MAISEN Opening, SM Megamall

Maisen officially opened their second branch a few days ago in SM Megamall. It was attended by no less than the Izutsu Maisen Co. Ltd. President himself Mr. Takeshi Okamoto and Suyen Corporation Chairman and CEO Mr. Ben Chan. It was brought to the Philippines by Suyen Corporation in partnership with celebrity couple Richard and Lucy Gomez, Chef Florabel Co-Yatco, restaurant Tycoon Enrico ‘Rikki’ Dee and Queen of All Media Kris Aquino.

It’s first branch in the country opened last month in Greenbelt and the SM North EDSA Branch is on its soft opening.

I recently blogged about Maisen (see post here.) but I learned a lot more about the brand during its opening and I’m so excited to share with you just how much more there is to this katsu.

Just for the day, they served us katsu wherein the pork used has been imported from Japan and was fed with bread and tea-leaves. They said they ‘might’ make this available soon in the country.

The first one was the Amaiyuwaku (Sweet Temptation).

True to their word, the katsu tasted really clean and it wasn’t as oily like other katsu I’ve tried. The only think I didn’t like was how thick the fat was but some people might prefer that.

These are little balls of watermelon and honey dew as palate cleansers. They also gave veggies and miso soup as part of the set.

The Chamiton Katsu was similar to the Amaiyuwaku but this seems to be just a little bit more juicy. The pork used for this one supposedly was fed with tea leaves. It has less cholesterol and more vitamin C than regular pork according to them.

Chef July, who will be heading the chefs in the Philippines, personally trained in Japan and helped in making sure that the katsu served in the country will be appealing to the palate of our locals, without compromising the integrity and quality that has made Maisen katsu so popular in Japan.

I asked why forgo the usual grinding of the sesame. He said that for him, what sets Maisen apart is that their katsu is served in its simplest form (they don’t even put salt or pepper in the pork) to bring out its real flavor making the experience more authentic.

One of the things I loved about their katsu is that the breading is not drenched in oil so it’s still crispy while the inside is cooked well. They aim to ‘achieve the level of Kendachi‘. (Kendachi = state of blossomed flowers). I’m not sure what standard that is but it seems to be working.

Condiments are provided if you want some extra oomph but the pork is already flavorful in itself.

They have three sauces: Amakuchi (sweet), Karakuchi(spicy) and the spice salt. *They have the Kurobuta sauce also which is served only for the Kurobuta (black pork) katsu.

I was able to spot some local celebrities, models, press and even politicians in the event! It was hosted by Daphne Oseña-Paez.

They gave us free katsu sandwhiches! Ipersonally love the minced pork sandwich but they all taste good. Just make sure to eat them as soon as you can so the oil from the katsu will not be absorbed by the bread too much.