I'm taking it quite slow with my Katsu adventure. A few nights ago, my cousin and I had out girls bonding night where she mentioned Saboten as being one of her and her husband's favorite. That made me curious and teased me to want to try Saboten.
Saboten's latest branch is in Glorietta 5. I think it's strategically located, very bright and welcoming so it's difficult to miss. Saboten is actually brought to the Philippines by Raintree group whose other concepts I've encountered before.
As soon as I walk in, I noticed that they have a take out counter with comfortable seating for those who are waiting.
While waiting, I also took my time to read about Saboten and their thick cutlets.
The area is very spacious and they made sure that their diners are afforded a lot of space and privacy.
Each booth had a divider see?
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| Condiments |
Saboten's secret sauce is made in Hokkaido using onions, carrots, apple, tomatoes and over 10 spices so make sure to try it out. They also have the pink Himalayan salt.
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| Pour the Special Sauce in the Grinded Sesame |
Food
Katsu is best shared with a group so we ordered based on our servers suggestion for us three girls to share. And, somehow we managed to swipe this clean. =))
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| All set meals include refillable shredded cabbage, pickles, rice and miso soup |
I noticed that they don't have any ala carte. Everything is ordered by sets.
Grated Radish Katsu
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| Grated Radish Tenderloin Set (440 php) |
We opted to go for the Grated Radish Tenderloin Set which was an upgraded version of The Original because it had grated radish on top of it and is supposed to be served with a slice of grapefruit (but we got lemons instead) and ponzu sauce. We noticed that they pork cutlets are thicker than others we've tried. The tenderloin is really lean and meaty. I was expecting this to deliver a whole new experience but I noticed that the other variants were served with ponzu sauces with grated radish on it so its almost the same.
Katsu Curry
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| ♥ Curry Chicken Set (575 php) |
I'm glad they offered the Curry Chicken Set for people like me who want to feel healthy once in awhile and opt for chicken over pork. I find their curry sauce to have just the right blend. I declare it safe even for those who can't eat spicy food.
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| ♥ Curry Chicken Set (575 php) |
I know I mentioned last time that I won't go for chicken anymore but I'm now retracting that because Saboten has executed this dish so well that I could hardly distinguish any difference in moisture and texture with that of a pork. I think I finished most of this dish.
Claypot
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| Clay Pot Tenderloin Set (440 php) |
The Clay Pot is their version of the Katsudon. While my friend Berylle enjoyed this, I found the sauce to be too sweet for my liking. And, I also prefer wet and runny yolks than dry than fluffy ones.
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| Clay Pot Tenderloin Set (440 php) |
But, what I like about the Clay Pot Tenderloin is that it's more moist and soft than the other variants.
Mille-Feuille Katsu
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♥ Mille-Feuille Combo Set (595 php)
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The Mille-Feuille Combo Set had 130g Mille-Feuille Katsu, 1 Deep-Fried Shrimp and 1 Crab Cream Croquette. The deep-fried shrimp is one of the best I've tried. I also loved the Crab Cream Croquette because the flavor of the crab was brought out by the cream instead of being dominated by it.
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| ♥ Mille-Feuille Katsu |
Their
Mille-Feuille Katsu was very tender and more juicy than the rest because we noticed it had a lot of fats especially at the center part. It's a really good alternative to The Original one. I really like their spiky bread crumbs. It's doesn't absorb too much oil so it was not oily and the crunchiness is so light and easy to breakthrough.
Dessert
After eating a heavy load of meat, we felt a huge craving for something sweet. And, since we can't decide on what to order, we decided to try all four of their cakes.
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| ♥ Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Cake (195 php) |
I actually voted for the
Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Cake despite it being the least visually appealing (Yes! When it comes to desserts, we tend to use our eyes) because I saw a lot of blogs raving about it.
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| ♥ Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Cake (195 php) |
Sure enough, it did not disappoint. It was a chocolate lovers dream with its rich chocolate
ganache coating and velvety hazel cream filling.
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| Matcha Lychee Almond Cake (210 php) |
My two girl friends seemed to be drawn to the exciting combination of the
Matcha Lychee Almond Cake and insisted on ordering it. I didn't like it because the chiffon sponge cake felt too moist as if chilled too long and the matcha, lychee and almond were all too light that I could hardly recognize it from the sweet white ganache.
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| Strawberry Shortcake (195 php) |
I'm a huge fan of strawberry shortcakes especially Japanese ones so I was really persistent in having this. But, when our Strawberry Shortcake came, I was surprised that it didn't have a single strawberry slice between the layers as shown on the menu. The taste of the shortcake was good but it failed in terms of texture as it has the denseness similar to that of being chilled too long.
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| Sesame Sansrival Cake (210 php) |
The
Sesame Sansrival Cake is my second choice next to the Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Cake. It was not overwhelmingly sweet like most sansrival. And, the black sesame in butter cream was quite evident.
Drinks
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| ♥ Ripe Mango and Passion Fruit (195 php) |
I highly recommend the
Ripe Mango and Passion Fruit which was the drink I got to try. It was very sweet and refreshing that it mellows down the palette in every sip.
Promo
Collect all of these by purchasing for 295 php or dining in every
Rain Tree Restaurant with a minimum of 1,000 php.
Other Katsu Reviews
Ginza Bairin
Katsu Cafe
Kimukatsu
Tonkatsu by Terazawa
Yabu 1 |
Yabu 2
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Saboten offers its own distinguishing katsu experience that is sure to satisfy any katsu craving. The thickn but tender pork cutlets, exquisite crisp of the breading and flavorful sauce is worth coming back for.
| Saboten Japanese Cutlet Restaurant |
| Branches |
Serendra
GF Serendra
Bonifacio Global City,
Taguig, Metro Manila
Glorietta 5
GF, Glorietta 5, Ayala Center, Glorietta Complex,
Makati City, Metro Manila |
| Business Hours |
11am-11pm (mall hours) |
| Payment Options |
 Cash |
| Service Charge |
10% |
| Budget/Person |
450-1,200 |
| Free WiFi |
No |
| Unlocked Foursquare Perks |
None |
| Contact |
(02) 625-2000 (Serendra) | (02) 625-0909 (Glorietta 5) |
| Other |
Website | Facebook Fan Page |
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