Foodie: Maisen "Japan's Finest" now in Manila

I'm fond of eating Japanese food especially katsu(s)!! So when I saw a post about the newly opened Maisen on my feed, I can't resist feeling excited to try this out :) I've heard that Maisen is Japan's best tonkatsu restaurant so I have high expectations on this.

Went their branch in SM Megamall level 3 of Building A. The place was quite huge and their staffs are really accomodating. They are the ones to ask you what do you need like more cabbage, extra miso soup and etc.

Different sauces are readily available on each table which includes their Katsu sauce, sesame dressing, salt w/ herbs & others.

What to expect on their menu:

Of course, Katsu sets :) Comes with unlimited rice, cabbage, pickle set and miso soup.

They also offer Donburi sets :) It comes with rice, pickle set and miso soup :)

They also offer sandwich sets served with fruits and salad.

They have 1 Maisen Kid's Set for 330php.

We ordered what they call Maisen's specialty which is the Katsumabushi Set for 390php.

This is what it actually looks like :) Bite-sized Tenderloin katsu chops served with rice, Onsen Tamago and Dashi stock.

You can enjoy your Katsumabushi in 3 ways:

1. Scoop out the katsu and rice into the bowl.

2. Garnish with sesame, wasabi and green onion (picture above).

3. Pour the Dashi broth 

Tadaaa!! You can now enjoy your Katsumabushi. It also comes with soft boiled egg so you may also opt to mix it in the bowl :)

We also ordered Cheese Minced Pork Katsu Set for 390php. These have cheese inside!! Oh I love cheese :) This set comes with rice, cabbage, pickle set, miso soup and some fruits.

I was only able to finish 2 of these because it's very heavy plus it's "nakaka-umay" because the taste of the cheese it too evident. :)

Overall, we're happy that the famous Maisen in Japan has finally arrived here in Manila. Their Katsu tastes good.. It's tender and their breading that hugs the katsu altogether is crispy though it may be too thick :) However, Maisen was below our expectations and we can't help but compare it to other katsus we've tried.

I still prefer Yabu while Angela prefers Kimukatsu over Maisen when it comes to katsu :)

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