around 1:30pm which is already past lunch time.
First thing that I noticed was the ambiance, it was very cozy. Each table has a set of condiments, Himalayan Pink Salt, Tonkatsu Sauce, Salad Dressings and Japanese seasonings. As soon as our orders were taken, a small dish with sesame seeds and a pestle was served. Since I was reading reviews prior I already knew that the sesame seed needs to be ground and the tonkatsu sauce to be added next which will serve as a dipping sauce for the katsu, even before the server informed us about it.
Kuya Tantan having fun grinding the sesame seeds
The fruit Shake was served next, and mine was Watermelon Shake. The price ranges from 90-100
Surprisingly we found a strand of hair on J's Mango Shake right before he was about to take a sip, so we had it replaced right away.
And finally, after few minutes of waiting our foods was served.
I ordered the Kurobuta Pork Set 120g (575.00)
Me and my son shared this order, since he only eats a little.
"Kurobuta, also known as the black Berkshire pig, is the world's FINEST pork. It is also called the "kobe beef of pork" due to its rich marbling, softness and flavor."
Jaear ordered the Chicken Katsu Set 180g (360.00)
He never gets tired of chicken lol!
Creamy Dory Set 180g (375.00) for my Mom in Law
Seafood Katsu Set 1 (485.00) for my Father in Law
Chicken ans Seafood Katsu Set (475.00) for my Sister in Law
Each set of Katsu is already served with unlimited Japanese rice, Miso Soup, unlimited shredded cabbage, Japanese pickles and sliced fresh fruit for dessert. However on top of the price of each Katsu sets, there's still a 5% service charge. Our bill was around 3,000 plus, I'm too lazy to do the math lol, but since we have the 2,000 GC we only paid 1,000 something. Not bad.
The Experience:
Did I say I love the ambiance? The lighting, the interior design and all are very cozy. On the way to the Rest Room ,there's a huge mirror on the wall. Outside and inside the Rest Room's wall are filled with posters about what celebrities and bloggers have to say about Yabu. However there's only 1 rest room for both male and female. We didn't get to experience long queue since we arrived late, the Staffs are all approachable and kind. But I just didn't like the fact that there was a strand of hair on J's mango shake, but so far we didn't find any on our foods.lol! My in laws didn't enjoy the food as much as I did, again as I said our food preference is different. The Katsu was really crispy yet very tender, however it just didn't meet up my expectation of it being juicy, I am basing this on the reviews that I read. J didn't really liked the sauce with sesame seeds in it but according to him the Chicken was kinda dry and not that tasty which made him dip his chicken. They also didn't like the miso soup. But again, I wouldn't question that, this is not their kind of food, but of course they still enjoyed it somehow and we all got full. Well as for me I really enjoyed it, I even had 3 rice refills and a refill of the shredded cabbage.
Will I go back for more? Yes I will, because there's still other set that I wanna try, and the next time around I'll try to bring along my friends who also loves Japanese so it's not just me who's enjoying. lol!
SM Southmall Branch
Ground Level, SM South Mall
Alabang-Zapote Road, Almanza, Las Piñas
Metro Manila, Philippines
Phone Number
(+63 2) 800-0447
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