Nowadays, it is all about the quantity, never
mind the quality of the product, and the buffet-style dining and the eat-all-you-can
branding at rampant influx, it is no longer surprising that in such
establishments, standards and quality are on the back burner and profit is the main
goal. Japanese influenced restaurants
are out and about which makes it hard to find the “best” out there. The
word “best” is nothing short of relative to me.
Being that Japanese cuisine is on my top 3 favorite cuisines and seeing
as it has been weeks since I published an article, I decided to review two
different Japanese restos, comprising of two parts.
In this feast I was blessed enough
to be able to review two different Japanese restaurants , each putting out two
distinct products, yet, said products are both staples in Japanese cuisine, katsu at KIMUKATSU in
Shangri La Mall and sushi at GENJI M in Makati City.
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| Photographed by and for Foodie and the Feasts |
KIMUKATSU is a Japanese
restaurant located at the 5th level of the new wing of the Shangri
La Mall. While they have a diverse Japanese
menu, they pride themselves in their katsu, that is, their fried pork cutlets.
In fact, they claim to be the hottest thing in town, not just here, but in Japan
where consequently this restaurant originated from.
What is their “claim to fame”? Their katsu and how it is prepared. Imagine 25 layers of paper-thin sliced pork
cutlets that are breaded lightly, deep-fried slowly and then they steam it to
retain the moisture of the pork. Now,
in theory the process of slowly deep-frying a product and subsequently steaming
it sounds like a disaster.
I have heard many chefs say that
deep-frying is not just dumping something in the deep-fat fryer; there is also
an art to deep-frying. Most of the time
to be able to attain maximum results the temperature of your oil should play
around 350 to 375 degrees. This helps in
the browning and giving your product that crispy-crunchy texture. Cooking it at a lower temperature would lead
to “boiling” rather than frying something which makes most fried treats
soggy. Now, steaming something you fried
well that would most definitely ruin any success you had in frying your
product.
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| Photographed by and for Foodie and the Feasts |
Having said that, I am amazed as
to the quality that process yielded, their kastu’s breading is crunchy, but not
as crisp as you’d expect (again I think that is as a result of the steaming
process). And in terms of portions that layering
creates a sizeable amount of pork on your plate. In addition, keeping and serving the katsu
on wire racks prevents the product to go soggy and absorb all the excess
moisture and oil that I might lay in otherwise had it been served as is. There is a way to do certain things, and some
of the things they do work well for them.
While I was amazed as to the
result of their ingenious process, unfortunately I was left underwhelmed by the
flavor and cookery on the pork. We
ordered several variations of their recipes on the katsu, sadly though they all
fell short flavor-wise. It lacked
seasoning overall. So much so that
nothing really differentiates their katsu from the rest, in terms of flavor, and
to make claims about their product, well, something has to give. At times I felt their katsu was just bland
and at other times it was so-so, nothing really much to write about. However, they do serve you with a multitude of
condiments to help with the seasoning.
Apart from the sauces that you might find on your condiment clay jars,
they give you this make-shift mortar and pestle both made of would that has a
mixture of white and black toasted sesame seeds that you can grind into a
powder to add and drizzle onto your katsu.
Personally, what I like to do is to dip my katsu in the sauce of my
choice and just dust the powdered sesame granules in generous amounts. The sauce helps the sesame seeds adhere to
your pork cutlet rather than just having them fall off as you bite into it.
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| Photographed by and for Foodie and the Feasts |
Don’t get me wrong, the addition
of the sauces and the black and white sesame seeds provides a smoky and earthy
flavor to the pork, I, however, found myself relying more on these condiments
to coax some flavor and adding copious amounts of it to my pork rather than
just enjoying the natural flavor of the pork itself. Suffice it to say, without those condiments
the katsu is just plain, borderline bland.
The breading itself is not even seasoned with salt and pepper.
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| Photographed by and for Foodie and the Feasts |
Another issue is the temperature
of their pork. Some portions I had were “on
the money”, just the juiciest katsu you’ll ever have, while others were just
over-cooked and dry. A level of
consistency is left to be desired about the cookery on the katsu, given that
this is their “claim to fame”, they should be able to meet the mark at a steady
pace.
While their signature dish fails
to impress, I will say that they served the best miso soup I have ever had (and
I’ve tried a lot). They have red miso
and the y have the white miso. Honestly, I’m still scratching my head as to
what distinguishes one from the other.
And while this dish is just a mere appetizer on their menu, it is the
best miso soup I have ever had. It is
served at the right temperature, not too hot to burn you tongue and not
lukewarm to throw you off. The broth is
not greasy and there is just so much flavor in it for one reason or
another.
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| Photographed by and for Foodie and the Feast |
Over all my experience was all
right. I must say though, if you are
bold enough to brag about your product and place your accolades on you menu no
less, then there must be more pressure to deliver, otherwise your customers
will be left disappointed.
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| Photographed by and for Foodie and the Feasts |
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| Photographed by and for Foodie and the Feasts |
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