The Foodinista: Shabu Shabu

Shabu Shabu Ichiban, Circuit Makati

Friday, November 17, 2017

My friends and I decided to surprise our friend Patrick for his Birthday at Shabu Shabu Ichiban just a few months ago. We went to their Circuit Makati Branch which is pretty accessible for all of us working in Makati. It's just located on the Ground Floor of Circuit Lane and there are a lot of parking space in the area so dropping by is hassle-free!

Circuit Makati Branch

Shabu-Shabu Ichiban is a popular hotpot restaurant from Nagoya, Japan. Ichiban, meaning "number one" in Japanese is envisioning to become the number one shabu-shabu chain in Asia. Anchoring on the Japanese's regard for quality, Shabu-Shabu Ichiban makes sure that all their meat and seafood options are only of top quality. The first of its kind, Shabu-Shabu Ichiban introduces an authentic Japanese hotpot experience through providing plenty of interesting soup base options and unlimited servings of meat and king crab legs.

They have three sets to choose from for the buffet:

Set A

Chinese Cabbage Kimchi / Vegetable Platter / US Beef Short Plate / Boston Butt (Pork shoulder) / Chicken Leg Quarter / Chicken & Pork Dumplings / Assorted Balls / Udon / Japanese Rice / Raw Egg / Drinks - FREE! Dessert / FREE! Kushikatsu or Japanese-Style Fried Chicken

Choice

Weekdays 488.00/588.00 Per HeadWeekends & Holidays 688.00 Per Head

Set B

Chinese Cabbage Kimchi / Sushi & Sashimi Platter / Vegetable Platter / US Angus Chuck Eye Roll / US Beef Short Plate / Boston Butt (Pork Shoulder) / Chicken Leg Quarter / Chicken & Pork / Dumplings / Assorted Balls / Edamame / Shrimp Tempura / Japanese Style Fried Chicken Wings / Kushikatsu / Japanese Rice / Udon / Raw Egg / Dessert / Drinks

Choice

Weekdays 688.00/788.00 Per HeadWeekends & Holidays 888.00 Per Head

Set C

Chinese Cabbage Kimchi / Sushi & Sashimi Platter / Vegetable Platter / King Crab Legs / US Angus Chuck eye Roll / US Beef Short Plate / Boston Butt (Pork Shoulder) / Chicken Leg Quarter / Chicken & Pork Dumplings / Assorted Balls / Edamame / Shrimp Tempura / Japanese Style Fried Chicken Wings / Kushikatsu / Japanese Rice / Udon / Raw Egg / Dessert / Drinks

Choice

Weekdays 1788.00/1888.00 Per HeadWeekends & Holidays 1988.00 Per Head

After choosing your Set:

Step 1

Choose Your Drink

Choice

Iced Tea/Strawberry Red Iced Tea/Coke/Coke Zero/Pineapple Juice/Lemonade/Sprite/Royal

Step 2

Choose Your Soup

Choice

Konbu (seaweed)/Ginger/Vegetable/Plum Vegetable/Tomato/Tonkotsu/Tonkotsu Soy/Shoyu/Soy Milk/Soy Milk Sesame/Spicy Soy Milk/Soy Bean w/ Healthy Spice/Spicy Miso/Spicy Miso Butter/Spicy Miso Kimchi/Taiwan/Miso Taiwan/Spicy Healthy Spice/Kimchi/Tantan/Spicy Szechuan/Red Hot Szechuan/Curry/Basil Cream

Soup Base

What makes Shabu Shabu Ichiban stand out among the rest would be the way they present their raw meats & sushi. They also have a wide range of soup flavors to choose from.

They have freakin' 24 soup bases!!! OMYGOSH.

They have Communal Hot Pots in which you can choose 2 soup base at a time if you can't make up your mind and just wanted to give all the soup bases a try.

We chose the Spicy Miso Butter & Tonkotsu - bases that are a little contrasting to each other just so we can have the best of both worlds. One hot pot is good for 2 to 4 people already.

We chose Set A cause it's the cheapest and friendliest for first-timer plus we were treated by the celebrant so there's nothing to complain about HAHAHA XD Kidding! ; though if I would have extra money to spend I would want to try the Set D for the UNLI ALASKAN KING CRAB! Huhu!

SET A comes with one serving of Fried Ice Cream, Kushikatsu (Deep-Fried Skewered Meat), or Japanese-Style Fried Chicken Wings per person! Some of us ordered the Kushikatsu some ordered the chicken so we were all able to try it. The Deep Fried Skewered Meat is worth skipping especially if you are not a fan of anything breaded and skewered - but the Fried Chicken is just to die for I had 2 plates of it!

Beef Short Plate, US Angus Chuck Eye Roll, and Boston Butt Pork Shoulder

All of their meat and seafood options are only of top quality so you are sure to get only the best when you dine here with your family and friends.

As for the service, you don't have to stand up to order and get drinks. You can just call the waiters to get your orders which is convenient and less hassle for people who love pigging-out like me. I really get lazy especially when I am already in the ZONE, ya know?

It's not like your typical buffet that you have to stand up and get food which I think saves time and makes you decide earlier if you can still consume what you ordered. They charge P200 for leftovers so the serving of the food per plate is few.

Fried Chicken Wings

Php180 for 4 pieces, Php220 for 6 pieces

You might be thinking, why eat a fried chicken in a Shabu Shabu Restaurant?

I think this is one of the best fried chicken i've tried in a Japanese restaurant. Believe me when I say the crispy chicken skin and tasty chicken meat made the whole experience more complete.

This also caters to parents who plans on bringing their kids with them who might not be familiar with Shabu Shabu. It's like the safest food choice that I'm sure kids and people of all ages will like.

I forgot to take a photo cause I was busy munching on it - Ps. Don't judge me but I ate 5 chicken wings that night!

I was also able to try the BASIL CREAM Soup Base - It was oddly good! It's creamy and herby which reminds me a lot of my grand parents cause I know they will love this herby kind of soup - in a good way. It has a different savory freshness which I really liked!

Who doesn't love balls? (Pun Intented - Rated SPG) Haha!
When I think of Shabu Shabu this is actually the first thing I that I think of - BALLS!
We ordered all kinds of Balls but the ones that made a mark would be the Mozarella Cheese Balls cause it has a melted cheese inside that's really goey and delicious; I also liked the Lobster Ball which has a lobster salad sweet filling that's just the perfect contrast for the savory soup!

Assorted Meatballs

The staff was kind enough to help us do a mini-surprise by singing Patrick a Happy Birthday. Thanks for the California Maki Greetings!

After all the Shabu Shabu goodness, we ordered strawberry and vanilla flavoured ice creams for dessert. This is also Unlimited by the way! It was just unfortunate that we weren't able to try their fried ice cream cause it wasn't available at that moment :( Boo!

If you're a fan of everything Japanese, now's the perfect time to satiate your cravings with a sumptuous Japanese Buffet at Shabu-shabu Ichiban Circuit Makati!

Chinese Food

Serenitea: Little Baguio, San Juan

Monday, September 05, 2016

Serenitea is one of the pioneers in bringing the milk tea craze in the Philippines!

And as of 2016, they already have 30 branches nationwide. Back then, the popular drink was coffee Frappes and Lattes, but when the milk tea hype came in, everyone just keep craving for it!

My friend who's having her Make Up Workshop in Serenitea treated me some drinks and meals, hence this review. I've been going back a lot of time already on this branch because they serve good food and drink. They even have a food delivery service so you can enjoy their food at home!

Serenitea Little Baguio

Their staff are always all-smiles! The restaurant is not too big so I don't recommend this if you are going in big groups. It is ideal only for quick orders and take outs! There's also limited parking space in the area.

Serenitea San Juan

Serenitea Chicken Chops P80 / P140 Formosa Chicken

My favorite one to order would be their Pork Chops! It's big and it's good! The serving is also already good for two people. The smell is very aromatic and appetizing too! Lately, I've been ordering the Formosa Chicken version of the chops which just have additional Tomatoes, Olive Oil and Basil. I super love it! It balances the strong salty taste of the chicken.

Shabu Shabu Serenitea

You can also try their newly added food to the menu, they're Shabu Shabu. It's a bit over priced though at around P235 to P285 per order and I think there's nothing really special about it except the shabu shabu soup and the additional rice.

For their Finger Snacks, I like their Corn Peppered best seasoned with pepper and salt. It's a really good comfort food and meryenda!

Peppered Corn Serenitea

I tried their new drink Matcha Latte for P115. It's a new addition to their drink menu and I love it! The rough texture of their matcha has a little bitter-sweet taste. It's really close to the authentic ones and could satisfy your matcha craving!

This is just a quick review experience with Serenitea. Let me know your recommendations through commenting below, thank you!

Buffet

King One: Eat All You Can Rotary Hot Pot (Tomas Morato) Review

Sunday, May 01, 2016

King One Rotary Hot Pot

King One Rotary Hot Pot I must say has got to be one of my favourite rotary hot pot's in Manila. They have a rotary conveyor belt which transports all ingredients within your reach. There are even Chef's who freshly prepare the ingredients that's being transported on the conveyer belt.

It is located at Tomas Morato though they also have another branch which is at Pasay in Macapagal Boulevard. I have tried both and since this one is the newer branch, I prefer this cause apparently the food tastes better and the ambiance is much better too. I remember eating at Macapagal Branch and it honestly didn't impress me at all! The servers were very slow and they panicked easily when I keep asking for more ingredients to be cooked. The ambiance is also not as nice and the ventilation was disappointing, the place is not so clean as well. This branch is really new and the ambiance is perfect and you won't feel any pressure in ordering and eating fast.

Located on the 2nd Floor

So here's the photo of King One outside. It's very easy to locate and is on the second floor of a building, there's an elevator which will bring you directly to the restaurant or you can walk up using the stairs on the back side area of the building.

King One

Back Entrance

PRICE RANGE

Monday to Friday - Lunch (P558) | Dinner (P658)
Saturday - Lunch (P599) | Dinner (P699)
Sunday & Holidays Lunch & Dinner (P699)
Drink All You Can (P59)

This is an updated Price List as of 2016. They used to be cheaper and i'm not so sure why a sudden increase yet I still keep coming back.

We went here on a weekday lunch. Unfortunately their rotating conveyer belt was closed because there were very few people eating that time so if you want the experience of it, I recommend you go here during dinner time or on a weekend.

They accept reservations and huge events. Make sure to give them a call if you plan on visiting during dinners on weekends. A lot of parties and celebrations are being held here. This is a perfect place for friendly reunions and gatherings!

Forgot to include that they have a service charge so better bring extra cash.

As you can see the place is very neat which I would want to commend. If you can just see their branch in Tomas Morato, there's really a HUGE DIFFERENCE. The spaces between every set of tables is also good which is convenient if you love moving around to get your dipping sauce or drinks.

They also have an area which I wasn't able to take a picture of, the different sauces which you can add and other small ingredients to spice up your soup stock.

While waiting for the soup to be prepared we were asked to fill up a list of ingredients we would want to cook.

NO LEFT OVERS. NO TAKE OUTS. So make sure to order first what you think you can fully consume. Don't be overwhelmed with what you can see. Everything looks good and smells good, but it's better to be safe than sorry! Anyway, they really serve quite fast, so waiting time should be the least of your concerns.

I also got busy mixing up my own dipping sauce. I had mine with lots of garlic and the Satay Sauce which brings in all the flavor and some kick to my Shabu Shabu. Choices would be garlic, onion spring, chili and the satay. This is served in every table automatically.

Special Sauce

Drink / Beverage Station

They have very few type of drinks. Iced Tea, Lemonade, Mango Juice, Water and Coffee. Wish they had more varieties to choose from.

SOUP TIME. We ordered one Satay Soup and one Regular Soup for our soup stock. Make sure to order the Satay One too cause adding Satay Sauce on the Regular Soup doesn't really taste nice. Hindi na lumalabas yung lasa and the goodness of the satay when it's just mixed. They don't give Satay Soup Refills anymore. So sad :(

They also have the Curry but haven't tried it cause my friends don't like curry, they also have the Szechuan Soup which is the spicy one.

Crab Sticks, Dumplings, Siomai

There are lambs slices, premium cuts of U.S. Beef, and many more. One order also comes with 1 free side dish so I ordered the Yang Chow Fried Rice and it's even refillable.

Golden Mushroom Beef Roll

THIS IS DEFINITELY MY FAVORITE. I remember ordering it for around 4 to 5 times. Can't get enough of their Golden Mushrooms. Next fave is the MOZZARELLA BALLS. My boyfriend loves it too. One ingredient would take 2 to 3 minute cooking time, it's not really that long.

The variety of ingredients they have is so huge so if you can give everything a try! But as for me I already know what I want so I just keep ordering those instead.

Family Enjoying their Hot Pot

My Boyfriend Cooking For Me :D

The conveyer belt is turned off, so sad. I understand though that they won't bother opening it if there were only few customers dining. We can order the ingredients anyway.

Overall, it's a nice experience to be back at one of my favourite hot pots in Manila. I consider it as a comfort food na that I always look for when I crave for it or when I'm just hungry haha!