YABU the royalty of “katsu”.

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Staff handed and explained the white & black sesame seeds that we had to pulverize
using the provided small ceramic mortar & wood pestle then pour in “that sauce” in my plate
which I had to taste first separately-to know what it’s a mix of.
Sniffed, tasted oohh it’s made of blah, blah, blah.
The beer is in stand-by for any eventuality like the piquant yellow mustard
that I believe was generously mixed with “wasabi”
(check the yellow thing below 2 o’clock of rice in bowl).
Whew, the heat went up to my head…but I loved it.
Pangs & I, whenever in the look-out for “real” food, never…as in never…will consider
any Japanese site. Why? We’re not fond of their dishes.
Another why? Here:
1. we manufacture high-end “Gyoza”, dimsum and dumpling thus supply some of them.
We see, smell, taste them day in-day out.
2. we do not go for raw meat like the different “sashimi” (do you call them so?)
3. had tried no less than 4 that served “RANCID katsus”
4. can’t control the temptation of eating a lot due to our ecstasy of using chopsticks.
But for heaven’s sake Cha, my daughter, imposed on us last Wednesday
that we dine at YABU-Glorietta 5 (Makati City) saying their “katsu” is the best.
Familiar name mention &  praises from friends, me anxious.
Eager to try if it will pass Pangs’ & my smell-taste-digest-smell-taste routine.
To scrutinize varieties, Pangs got Kurobuta Premium Set,
I had Chicken and Seafood Katsu Set,
Cha and fiance Anton ordered Katsu Curry Set.
My serving.
A-plenty, in seeming dis-array, but OMG never mind. It’s worth every space.
Finished my fave “miso soup” first then attacked the “never-ending” thinly sliced organic white cabbage.

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Took this shot to remind me of the “encounter”
Findings:
1. never tasted any rancidity in the food served
which means that the oil used could be for that day’s production only.
2. “panko” (Japanese breadcrumbs) is perfect. It matches the kind of oil utilized.
3. Japanese rice was perfect.
4. well, I concocted my own dipping sauce combi.
5. I particularly love the cabbage.
5. I don’t know but the overall taste of food seemed “very very clean”
6. STAFF? Utmost courtesy. Accommodating. Alert. Swift.
7. PRICE? Of course, a bit high than the 2-3 star Jap houses but
WELL WORTH THE BUCKS.
Don’t entertain second thoughts…go visit your nearest branch.
Check YABU’s website here...choose what you’ll order before hand.
Line is long. Save time.
YABU the royalty of katsu.

After 14+ years I returned…sniffed, critically tasted every bit, subconsciously compared to others…and WHOA started to like Fridays.

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More than 14 years back when I used to frequent Fridays at Glorietta 4
(in Makati City, Philippines) most nights a week as such was our meeting point
with my daughter, Cha, then working with a multinational firm across the street.
2-3 bottles of my fave SMB Pale plus finger food (buffalo wings mostly)
until she steps in then head home together.
Way too short, to the point of nil, of being spectacular
with ambiance, food, presentation and my “always-look-out”… staff attitude.
I was there for convenience. Nothing more.
Until last Sunday night when my feet felt so itchy to go out, have1 or 2 cold ones and eat.
Pangs & I landed at Trinoma (a mall corner of EDSA & North Avenue, Quezon City)
Choose. Walk. Choose.
When this young lady from mentioned Fridays greeted us so sweetly
which melted my heart, and that melt headed to my brain seemingly saying:
“go inside, sit down and let that cute lady scratch your itchy feet”.
Nyahahaha. We went in and ordered.
Caesar salad above is perfect.
Lightly dressed crunchy lettuce topped with some just rightly fried croutons.
For Pangs, was a bit garlicky. But OK. She’s not a fan of garlic anyway.
BTW, top-right is draft beer in 16oz. mug.

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Of course my Buffalo Wings.
Mine. Pangs did not like. Just tasted a piece.
A bit bland inside…lacks seasoned marination but overall taste is ok.
Not a BIG OK… “konti lang” (just a bit).

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Satisfying my addiction to meat, submitting to my carnivorous-ness that night,
still mine…their NEW
Hickory Smoked Pork Belly.
Not minding the  “normal” thick belly fat, SUPERB. GREAT. PERFECT.
Tenderness is #10. Think this was via “sous vide” style cooking.
You can bite in to the bone. That’s how tenderly “fall-off the bone” state it is.
Smokey-ness is just right. Not over powering.
For me, God-Damn GOOD.Again #10.
Sides: mashed potato is  a bit ok…”konti lang”, coleslaw…”konti lang”.
The dip shrunk my eyes close, pushed out my tongue and exclaimed: “BEH”.
Could had been created differently to match smokey-ness of pork.
IMO, thickened water with “muscovado” (unrefined brown sugar) + finely chopped white onion.
Raised my glucose level really high.
For FOOD (based on our order) instead of #10…due to diabetically-inducing strong sweetness of dip…
I will rate: #9
SERVICE: WOW. This is a PERFECT #10.
Everybody is
(not was…I know they are accustomed to such, trained to be so and must always be so)
courteous, sweet and accommodating.
Instantly, FRIDAYS is now 1 of our favorites.
We will be back, again and again.
(FRIDAYS is part of Bistro Group along with Italianni’s, Krazy Garlik, Fish & Co. Flapjacks  etc.)

Fresh technologically innovated regional sausages ready for action.

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When you’re a plain copycat you hit for the moon with no-brainer approaches
in trying to duplicate (or at least approximate) a recipe or a concoction that had established loyal following.
You wish to ride-on to the “popularity” of what you’re copying.
Less expenses (this is with burning hope and fervent prayer that you hit it right IMMEDIATELY),
less effort, instant ride-on to popularity & less usage of brain.
Almost always, copiers (or we call them xerox-ers) are just passing scenes.
They do not stay long as their explicit & implicit knowledge are limited.
In contrast, “innovators” or “modifiers” are those with affluent stock of facts,
trial results & years of experience back-ups in their heads.
Their knowledge in food, its ingredients and production flow implemented thereby
capacitates them to pinpoint the “absence”, “lack” or “over/under ingredient-ized”
of “whatever” in the product they are working on.
Instantly knowing a certain, “lack”, for instance, in a food product,
enables the “innovator” to know what to:
substitute therein,
increase or decrease usage level thereof,
modify the production procedure(s) to give way to desired taste or presentation result(s)
and the MOST important…render the needed “TOTALITY” & ROUNDNESS” of flavor aspired for.
This is the case of real and authentic less expenses, less effort and direct to the point,
MAKING IT AN ART...”innovation” that is.
Though “innovation” has a tinge of copying, the objective that inspired the 2 types differs:
in plain copying
…the main objective is instant sales-instant profit.
in innovation
…the main objective is to improve-self satisfaction-achievement rolled into one.
Further explanation of both and a lot more “ins” & “outs” in food innovation & creation
are happening this year…with the launch of:
MANILA Q’s
Ingredients Specialization Institute
where right & proper usages of ingredients are primary,
technological cooking procedures, secondary
“plating”, thirdly
and
“product consistency”, last but the most important.(Currently sounding off prospective first batch so we would know
lecture, on hand product manufacturing and cooking facilities needed).
Write up your intent and/or inquiry:
jdamor@joaxingredients.net    or   productdevelopment@manilaq.net
)
…and again…
MASTERY of INGREDIENTS…the key.
There are 4 types of regional sausage recipes in this shot.
Pardon the almost similarity in color as
WE DO NOT UTILIZE ARTIFICIAL COLOR AGENTS in our products.
1. Post-like standing 3: our LooQ Ban Longaniza
(the pure pork spice-rich collagen-cased version inspired by Lucban sausage in southern Luzon)
2. 6 pieces in front: our BEEF Tu Tey Longaniza
(the 100% pure US cattle beef sweet-beginning-to-piquant-ending modification of Batutay of Nueva Ecija)
3. the recognizable 2 pieces in the middle (which are actually 3): the crowds’ favorite Vigan Longaniza
(also, 100% pure pork infused abundantly with Ilocos garlic, red & black peppers widely popular
in Vigan a city in north Luzon)
4. the not so visible 6 pieces at the back: our Yabis Longaniza
(inspired by the sweet-garlicky-piquant pork sausage of Cebu a city in mid-Philippines, our take…
with full of twists)
Hmmm take a bite.

Rancid chicken, pork belly, pork chop or “bangus”…would you notice? You’re a foodie. You must.

Days of pounding questions again for applicants
wanting to be cooks, assistant cooks & kitchen helpers.
96% had previous kitchen hot experiences.
Can’t help but notice the absence of basic taste familiarities.
And so, I am literally dragged by circumstances to look back August 2013 and copy-paste my post of that day.

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 Of the so many I’ve interviewed for the different    stalls-special events positions needed, ONLY 2 or 3 know what “rancidity” is.
Sad, as many are graduates of cooking schools, culinary institutes, food technology, chemistry and HRM.

Aside from single or double fried pork belly, pork chops, “tilapia” or “bangus” (milk fish), chicken, shot above, is hereby presented as it is almost always the type of food “rancidity” could always be very evident
(the type that most value-meal food chains offer).

RANCID. Do use your frying oil, even to similar type of product, for about 3-5 times on certain day. Ref your used oil. Or keep well-covered in any place you wish for 2 days. Fry on it same type of product the 6th time. The “unusual smell” plus the “out of this world taste of your fried food” will explain RANCIDITY. To differentiate, fry similar item on a new oil. Smell and taste. Compare.

To explain further is to be too technical like: oil has boiling and smoking points. It boils upon reaching certain temp but still keeps its chemical properties until it has reached smoking point. Breaking up of these chem properties reacts with and affects taste of food. Smoking point is reached when oil is “overused” and/or being used on consistent high temp frying.
Most home-type frying oils, including EVOO for that matter, have low smoking point.
Heat your oil to 350 deg. F and eat rancid food in no time.

In short, the higher the smoking point of oil the better for even continuous high temp deep frying.
Try sourcing for palm oil or palm olein that has high smoking point.

Many fast food outlets and poorly managed restos do use their oil for 10-15 times, sometimes more.
Here, “rancid taste” is common.
I suggest that you be too critical the next time you order your fried chicken.
Smell first. Taste intently. No matter what type of presentation or concoction or “flare” it is offered
…if cooked in “rancid oil”, you will notice.


Dandan Tei (my innovation of Tantanmen Noodle Soup), the harmony of Chinese, Japanese, American & Filipino ingredients technologically infused into a single unique taste…plainly called…”satisfying”.

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This is the American ingredient.
Aside from honey-cured pork loin ham & bacon we produced for some food outlets,
we also, in smaller volume, process some plain tasting pork loin;
which are sodium nitrite & salt cured for 3 days,
boiled to tenderness, frozen, sliced and packed into 1/2 & 1 kilo portions
designed for other food processors & restos needing processed meat for their recipes.
Since these are pre-cooked, got 4 pieces then browned with little olive oil.
The Chinese ingredients.
Our company’s main line is Chinese dimsum & dumpling processing.
These are usually served by our clients either steamed or fried as is,
to go with your rice or in noodle soup with chili-garlic, lemon juice
& soy sauce as dip by the side.
Due such, we always stock on fresh egg noodles for outright summoning
(for noodle soup trials) when we test dimsum or dumpling formulations
determining whether taste fits or harmonizes that of rice or noodle.
Re-steamed 4 pieces of “pork siomai” and readied 250 grams of fresh egg noodles.
The Japanese ingredients.

GYOZA is one of the favorites of our Japanese resto accounts.
We supply them with stone hard frozen Gyoza
which they just quickly boil certain number of pieces unto non stick pan
and “brown” a bit one side (for aesthetics only)
serve together with our concoction of “Gyoza dip”.
I scored 1/8 kilo of “miso” paste at nearby Jap-store.
Miso paste on stand by, re-heated 2 pieces Gyoza together with siomai (no more browning)
The Filipino ingredients.
Again, for trial & production purposes, we’ve got stocks of beef (USA, Australia & local)
I sequestered about 8 pieces (2″x2″) local brisket together with 1 bulb “Ilocos” garlic,
(the northern part of the country from where this garlic is grown-
known for its high note pleasant garlicky aroma and more biting than Taiwan’s)
which, also, is our main spice-ingredient for “Vigan Longaniza”
(a type of native sausage where garlic & pepper are the dominant tastes).
Local beef, 3 cloves crushed Ilocos garlic, “Patis” (fish sauce) and Batangas black pepper stood by.
Heated pan with olive oil, browned garlic a bit.
Poured in 8 pieces beef and tumbled for 5 minutes or until totally brown.
Added 1/2 of miso paste. Tossed 2 minutes.
Poured 3 cups tap water and boiled until beef is tender. Set aside.
In a bowl set sliced-browned pork loin to sides.
Add siomai & Gyoza 7 any veggie of your choice.
Put in fresh noodles. Pour in boiled water with miso and beef.
“Patis” and pinch of black pepper to taste.
WOOLA.

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