YABU: THE HOUSE OF KATSU PART IV - THE NEW DISHES

This was taken at 2pm on a Saturday. The line was still ridiculous!

        Yabu: The House Of Katsu is easily among the most popular restaurant in the metro today. Even if you try to visit them during off hours, expect that in all likelihood, you'll still be in for a wait. Given their success, one would think that the people behind Yabu would take a few moments to relax and rest on their laurels.. WRONG. 

        Yabu knows that it isn't enough to just be on top.. Its staying on top that truly matters. They further innovated their menu, as well as continued to expand, with a total of Four branches and counting! 

       After missing out on the launch of their Mall of Asia Branch late last year, I was absolutely heartbroken, because it also coincided with the release of their new dishes.. Which I got a glimpse of (but not yet a taste) from Chef Lee during the opening of Yabu's Robinsons' Magnolia Branch. 

      This time I was determined to finally get a taste of the three newest Items on the menu of Yabu that have eluded me long enough.

FRENCH BAKER'S HOKKAIDO CAKE!

         As a lover of all things dessert, I was elated to receive an invitation to witness the launch of French Baker’s Hokkaido Cake, which is part of their new “Cakes of The World” Line. I’ve always had a fondness for French Baker, with their Croissants and Turnovers never failing to catch my attention whenever I pass by one of their stalls. Going to the event, I had no clue what a Hokkaido Cake was, but all I knew was that it was a collaboration between French Baker and Anchor Butter, and that was good enough for me. 

NO HOLDS BARRED AT RAMEN BAR!

             I really only got into the Ramen game a couple of years ago, when my friend Paolo Dy brought me to the controversial Ramen Mecca, Ukokkei. Prior to that, I never really appreciated Ramen. To me, I couldn't tell it apart from Noodle soup. It turns out, I was missing out on a pretty amazing dish for so long.

       During a visit to Robinsons Magnolia, I noticed that Ramen Bar had opened a new branch there. I had seen Ramen Bar in Eastwood, but never got a chance to try it. One weekend when Rina, Baby Rain and I found ourselves in Quezon City, we decided to go give it a try.

A NEW THAI EXPERIENCE AT THAI BISTRO

            Ever since I visited Robinsons Magnolia during the opening of Yabu's branch there, I've had a fascination with the mall. Around half the stores aren't open yet, so the place isn't too congested, and even parking is very accessible (not to mention at the moment, free!). Of course, once the mall begins to fill up with more and more stores, things will change, which is why i'm savoring every moment of it while I can. 

        Rina wanted to take Baby Rain out for the day, so I thought a trip to Robinsons Magnolia would be a nice change of scenery for her, because we usually take her to Bonifacio High Street (Of course it probably wouldn't make a difference to her). There's a nice garden area that Rina thought Baby Rain would enjoy, as she's slowly learning how to walk. 

       Right in front of that garden area, we spotted a restaurant that I hadn't noticed before, called "Thai Bistro". After a few minutes of walking around the grass with baby Rain, Rina and I decided to give this Thai Bistro a try. 

YABU: THE HOUSE OF KATSU AT ROBINSONS MAGNOLIA

 

          Whilst my Yabu GC Giveaway was on going, I came across a picture on their facebook page of their Katsu Curry dish. I must express to everyone that joined, especially eventual winner of the GC's, Elinor Semira, how extremely fortunate you all are that I started the giveaway before I saw the picture. Because had I seen it first, there's a very good chance that the P2,000 GC's up for grabs might have downgraded to P1,000.. Possibly even P500.. Or I wouldn't have had a giveaway at all! 

       Seriously though, I promised Rina that I'd be taking her back to try the Seafood Katsu, so during the recent Four day weekend, I thought it would be a good time to go. So one Fine Saturday morning, I took Rina and Baby Rain to the Megamall branch, knowing full well that I'll be getting my katsu on a again a few days later, when their second branch opened in Robinsons Magnolia.

      What can I say? Anytime is Katsu time!