Busy Saturday: Yabu, House of Katsu / Underworld Awakening / Wensha Pasay

Me, Kiko, Anton and Nathan went to SM Megamall last Saturday, January 21 to have dinner at Yabu, the new katsu place almost everyone is raving about.

I arrived early (530pm) so I made reservations muna then waited for the others to arrive. Then, at exactly 6:30pm, we went in.

If I knew na pwede pala, kain siguro ako ng kain ng tonkatsu bago pumasok for exams in school dati..

This teaches you how to 'personalize' your tonkatsu sauce.

One wall was covered with manga.

The menu and the chopsticks.

Hello Anton and Nathan.

The condiments (L-R) Tonkatsu sauce, salad dressing and cherry vinaigrette (for your unlimited cabbage), Japanese chili flakes and pepper, salt.

Nathan grinding his sesame seeds.

My tonkatsu sauce. I found that Yabu's tonkatsu sauce was a bit salty. I guess better than other tonkatsu sauces na lasang ketchup.

Anton and Nathan both ordered the 100g Hire Tonkatsu set. Hire tonkatsu is all meat, no fat. A set consists of tonkatsu, miso soup, unlimited cabbage, Japanese rice and fruits. It costs P295.

I ordered the 110g Rosu Tonkatsu set. P320. Rosu tonkatsu is pork loin, meaning, may fat.

Kiko got the Rosu Katsudon. P265. Hindi n'ya naubos because ang bigat daw sa tiyan. i'm thinking he's not eating that much as he'll go to a badminton game after dinner.

The verdict: Nathan almost shouted after biting his first Yabu tonkatsu: "Oh my God, ang lambot n'ya.". Their tonkatsu is indeed one of the best. I liked it. The breading was not flour-y, the pork was tasty and super soft (almost melts in your mouth pa nga). It is their specialty after all. Next visit, I might try their house specialty, the Kurobuta Pork Tonkatsu, the 'wagyu of pork'. The set is quite pricey, at P510.

Tonkatsu sauce was a bit salty. But I love the fact that it's tonkatsu sauce all you can.

Their miso soup is nothing out of the ordinary. Moshi Koshi's was way better.

For kambings and veggie lovers, you'll rave about the unlimited cabbage.

Service was fast, considering the restaurant was full.

Yes, the place is worth a visit.

Food - 4.5/5 (Mabigat sa tummy ang food nila.)

Ambiance - 4/5 (Minimalist Japanese. Always a good thing.)

Value for money - 3.5/5 (The prices on the menu does not have the 12% tax and service charge added yet. Budget per person? Around P400)

Service - 4/5 (Each waiter/waitress had their own unique design for their shirts. Cute.)

Yabu, House of Katsu

2nd Floor, Mega Atrium, SM Megamall Building A

A short review for Underworld Awakening: It was not that good. Pinakamaganda pa rin yung Part One. Before going to the moviehouse, I had read 'reviews' from my Facebook and Twitter feeds na it was amazing. Ewan ko, it was not that amazing for me.

I thought of it as a B-movie so we went in, me not expecting too much. If you want a movie that has a shallow plot (Michael 'dies' through an underwater explosion, 12 years later, Selene wakes up from a cryogenic sleep, may hybrid werewolf-vampire na anak si Selene and Michael, Selene saves her kasi daughter n'ya and she heals fast/is powerful, buhay si Michael, may sequel pa), gore, action scenes and some unknown supporting cast, this is for you.

But Kate Beckinsale is perfect for the role.

We then went to the renovated Wensha Pasay for a much needed relaxation. We all agree that it is a good reason to spend P680 here.

Food was still mediocre, well a bit okay that before. DO NOT eat their breaded pork. I had to complain to the manager as it was tough and may ibang lasa. I though botcha.

Hello Nathan and Anton.

JP followed us at the spa. Kiko went to his badminton game, hence his absence.

It was a busy and fun Saturday evening spent with friends and loved ones. Went home at around 3am Sunday.

And you guessed it right, I was late for my Sunday shift at work. :)

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MOSHI KOSHI NOODLE BOSS

Thanks to my scary appetite nowadays, nothing excites me more than discovering new places to eat (naks, ume-English. Nosebleed). Last January 1, me and my friend Anton were going to Megamall when we spotted a new restaurant along Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong, in front of the Goldilocks factory/warehouse. It was called Moshi Koshi Noodle Boss, a Japanese ramen house. We made a mental note to go back and we did.

What's interesting is that they make their noodles in-store everyday, so yung noodles are guaranteed fresh. And dahil Japanese is my favorite cuisine, go ako!

We arrived for dinner last night. Medyo may waiting pa before we were able to get a table, a good sign for a resto.

WARNING: The photos do not do the food justice. Whilst the photos may look bad, the food was gooooooood. I used a tablet to take the photos, sorry naman. Di ako food blogger! Hahaha!

JP ordered gyoza and drinks for us. Thank you! A four-piece gyoza costs P80. It was goooooooood.. The wrapper was thin and perfectly lightly toasted and the pork veggie filling tasted great, with some juice coming out after biting the dumpling. One of the best gyozas I had tasted.

Self service nga pala ang pag-order dito. You go to the counter to order.

The menu. Pak na pak sa mga budget conscious, like us. Mind you, this is not a complete Japanese resto in a sense na may sushi, sahimi, etc. Specialty nila is ramen/noodles kasi. Pero they have rice dishes din.

By the way, I read it on their leaflet na what "koshi" meant was it is that state or window of time wherein the noodles are at their best, approximately 6 minutes after serving it to you na you have to eat it. Slurping is highly recommended.

Nathan said it best when he blurted: "Imposible naman kainin ng six minutes 'to. Napakainit!"

JP ordered Oyakodon (Chicken) Donburi. P150 lang. Naubos n'ya and was gutom pa, so that's good. 

My order was the Tonkatsu Teishoku. Dunno what Teishoku means pero my set had juicy and crispy Pork Tonkatsu, Japanese rice, the tastiest miso soup, potato salad, shredded cabbage with wasabi and tonkatsu sauce and sesame seeds. A steal at P185. Sorooooooop!

Nathan and JP ate my potato salad and cabbage. I don't eat veggies.

Nathan ordered the Tempura soba. P160. Masarap daw yung noodles and broth in fair. He didn't finish it kasi ang bigat daw sa tiyan.

The late Anton (na-late kasi dumating) got the Katsudon Donburi. P170. Winner daw.

I had to hold my breath to hide my tummy! Burp!

I saw the Noodle Boss in the kitchen. Didn't take a photo kasi I'm shy. Haha.

If you're in the Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong area, be sure to visit Moshi Koshi. Good food. We're sure we're coming back. Lapit lang pati from the place where we play DOTA.

Please have a branch in the Makati CBD.

Food - 4.5/5

Ambiance - 3.5/5 (the ventilation/AC system above us was dripping water at my friend's head. No biggie though.)

Value for money - 5/5

Service - 4/5

Moshi Koshi Noodle Boss

431 Shaw Blvd. Cor. Ideal St., Mandaluyong, Philippines

http://www.moshi-koshi.com/

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SO HOW WAS YOUR HOLIDAY? Part 1

Well, mine was jampacked, tiring but fun! All I could remember was we went to Baguio with friends, spent Christmas through our mini-family reunion and welcomed the New Year out and about town. It was a whirlwind of events/activities pero super fun.

We went to Baguio first. Eto yung Singapore tip namin na nag-vanish at naging local! It was fun though, for my three friends Anton, JP and Nathan. Not that much for me kasi I got travelers' diarrhea (google it) and fever! Badtrip talaga. Nonetheless, I enjoyed.

Our first dinner in Baguio at Cafe by the Ruins. Nag-aksaya lang ako ng pera kasi I didn't finish my food and went back and forth to the CR. Not to mention I took a cocktail of Alaxan, Bioflu and Imodium.

Nathan's "itinerary" was up next, and it involved other people touching our bodies, aka, massages. We went to Asian Massage near SM Baguio and since babae ang magma-massage, we looked for a different spa. Mind you, it was around 10pm so options were limited.

Thank God we found North Haven spa. Seriously, they should have a branch here. I got the Ventosa massage + foot scrub + foot spa combo (P990) and the other three got the face scrub, massage, face mask and body scrub combo (P1500). Na-entice kami kasi ang ganda ng explanation of the process and  that they use organic stuff on your body.

Salamat sa North Haven spa, nawala ang lagnat ko! And worth the money we spent. If you're in Baguio, check out North Haven Spa.

Next morning, we went up to the Good Sheperd convent and Mines View, Baguio's staples, to get some pasalubongs and pictures taken.

Doggystyle with Doglas the St. Bernard.

Anton and his little pony.

Nathan in cowgirl position.

We then went down and took pictures in front of The Mansion featuring a Belen scene.

Next up, we went to the Butterfly Sanctuary in Camp John Hay. We skipped Treetop Adventure dahil scared sa ziplines si Anton.

Gusto ni Mariah dito!

Anong meron!?!

The next morning, we went to the Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad. Ewan ko ha, pero this place is sooo overhyped. Excuse my pose as I'm protecting my feet from the mud.

Back to the city and passed by the Cathedral.

Ubos na ang cash, so sa Pizza Hut na lang kumain ng lunch. 

Possibly the best time I had during the whole trip was our last night in the City of Pines. No more fever, no more diarrhea and bumalik na ang monstrous appetite ko! I suggested that we eat at Forest House Bistro and Cafe for dinner kasi last March when Kiko and I was there, I enjoyed the experience and food, ambiance and the live band music.

We ordered three types of Bagnet dishes (Sinigang na Bagnet for me, Chicken and Bagnet Adobo for JP and Binagoongang Bagnet for Anton). Si Nathan ordered Cheeseburger kaloka.

Ako nagpa-bukas ng fireplace haha. Kailangang magpapicture eh.

Umuusok na hininga namin sa lamig dito.

Three days seemed so fast and so we went back to Manila by deluxe bus. Okay na sana except for a creepy guy across us na GRABE MAG-SNORE! Parang pinupunit na yero ang sound! Too bad wala akong earphones or anything to protect my ears. It was almost 6 hours of torture. Luckily I arrived in Manila sane. 

Part 2 up next.

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OPTUS FILM NOIR CHRISTMAS PARTY

Christmas party = dress up time!

The Optus Christmas party was held last Friday, December 9, 2011 at the World Trade Center Manila. The themes which we based our attire/clothes on were Old Hollywood / Glamour / Film Noir. It was fun to see the normal people dress up for events like these.

And syempre di kami papatalo.

I came as an attorney (chos!) and Mack dressed up as a newspaper boy/girl.

There was a performance by the GSM Girls (yun yata name nila) who danced for the boys. Napaka-demure ng performance nila look.

Dinner was served before the programme. Food was okay but this is the first time I'll be complaining about fast service from a waiter. I was eating dinner when someone called me for a photo. Pag balik ko ng table, wala na plate ko! Gutom na gutom pa naman ako...

Afterwards, the main event called "Optus Got Talent 2" started. This is a competition of three teams from the different line of businesses Optus has in our center. FMTS (Technical Support) and Prepaid were team 1, Mobile Customer Care and Welcome were team 2 and the defending champions Small and Medium Business Customer Care and Financial Service were team 3. And the performance started.

HINDI KO ALAM KUNG KELAN NAGING TALENT ANG ISANG FASHION SHOW PRESENTATION. Yun ang "performance" ng account ko, pero may back up naman na kumakanta ng "HOT STUPP" na band.

Pero wag ka, kasali ako sa rumampa! Haha!

Mabuti nang may ma-present than nothing, I guess. Then it's off to Team 2's performance. They did that bit from Burlesque. It was lively kaso magulo yung execution.

Then team 3 performed. There are a number of performances crammed into one, so parang movie montages, etc.

THE Tyrel Olores as Christina Aguilera from Burlesque

Senior Operations Manager Mel as Britney Spears (yes that is a true snake) 

And there's a really huge dancing ipis penguin from Happy Feet.

And the rest performing Rhythm of The Night from Moulin Rouge

The audience loved it.

And they won. :)

Meron nga palang awards for the Best Dressed (ho-hum). Find the winner for the best dressed female sa photo na 'to (clue: she looked cranky):

And the par-tay started...

@TheLawAureus, @mackyu21 and @bolit

May burol ba girls?

Me, Alex and Arlet inspired by 1960s China

Taray!

Gossip Girl-inspired

with Director of Operations AJ Maralit (a big boss)

Mack and AJ

Mack, Chicco as Charlie Chaplin and Madamme Arlet

JM and the DJ

Patay...

Love this.

They're a couple nga pala..

Rajo Laurel Kuya Mike, the Company's official photographer

Tumugtog ang SuperBass, this happened.

With the Country Manager (super big boss) Rienzi Ramirez

Terrence Baylon (ex-child star) and boy friend Milan

Spell "slut": M-A-C-K

TL Maria and Madamme Arlet

Some of the remaining original Team Gossip Girls. Mga Masasamang Damo

Mag ingat. Nakakabulag.

Mack, April, SOM Ayee, Jhen and Miz Tyrel Olores

Sino kaya 'to? Hmmm..

IT WAS FUN!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS, OPTUS!