Dining Snippets: Yayoi x Akimitsu Tendon x Rub Ribs
YAYOI
The first time I tried Yayoi(ken) was in one of its Singapore branches. What drew me to dining there would be its range of reasonably priced teishoku sets averaging at SGD 20 teasingly displayed in its storefront! I opted for the Nasu Miso + Hokke Teishoku, which featured a delightful miso eggplant dish which came with tasty thinly-sliced marinated pork as well as a slice of mackerel. Thus, when I heard about it opening a branch in Megamall, I was ecstatic! Consistent with its Singaporean branch, each table in Yayoi comes with a DIY electronic ordering system. The best part of this machine is that it also tells you when the food’s about to come out! No need to make follow-up's!
YAYOI’S HITSUMABUSHI (P795)
I opted for the Hitsumabushi, a teishoku featuring a unique take on the Unagi Don. Similar to Maisen’s Katsumabushi, it comes with a pot of dashi stock, and toppings such as wasabi and spring onion. Yayoi recommends portioning the bowl into four so that you’d get to try the different ways of eating the dish. The first way is to eat it on its own. The second way recommends tossing in some of the toppings to garnish the rice. The third way asks you to pour some of the dashi stock on to your rice, while the fourth portion allows you to eat it in your preferred way.
YAYOI GOZEN (P665 + P70 FOR ASAHI MISO SOUP UPGRADE)
Mom opted for the Yayoi Gozen, which features a samples of all their best sellers: the Karaage Salad, the Pork Cutlet, the Teriyaki Salmon, and the Beef Sukiyaki. Unfortunately, the Pork Cutlet was quite tough, dry, and came with a measly amount of sauce. Don’t expect it to come close to the tonkatsu of Yabu! Fortunately, the other dishes fared better. The Karaage Salad elevates the traditional goma salad by tossing in crunchy and juicy chicken cutlets. Everything that they did wrong in the Pork Cutlet was done perfectly to the Chicken Karaage. The Teriyaki Salmon was actually delicious, but it was just a minuscule slice of salmon that’s good enough for one big bite. The Karaage Salad may have been my favorite, but it was the Sukiyaki which amused me the most. Despite it being served in a small bowl, the restaurant made sure it still had all the goodies that make up Sukiyaki. It came complete with the right proportions of succulent sukiyaki beef strips, glass noodles, onions, carrots, and mushrooms!
Yayoi
3F SM Megamall, Bldg B., Ortigas, Mandaluyong City
Date of Visit: January 14, 2017 with Lily Chua
AKIMITSU TENDON
HOT SOBA SET (P300)
Ramen Nagi’s equally interesting fiery sibling, Akimitsu Tendon, aims to showcase the art of tempura through its numerous tendon variants and sets. Of course, other tendon-centric restaurants helped paved the way for an easier acceptance of this concept such as Tenya and Nadai Fujisoba. What sets it apart from the others would be its batter. Though it doesn’t really give the seafood pieces their beautiful light golden appearances; the batter is guaranteed to remain crunchy despite being doused in the sticky and sweet tendon sauce, or even soaked in the udon broth!
SUMIRE DON (P560)
One unfortunate thing about Akimitsu Tendon is that its prices tend to be steeper than its competition. Of course, quality commands such pricing; but I’d rather have a bit more on my plate for the price I’m paying. For example, the Sumire Don comes with one piece of Anago eel, one piece of prawn tempura, and two vegetable tempuras for a price of P560 vs. Tenya’s All Star Tendon which comes with one prawn tempura, one squid tempura, one salmon tempura, one kani stick, one vegetable tempura, and one mushroom tempura for P295. All in all though, Akimitsu Tendon definitely knows how to cook its tempura. A definite bonus is the ability to cross over from Ramen Nagi!
Akimitsu Tendon
GF Trinoma Mall, EDSA cor North Avenue, Quezon City/ GF Ayala MallsThe 30th, Meralco Avenue
Dates of Visit: January 18, 2017 and January 26, 2017 with Elaine Co and Hazel Yap
RUB RIBS
Rub Ribs has established itself as a go-to destination for carnivores looking for cheap meats. My friend Ynna and I ended up trying it out for one heavy merienda/early dinner.
RUB RIBS (P230)
She opted for the house specialty, the Rub Ribs. This plate was supposedly the restaurant’s solo serving but it can easily be shared by two (if you add an appetizer in the mix) as it comes with a half slab of its baby back ribs. There wasn’t really anything noteworthy about its marinade or sauce, but the ribs were surprisingly tender, meaty and juicy.
RUB BEEF (P310)
As I wasn’t a big fan of ribs, I opted for the Rub Beef, which featured tough and overly seasoned salty slices of US hanging beef. I wasn’t certain if they went overboard with the rub or the garlic sauce; but if they toned both down by a bit, it would have been passable.
However, what was most noteworthy about our visit was not the food but its excellent customer service. Apart from being attentive, and maintaining a positive disposition throughout our meal, the crew made sure that all our requests were met. Ynna wanted to pair her mashed potatoes with some sort of gravy. Although the kitchen didn’t really have gravy on hand, they were willing to create it from scratch at no additional cost! It made me think about all of those restaurants which charge everything from service tea to extra condiments! (Ahem, No Signboard Seafood, I’m looking at you!)
Rub Ribs
2F UP Town Center, Katipunan Ave., Diliman, Quezon City
Date of Visit: February 2, 2017 with Ynna Lara
