Katsudon Craze - Ginza Bairin , Glorietta 2

 Aside from the war of ramen-ya , there is also a battle of tonkatsu.

The first tonkatsu restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, Japan was established back in 1927 . It is well know for its delicious fried pork cutlets and the special sauce that goes with it.

Now Ginza Bairin has come to the Philippines. First branch is located at Glorietta 2 with entrance at the Palm drive side by side with Wee Nam Kee and  Coffee Bean.

This is our second time at Ginza Bairin. It was good that this Saturday lunch time date was not overcrowded anymore. As soon as we were seated, we ordered our salad and set meal.

I ordered Kanikama Mango Salad @Php180.

 The salad was refreshing. It has shredded kani, cabbage, fish roe and mango slices and some dressing.
It was very light.

We got the Menchi Katsu Cheese Curry set @Php380.00

 

Curry was light and not overpowering. The katsu has melted cheese in between. 

Also, got the Rosu Katsu set meal @Php345

The Rosu Katsu set meal came with miso soup, rice, pickle, unlimited fresh cabbage salad and slice teeny weeny fruits. The pork cutlet was tender and not oily.

I found out that there are 3 ways to eat your tonkatsu - dip the katsu in Ginza special sauce or season it with ground sesame seed and pink himalaya salt or with some spicy mustard. I chose none. What I did was mix the specia sauce with the ground sesame seed and dip my katsu. I may get a stare from the chef by doing this !

There is an on going promo when we had our lunch. This is free scoop of ice cream. You can get it after you take a photo of a dish , posting it in social network and hashtagging #ginzabairinph and showing it the food attendant after posting.

I did not order a regular dessert as I already got my free scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I really like the unlimited fresh cabbage salad, unlimited sesame dressing . The staff were cheerful and attentive. Bill out was quick.

Budget per person Php500-600
 Location:
Ground Floor Glorietta 2 (entrance along Palm Drive), Ayala Center, Makati City
Contact: +632 553-7350
Operating Hours:
Monday to Friday 10:00am to 11:00pm
Saturday to Sunday 10:00am to 12:00mn
Facebook: Ginza Bairin PH

Ramen Craze - Ippudo

Another famous ramen-ya has opened in SM Megamall last Sept. After a month my husband and I were able to try Ippudo. Am pretty sure that there will be long line as we arrived at lunch time 1215pm to be exact.  I can see that in my estimate we were between 35th and 40th in line. As the staff wrote down my name, we were ready to wait for an hour. Luckily, it seemed that table for two is much faster to get than those people who were more than 3. So in about 15 minutes we got our table !!

The staff led us to our table. We ordered two different ramen - Akamaru Shin Aji and Shiromaru tomago- and Goma Q

GomaQ- fresh Japanese cucumber @Php140. This dish is refreshing with mild sesame oil dressing.

 Shiromaru tomago combination @Php405. This has a lighter soup base ; it's creamy and not salty. The tomago is a side order. Noodle is al dente.

 Akamaru Shin-aji @Php390. - Soup is thicker and a bit spicy. Pork slice is very tender and has that distinct flavor. Served with al dente noodles.

Remember, upon getting your ramen, sip first the soup for you to taste the nice flavor and texture . The soup temperature is just right to the taste bud.

Overall, our food experience is very good. The staff are cheerful, service is quick and even the bill out is fast.

Location: SM Megamall 3rd Flr Fashion Hall
Contact number: +632 470-1837
Open Daily 10.00am to 10.00pm
Website: www.ippudoph.com