We've seen so many people rave about Yabu that Titit amd I decided we should have dinner there as soon as we can. Braving the rush hour with the worst conditions in the MRT, I got there intact for dinner with my sisters.
We often snub Katsu in Japanese restaurants as this doesn't seem very special. Having a restaurant dedicated to serving Katsu intrigues me and should be worth a visit.
I loved the interiors of the place with intimate lighting but bright enough to see and appreciate the food. The manga on the wall was all about Katsu which added a fun factor in your Yabu experience and increases your anticipation for the food you're about to have.
We started off with some appetizers. You can choose two appetizers that they serve in bowls inside wooden boxes. We opted for the seaweed and the potato salad (175 PHP). The potato salad was soft and creamy but the stand out was the seaweeds. I was surprised with the sweet and savory taste plus the ebiko on top added in for a little bit of saltines.
Both Titit and Choking ordered Katsu curries in different variants as these two always have different tastes on their food preference.
Titit had the Tori Katsu Curry set (265 PHP). She opted for the curry with the least amount of heat as much as possible. The chicken was very tender and the curry has that mild sweetness to it. This was served with miso soup, fruit and all you can eat cabbage.
Choking had the Rosu Katsu Curry set (295 PHP) and requestedfor this to the spiciest level they had. Despite the heat in the curry, it still maintained that subtle sweetness. This was also served with miso soup, fruit and all you can eat cabbage.
I opted for the 9oz Rosu Katsu set (295 PHP). I preferred to have a little bit of fat in the pork. If you're a bit more conscious about your health, they also have Hire which is leab pork tenderloin. The premium katsu uses Berkshire pork which is like the angus of pork. Maybe I should try that when I have enough budget. The set comes with rice, miso soup, fruit and all you can eat cabbage.
They gave me a small bowl with toasted sesame seeds on it. You have to grind the seeds to release some that sesame oil for added flavor in your sauce. Drizzled the tonkatsu sauce over you sesame seeds then mix. About 2-3 spoonfuls of sauce will be just right.
I loved how tender, flavorful and juicy the katsu was. I've never had katsu this good. Every bite into it makes me dig more on that bowl of rice, forgetting that I'm in a no rice on weekdays diet. It was that good that I have no further words to express my new relationship with this katsu.
Don't forget the cabbage. It is not there to be overlooked. Thinly and even sliced in its crunch goodness and placed on 1 side of the plate. Drizzle some sesame dressing or vinaigrette over it. I preferred using the sesame dressing more.
The service was good enough for dinner rush and their staff was friendly and polite. They will ask if you need any assistance or instructions on how to prepare your sauce and offer you cabbage when they see that you've emptied your plate.
We all loved Yabu that even if we were half full before going there, we still tried to eat up everything we ordered and it was worth it. This place will convert you into a katsu fan.
I'll definitely go back. Pictures from the iTouch did not do this Katsu justice.
Yabu is located at the 2F Atrium SM Megamall.
We spent our last few hours in Singapore with my good friend Kenneth. I haven't seen this guy for months and we used to hang out every weekend in Manila before he left for Singapore and Vietnam eventually.
He treated us in Pepper Lunch and the taste is pretty consistent with the branches in the Philippines. Afterwards it was our turn to treat him and since both of us were recovering from tooth related problems, we ended up at Andersen's Ice Cream in AMK Hub.
Andersen's was named after Hans Christian Andersen, the famous danish writer responsible for The Little Mermaid. I liked the ambiance of their AMK Hub branch where the lighting was bright and balances out the bery cold air conditioner of the mall. Since the temperature was a little higher in their space, hence you will crave more for ice cream.
Kenneth ordered two scoops of Ice Cream--Vanilla and Belgian chocolate chip (6.50 SGD). The way they served the ice cream was so appetizing.
Marlon and I decided to share one of Andersen's Creation, the Pouring Puffs (12 SGD). These consist of very soft cream puffs with rich custard inside, 2 scoops of ice cream of your choice (mint chocolate chip and macadamia), and some chocolate sauce. I loved how soft these puffs are and I was able to manage eating these without any pain. I love mint ice cream and I loved how it was just subtle flavor in Andersen's yet it still binds the whole ice cream. The other flavors that we had, all have the right amount of sweetness to it.
The place was conducive for catching up and sharing more stories. I would add Andersen's to my list of must eats when I'm in Singapore. They currently have 11 branches.
Andersen's Ice Cream is located in AMK Hub, Ang Mo Kio Singapore.
No trip to Singapore would be complete without trying a classic breakfast at a Hawker or Kopitiam. Before spending the day in Universal Studios, we stopped over at Kopitiam in Vivo City for some breakfast.
We had the kaya toast set (2SGD) which comes with your kaya toast with butter, 2 soft boiled eggs and a cup of kopi or tea. I opted for kopi C (which comes with condensed milk).
Make sure to add a little bit of soy sauce and some pepper on your soft boiled eggs to enhance the taste.
I've always liked kaya toast where the mild sweetness of the kaya complements the salt from the butter and enhances the flavor of the bread.
Kopitiam is located at the basement Food Court in Vivo City Singapore.
It's been a while since I wrote about anything and had to do a little bit more backtracking. After being too tired from work, I finally found the time to write about Universal Studios Singapore.
At first Marlon didn't want to go and had to beg that this is one reason I'm going back to Singapore (main reason was watching Wicked). Day Fem was able to get two complementary peak passes we only had to buy one more for 74 SGD.
After we went in, I was transported to my dreamland. It reminded me of days where I really wanted to be a film editor and missing making short films back in college. I had to take pictures of almost all the movie characters we met inside the park from Beetlejuice, Frankenstein and Rick O'Connell. Too bad we missed Po from Kung Fu Panda.
I loved the rides inside the park and had this urge to ride all of them. I had to make sure these were not thrill rides otherwise Marlon and Day Fem wouldn't go in. So I tried out Madagascar with them and the Shrek 4D. We were in a surprise with that one. Marlon tried one of the Roller coasters (Enchanted Airways) in Far Far Away and swore he will never do it again.
I tried all of the thrill rides I could find Canopy Flyer in the Lost World, Revenge of the Mummy in Ancient Egypt, and Battlestar Galactica Human vs Cylon in Sci Fi City. I liked the Cylon one better, the one with your feet just hanging and you had to go upside-down.
Our favorite was the newly launched Transformers The Ride. I won't ruin what's in store for you in this ride but we rode it 4 times and Marlon loved it.
Food inside the park was not bad either. You have to find the ones that are cheap though as some of the items inside can be very expensive. We had lunch at Gloria's snack shack in Madagascar. We ordered the Chicken cutlet set and the Grilled Salmon set (12 SGD) which came with rice, steamed vegetables, coleslaw, Drinks and Some sort of Jello dessert. We also added chicken nuggets (9 SGD) which came in a lunch box that you can take home. The food was good but I didn't like the Jello.
At 6pm, they had the parade within the park. I found this very short. I think they should have more impressive floats and more characters to parade and interact with everyone.
I had a great day in Universal Studios Singapore. Try Lights, Camera, Action in New York to see how they do some of the effects and this is hosted by Steven Spielberg. Make sure to get some breakfast in Vivo City before coming into the park to save a bit on expenses. It can get really packed and might rain in the afternoon so better try all the outdoor rides in the morning.
Universal Studios Singapore is in Resorts World Sentosa.
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