The Big 3-0 Celebration Part 1 of 3: Mangan @ Glorietta

This was purely coincidental but I got to celebrate my big 3-0 in 3 different occasions. But before that, let me show you what I shamelessly posted in my instagram and facebook page on the day of my birthday.

Turning 30 is an awakening stage for me. I keep telling myself that I need to double my effort, double my focus and start thinking about my retirement! It's actually very tiring to worry about almost everything. But I need to remind myself that hey! I'm just turning 30, so let's all be calm and age gracefully. And of course, let's not forget to consume what life has to offer. Specially food. 

Celebration part 1.

I got to celebrate my birthday in advance together with my dad. How I wish it was with my entire family but General Santos was a bit far to travel at that moment! But Dad's presence totally made up for it. He purposely extended his stay here in Manila just to treat me and my family to dinner - an advanced birthday gift. It was very thoughtful of him and for that, I am truly grateful.

We didn't want a buffet because (1) I need to watch what I eat now (2) we have a very active and impatient toddler. We wanted a simple but filling menu that is familiar to us so we opted for Mangan in Glorietta. Mangan is actually Cabalen's other branch that specializes and serves the uniqueness of Kapampangan cuisine. The name itself means "Let's Eat", which is also their tag line in inviting guest and diners.

Mangan was not jam-packed when we arrived. The place was not big but just enough for us to enjoy our meal in an intimate manner. The ambiance was also appropriate with soft music and relaxed waiters. I find their food well flavored and very Filipono-ish.

 Bulalong Baka with Mais. Php 380.

"Deep poached beef shank with red onion, whole peppercorn, Japanese sweet corn and cabbage"

 Sisig ni Mely. Php 260.

"Coarsely minced boiled and grilled pork's mask and tossed with chicken liver paste, red onion, fresh calamansi extract, salt and pepper and chili peppers"

Bangus Belly in Tausi Sauce. Php 220.

Kare-Kare Buntot ng Baka. Php 360. 

"Soft boiled ox tail stewed in home style peanut butter sauce"

Green Mango Shake and Melon Shake.

Bibingka W/ Salted Egg Grated Coconut. Php 130. 

Our order was big enough for just the four of us. The Kare-Kare soon found itself near my plate! haha. The husband and our son loved the Bulalo while daddy was the one who ordered Sisig. Before that, I found my dad staring at a Crispy Pata picture! As much as I would like one, too, unfortunately, we both need to stay away from it muna.

Enough food was still left for take-away. Unfortunately, the waiter misunderstood us and the food was thrown instead. Nevertheless, we still enjoyed our dining experience.

This is dad with Dibo. Dibo also enjoyed the Bibingka and my husband's Mango Shake. 

This is me and the husband. Can't you see how full I was? Lol.

My favorite boys hand in hand. Soon there'll be four of them in front of me. Oh I can't wait!

Coming up is my part 2 celebration with the Meralco peeps. Stay tuned!

2nd Baby Shower at Tipsy Beans

I am blessed with wonderful friends. Most of them are my ex-colleagues and we last seen each other last December. So imagine how touched I was when I learned that they are planning to throw me a baby shower. It was really thoughtful of them and I cannot thank the Lord enough for blessing me with such beautiful people. I was informed that it will just be a small and simple dinner with no decorations and games. I said I don't mind. After all, it was the thought that really counts, right? 

So tell me, people, is this simple? Here are some of the photos taken during my baby shower:

Yumi is ready to POP! popcorn giveaway. 

The diaper cake!

The souvenirs.

More decors.

Aren't they such a cutie? I got teary eyed upon seeing the set-up. And who's behind all these? I knew she is this artistic ever since I witnessed her "DYI-ing" most of their wedding stuff.

This is Sybil. She's the wife of one of the owners of Tipsy Beans, my son's godmother and a very talented lady. I told her she can turn this into a business. And the good news is, she's actually considering it! I know she'll be successful with this craft and I'm so honored to be one of those people whom she had shared her talents with. 

Now let me show you our dinner that night.

Their drinks in cute bottles.

Strawberry milk shake for me: Not to sweet but still delicious!

Toasted Tuna Sandwich.

Saucy spaghetti!

Potato nuggets. One of my favorites in Tipsy Beans.

For the dessert: Sylvanas. Crunchy on the outside, creamy in the inside.

Here are the lovely people behind my baby shower:

As if it was not enough, they even gifted me with Cloth Diapers. I have been meaning to get one of these, actually. Mahal kaya ng diapers!

Here's me, a happy buntis, with my equally happy husband after the dinner:

Me, with my feeding bottle souvenir, in a growing belly:

You have no idea how happy I was that night. Thank you, thank you HMS family for extending our friendship beyond ACS walls. 

Meet the 25 Layers of Mille-Feuille Tonkatsu in 7 Flavors at Kimukatsu

When I hear the word Tonkatsu, I imagine a dry meat heavily coated with breading that comes along with a thick sweet sauce. Never really appreciated it until I took a bite of Kimukatsu's 25 layers of soft, juicy katsu that has a melt-in-your-mouth texture. 

Kimukatsu, known as one of Tokyo's most famous pork cutlet restaurant, didn't fail to temporarily transport me to Japan. With its Ying-Yang themed interiors and ceiling lanterns, you'll think you're in a different country. 

I got a little intrigue with the restaurant that I just realized I wasn't able to include the samurai(?)'s feet due to excitement! The lanterns in the hallway give off this old Japanese ambiance, like those in old movies (karate kid?)

This was our table's view. You would really think that you're in the land of the rising sun because of some of the Asian customers :)

Kimukastu offers different menus for different genders. We were informed that katsu is actually a male dish in Japan. That is why they have different menu specifically customized for the ladies. 

The while one is for the females while the black one is for the males. How considerate, don't you think?

Mr. David Guevarra, Kimukatsu's Operations Manager, was generous enough to join us in our dinner. I was lucky because I don't usually go to this kind of restaurant and he was nice enough to explain how to properly consume and appreciate katsu. He even served us himself! Here, he was teaching us the proper way to crush the black sesame seeds while waiting for the food:

In circular motion. Slowly but firmly to avoid spill overs :)

For the appetizers, we were served with the following:

Ebi Mayo. Juicy and soft shrimps coated with special Tapioca flour that creates the chewy exterior of this dish. This is definitely a MUST-TRY! Given a chance, I could have ordered another set or two.

Ebi Mayo. Php 210.

Agedashi Tofu. Fried cubed tofu in fragrant broth. I had a hard time picking one using chopsticks because the tofu is so soft and tender.

Agedashi Tofu. Php 180.

Ebi Set Fry. Tempura served with creamy mayonnaise. I have to mention that their shrimps were long and fairly coated.

Ebi Set Fry. Php 495 (4 pieces)

All katsu sets come with unlimited servings of fresh and crisp cabbage salad. Mr Guevarra explained that katsu is best eaten with lots of cabbage because it would greatly aid with the digestion and help wick away the grease from the food.

They offer two sauces that you can drizzle on your cabbage salad: the shoyu based sauce and the roasted sesame sauce. The two rightmost bottles in the picture below are for the Tonkatsu: The ponzu sauce which is best paired with Yuzu Pepper katsu, or any strong flavored katsu, and their version of tonkatsu sauce that is thicker and sweeter. If you can notice, sauces also participate in their ying-yang concept.

shoyu based sauce, roasted sesame sauce, ponzu sauce, tonkatsu sauce

We were also served with pickled assorted veggies to help balance the flavor. I am not usually a fan of pickled salad but this one is good!

The Koshihikari Rice. Mr Guevarra shared that it takes them about 15 minutes to prepare this hot, pearly and deliciously fluffy rice per order - meaning, you are sure to get freshly cooked rice every time you dine! Talk about the dedication to serve you with nothing but the best. The insulated container kept it warm all the whole time.

Now for the main event!

Plain. I made sure to try this one first so I can better appreciate the meat without any flavors masking it. Boy, how do I explain this? Juicy, soft and very tasteful meat coated in crisp thin layer of breadings! Life changing as my impression of a typical tonkatsu was changed. Can you see the layers and folds of the meat? I like dipping this one in plain Himalayan salt.

Plain. Php 380.

Cheese. A must-try and one of their best sellers. The sight of the oozing cheese in between layers is making me crave once more. This is definitely my favorite!

Cheese. Php 390.

Garlic. Just the right amount of fresh minced garlic in between the layers. Not to strong but you can catch the flavor well enough to appreciate it.

Garlic. Php 380.

Yuzu Pepper. The tonkatsu that made me cry. Literally! Do not be fooled. The exotic flavor of yuzu fruits and green chili pepper will build up slowly in your taste buds. That is why at first I though it was mild. You can tone the spice down by dipping it in shoyu based sauce (or by simply removing some of the fillings)

Yuzu Pepper. Php 430.

Black Pepper. The crispy coating was well seasoned with pepper. It very much complemented the taste of the pork.

Black Pepper. Php 390.

Other flavors that I wish to try next time are Negi Shio and Ume Shiso. I forgot to mention that along with the unlimited cabbage salad and the pickled assorted veggies, each katsu sets also comes with a choice of light or heavy variety of miso soup - again, the ying-yang concept.

For Kimukatsu Assorted Set Pricing:
3 Flavors (includes 2 rice set) – 1,200.00PHP
4 Flavors (includes 3 rice set) – 1,500.00PHP
5 Flavors (includes 4 rice set) – 1,800.00PHP
6 Flavors (includes 5 rice set) – 2,100.00PHP
7 Flavors (includes 6 rice set) – 2,400.00PHP

Now to complete the whole katsu dinning experience, we had the following desserts:

Kurogoma Pudding. A Slightly sweet with a nutty flavored pudding covered in black sesame paste. I have a sweet tooth but this one is enough to cleanse my palate.

Kurogoma Pudding. Php 110.

Soy Cotta. This Simple and subtly sweet dessert is just right to balance everything that we ate that night.

Soy Cota. Php 180.

Kimukatsu has changed the way I prefer my katsu to be served. I had a very filling, informative, and superb dinner that night. Thank you, Kimukatsu PH Marketing for the dinner invitation and to our very generous and accommodating host, Mr. David Guevarra. I can't wait to go back next time and satisfy my taste buds!

Madz, Mr. Guevarra, and the happy buntis

Kimukatsu

Locations:
Kimukatsu
Shangri-la Plaza Mall
5/F Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Shaw Blvd cor EDSA
Wack Wack, Mandaluyong
(02) 727-0333
Business Hours: Mall hours

Kimukatsu
Century City Mall
3/F Century City Mall, Kalayaan Ave
Poblacion, Makati
(02) 812-0333
Business Hours: Mall hours

Facebook: Kimukatsu PH
Website: Kimukatsu PH