Since it opened last May at Serendra in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, Saboten has been attracting long lines with its “authentic” katsu sets, which it claims is the best in Manila.
The restaurant has been serving the very same katsu sets to customers from different parts of the world through its more than 500 restaurants since first opening its doors in Shinjuku, Tokyo in 1966.
And it’s showing no signs of slowing down, with at least three more branches set to open in Manila, and even in Cebu.
Annabella Wisniewski, president and chief executive officer of Raintree Restaurants, the company that brought Saboten to the Philippines, said the restaurant chain has shrugged off comparisons to other katsu spots in Manila, saying that they are “in a league of their own.”
“It’s hard to compare, really,” Wisniewski told ABS-CBNnews.com and a small group of food writers. “For one thing, I think people come here because the consistency is really good. It’s hard to copy.”
“Saboten is also a very strong brand name, it’s very well-known all over Asia. So most of our clientele, if you see, there are a lot of Japanese and Koreans. That’s why we didn’t tamper with the taste because we want it to be true to its form.”
Calling the local katsu restaurants “more Filipinized,” Wisniewski said Saboten promises to offer an “authentic” Japanese experience with its tried and tested recipes and service.
But she was quick to add that there is nothing wrong with adding a local touch to Japanese dishes, saying that “there’s plenty of room for everyone.”
“Tonkatsu is the rage now all of a sudden. And all of a sudden, they try to make us rivals with one another. Brand, x, right? Brand x, the copycat,” Wisniewski said in jest.
“But we have a huge population out there, there’s room for a lot [of katsu restaurants]. There’s room for everybody to work together and make tonkatsu a craving of every Filipino, that’ll benefit everybody,” she added.
Delayed launch
If Saboten had to compete with anyone, it has got to be with itself, said Wisniewski, who noted that the restaurant’s grand opening was delayed by two months as the owners and chefs wanted to make sure that “everything is perfect.”
“Everything is very precise, which is what I like,” she said. “It’s a good experience for our staff. Some of them were brought to Japan and Hong Kong for training, they have to first know their culture, how they work.”
“They had to send the bread technicians [from Japan] three times because the baker [here in Manila] couldn’t get it, the special bread for the [katsu] breading. We had to buy the crusher, so it took a long time because we had to look for sources locally.
“And we have gone through at least 28 suppliers of pork before we settled with one. And when we settled on who we settled with, [we found out that] it cannot supply everything. Because we use an enormous amount of pork tenderloin.”
“The Japanese are so obsessed with quality, which is good. Because not like Filipinos, pwede na. The Japanese, no, we have to measure everything. It’s the only kitchen with rulers,” Wisniewski said in jest. “But at least we have that kind of support, and I think one of the secrets here is the consistency. You can be assured that when you come back here tomorrow or next year or whenever, it’s going to be the same.”
Coming soon: Oysters and Iberico pork
From a simple stall in a cafeteria catering to “starving” university students, Saboten has grown into one of Japan’s largest tonkatsu chains.
Chiaki Tanuma, president and chief executive officer of Green House Co. Ltd. (which runs Saboten), said they use as much as 2,000 tons of pork in a year.
He said customers have been coming back for their katsu because it is “tasty but not oily.”
“People think tonkatsu is oily food, and the breading absorbs the oil. But ours is not,” Tanuma said, adding that they serve their fried dishes with vegetables and fruit for balance.
“First, we present the shredded cabbage as starter. That’s healthy, people sometimes eat twice as much of it. There’s also the miso soup and rice, and all those make up a very balanced diet.”
“But don’t eat it every day,” he said, smiling.
Saboten’s menu in Manila consists of the katsu sets that most Filipinos are familiar with, plus a few extras. There’s the rolled tenderloin cutlet which is filled with asparagus, cheese or plum; tonkatsu topped with grated radish “for a refreshing delight;” tonkatsu served on top of hot miso sauce; and croquettes filled with deep-fried shrimp or crab cream.
So what’s next for Saboten here in the Philippines?
Tanuma said they are hoping to introduce oyster katsu to its Serendra restaurant by Christmas time, something that many seafood lovers can look forward to.
He added that they may also soon add Iberico pork to its menu.
“We’re thinking of including Iberico pork from Spain,” he said of the prized meat. “We’re the single largest user of Iberico in Japan. We use it to make the croquette.”
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
