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.

A POWER LUNCH AT CHOPS CHICAGO STEAKHOUSE

          From the very first moment I laid my eyes on a small billboard inside the mall of Greenbelt Five that said "NOW OPEN: Chops Chicago Steakhouse" months ago, I made it my life's mission to eat there. It's no secret that I'm a lover of all things meat, which includes a fondness for steak, so that was a no-brainer. But what turned my "want" to eat at Chops into a "need", was when I saw their facebook post featuring their Charbroiled Bacon.

         Yes you read that correctly. 

         Char. Broiled. Bacon. 

      So, when I got an invite to sample Chops Chicago Steakhouse's Executive Lunch Menu, I said "YES" so fast, I could have sworn it came out sounding like, "Sss!".

GERRY'S GRILL: FAMILY TIME PART II

Wanna win P1,000 worth of Gift Certificates from Gerry's Grill?
Join my Birthday Giveaway Today! 

http://www.thepickiesteater.net/2013/01/the-pickiest-eaters-great-birthday.html

        My relationship with Gerry's Grill runs very deep. Gerry Apolinario, the man behind the food, has been a family friend since becoming college buddies with my cousin.  and a and it has been nice to watch his dream of creating the quintessential Filipino restaurant turn into a global empire.

       I got to tag along with my cousin and sister to one of the food tastings Gerry would hold when preparing the menu. I was also there on the very first day that Gerry's Grill opened their first branch along Tomas Morato, and watched the blessing and the ribbon cutting, etc. 

      Even back then, I knew that Gerry's Grill would be success.. However, I had no idea that it would become the food industry power it is today.

      Last December, Rina and I decided to take out her dad and sister out for a nice family dinner. I realized that despite the special place Gerry's Grill has, I haven't done a blog post about it yet apart press releases.

    Taking into consideration my father-in-law's strong love for Filipino food (It was his idea to drive up to Pamana in Tagaytay just for some Bulalo), It was the perfect time to pay Gerry's Grill a visit! 

PRODUCT REVIEW: CRUMPLER 5 MILLION DOLLAR HOME

              I don't know if you know this, but the photography of this blog is handled by my wife, Rina. I'm a total moron when it comes to photography.. And I'm not exaggerating. Some people have a keen eye for detail, is aware of what apertures to use (knows how to spell "aperture".. I had to use spell check), and knows where to bounce the flash off the wall in order to "fill in" the light of a photograph. I am not one of those people. Anything to do with photography, I leave up to Rina. All I need to do is eat and and write. Sweet deal, huh? 

        When we were going to leave for New York last September, Rina told me that our existing bag, the clunky freebie that came with the camera when we bought it, was too cumbersome and heavy to bring around the Big Apple. She suggested that we look into getting a bag for the trip. 

      The first place that came to my mind was Crumpler at The Fort. As we looked around, Rina found the bag that she felt had the ideal size for our trip.. "The 5 Million Dollar Home." 

PINO RESTOBAR: FILIPINO FOOD AT ITS FINEST

Out of curiosity, am I doing it right? 

             

       When I began my blog two and a half years ago, my wife's friend, Karla suggested we go on a visit to the popular food haven, Maginhawa St. Near UP, because she was absolutely certain that there are so many drool worthy places that would interest me. After doing a bit of research on restaurants there, I had settled on the fact that when I DO get the chance to visit Maginhawa, I would most likely be dining at the restaurant, "Pino". 

       Based on the reviews I read and a study on their menu, I found their take on Filipino cuisine rather unique and intriguing.. and definitely worth blogging about. Unfortunately, with my laziness busy schedule, that highly anticipated trip on the other side of town has never come into fruition. Pino's name would consistently pop up into the discussion whenever Rina and I would think of places to try next (Believe it or not, Rina and I always have a discussion when the question of "where do we eat next?" is brought up, but her participation is normally limited to the sentence, "It's up to you") but my laziness the distance often makes it its undoing. I even went as far as telling Rina, who has been wanting to try it for quite some time now, "If they had a branch in Makati, we would have eaten there a long time ago!". 

       The Last week of November, 2012. 

          

        I get a text from Maestro Spanky Enriquez, telling me that Pino opened their second branch at Jupiter Street in Makati, and I don't need to go to Quezon City to try their famed "Kare Kareng Bagnet". 

        To this very day I have that text saved in my phone's inbox, as proof that if you want something so badly and your heart is pure, dreams do come true.

QUICK DELIVERY: ANGEL'S KITCHEN

     With the Rain being very uncooperative a few weeks back, Rina and I were unable to go grocery shopping. Rina had already warned me the day before that our ref was out of meat, and if we didn’t go to the grocery soon, we would end up having to eat nothing but instant Pancit Canton. But the
weather really got the better of my laziness, so I decided to procrastinate, thinking that we could go on Sunday without any problems.

      My wife gave me the “I told you so” look, but didn’t say a word. I knew I had to make it up to her some way, somehow, so I decided to order some take out for her.. That IS, of course if there was a restaurant willing to deliver in the pouring rain. 

      Thankfully, Quick Delivery promised that if we ordered, we would get our food by around 7:30. That sounded like a good deal to us, so we proceeded to order from Angel’s Kitchen, A restaurant in San Juan that my boss had been raving about for quite some time now.

      At 7:30 on the dot, I heard the doorbell rang. Just as the order taker had promised, the food came right on time.


  

THE ANCHOR MAPLE MYSTERY DINNER.. AT LOLO DAD'S!

As a blogger, I’ve gotten a number of invites to try different restaurants and cuisines. However, as a self-proclaimed “Picky Eater”, I’m a bit selective about the places that I choose to accept. That’s why I was put in a little bit of a quandary when I received an invitation from Anchor Butter to attend a dinner that they were hosting. Being a lover of all things butter, not to mention a big fan of Anchor Butter in particular (I actually have a pack of their Spreadable Butter in my refrigerator as we speak), you would think that I wouldn’t think twice about going to one of their hosted dinners.

But this was a dinner unlike any other.

You see my friends, this was a Mystery Dinner.

SEVEN YEARS OF HAPPINESS..

The date was January 6, 2008. 

The Day I married my soul mate. 

MOCHIKO POTATO CHOCOLATE CHIP: A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE MADE EVEN MORE UNIQUE!

        The first time I tried Mochiko Ice Cream was at Mercato Centrale a few years ago. It instantly became a favorite for Rina and I, and for as long as we pass by a stall, its very likely that one would be purchased. 

        During the holiday season, I received a gift that I just had to share with you all. This was a Mochiko, but unlike any other I had tried before (and I've tried a lot, believe me). This was a box of their newest flavor, the Potato Chip Chocolate Mochi.

TAAL VISTA HOTEL: OUT OF TOWN, YET CLOSE TO HOME

            Some time in 2011, I went on a road trip to Tagaytay. One of my stops was Taal Vista Hotel, just to check out the view of Taal Volcano. I walked into the hotel, and truth be told, there was nothing that gave me the inkling it was an actual hotel. I've had an extensive experience with hotels in my life, so think I have a basic knowledge of how hotel staff should be in terms of hospitality and demeanor.

       Sadly, my first impression was that I felt Taal Vista Hotel was being run by robots. When I walked in, no one really noticed me, to the point that I didn't even get so much as a "Good Morning" from the front desk or Bell hops. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't expecting them to roll out the red carpet or throw rose petals in front of my every step, but it's pretty customary for a hotel to treat every guest like they were the most important person in the world. Unfortunately for me, I walked into to Taal Vista Hotel and walked out their doors contemplating whether to use my new found powers of invisibility to fight crime or for world domination. 

        I honestly wasn't expecting a whole lot during a trip back to Taal Vista Hotel in 2012, but instead I was dazzled by the hospitality and graciousness that I had been expecting from a hotel. The difference between now and the previous year was night and day. 

        I knew I was in for an amazing weekend with my family.

       

UNDER COVA NIGHTS.. TAPAS Y SANGRIAS

Convicted Pigophile

           I don't know if you know this boring tidbit about me, but I'm a notorious introvert. There's absolutely no chance that you would see me at a bar or a super club in the evenings. Maybe it's because I don't drink. Call me corny and all that, but alcohol hurts my throat and no matter how hard I try, the darn stuff just won't go down. 

          When I was invited to go to Cova Tapas Y Sangrias, I had some slight apprehensions, because everyone I had asked about Cova, always replied, "You should try their Sangria!" or "They have a great selection of wines!". It was only when my buddy Spanky assured me that he wouldn't let the night pass without making sure our bellies were filled to the brim with delicious food that I realized that Cova was more than just a late night drinking spot. 

         Their Spanish food is pretty phenomenal too