Jollibee Group and Yoshinoya International hold partnership ceremony.

The Jollibee Group welcomed Yoshinoya International executives in a Partnership Ceremony on June 25 to celebrate their collaboration that will bring the authentic Yoshinoya Japan beef bowl experience to the Philippines.

Yoshinoya, Japan’s world-famous Beef Bowl Chain, is the first foray into Japanese food by the Jollibee Group. Jollibee Foods Corporation formed a joint venture with Yoshinoya International Philippines Inc. (“Yoshinoya International”) to operate the Yoshinoya stores in the country, with plans to expand to 50 stores in the long term.

The Yoshinoya International executives who attended the private ceremony were Tetsuya Naruse, CEO of Asia Yoshinoya International Sdn Bhd (“Asia Yoshinoya”); Shigekazu Miyata, President of Yoshinoya International; and Shigeo Kurokawa, Director of Yoshinoya International.

The Jollibee Group officially seals its partnership with Yoshinoya International
in a ceremonial beef bowl toast
led by Jollibee Group President & CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong (front row, 3rd from left),
Asia Yoshinoya CEO Tetsuya Naruse (front row, 4th from left),
Jollibee Group President for Philippine Business Joseph Tanbuntiong (front row, 2nd from left),
and Jollibee Group Chief Real Estate and Design Officer William Tan Untiong
(back row, 3rd from left).

Asia Yoshinoya CEO Tetsuya Naruse hailed its partnership with the Jollibee Group during the partnership ceremony. “In the history of Yoshinoya, I can say that we have never encountered a company such as yours. I’ve met the best partners that we could work with and I’m really looking forward to this partnership.”

"We would like to thank Yoshinoya International for partnering with Jollibee Group. Together, under Yoshinoya Jollibee Foods Inc., we will grow and expand Yoshinoya in the Philippines, and we will work hard to make it the No. 1 Japanese restaurant in the country," said Joseph Tanbuntiong, President for Philippine Business of the Jollibee Group.

In a disclosure released in February 2021, the Jollibee Group said it aims to be the leading market developer of foreign restaurant brands in the country, as these foreign franchised brands are expected to contribute to the sustainable growth of its domestic business. Jollibee Group continues to see the success of brands like Burger King, Panda Express, and PHO24 and will apply the same success drivers in expanding Yoshinoya.

Partnership for success

Like the humble beginnings of the Jollibee Group, Yoshinoya started as a family-run shop located at Nihonbashi Fish Market in Tokyo. Today, Yoshinoya has more than 2,000 global locations.

“Our dreams to make it big one day in our respective markets have driven Yoshinoya and the Jollibee Group to continuously work hard and always strive for excellence,” said Tanbuntiong. “With similar values and a true love for great tasting food, we see a strong foundation for success in this partnership.”

“I met Jollibee Group Founder and Chairman Tony Tan Caktiong, and after our conversation, I concluded that there is no other company that we would like to do this partnership with. And although some years have passed since then, we have reached this moment today and it’s all thanks to all your efforts,” added Naruse.

“Part of who we are in Yoshinoya Holdings is being ‘For the People,’ which means reaching as many people as possible with our tasty and value-for-money food—this is also what the Jollibee Group is all about. I look forward to working well together and I commit that we in Yoshinoya will give our full support to the Jollibee Group,” he added.

Now ready to serve the same superior tasting and authentic Japanese Beef Bowls, Yoshinoya is set for its grand opening slated this July.

LOOK: Eats-So-Easy Katsu from Purefoods!

Torn between preparing a nice meal for the family but not enough time to start from scratch? 

Don’t worry! You can now spend more time with the family and less time in the kitchen with new ready-to-heat Pork Katsu, Chicken Katsu, and Spicy Chicken Nuggets from Purefoods!

How does “tonkatsu meal for the family in just 8 minutes” sound like? Now, you can enjoy the crispness and juiciness of Pork and Chicken Katsu and experience Japanese cuisine right in the convenience of your home! Just pop frozen in the oven for 8 minutes or fry for 2-3 minutes.

Level up the katsu experience resto-style with these Eats-so-Easy ideas!

One, serve katsu with some thinly shredded cabbage and sesame dressing, crushed toasted sesame seeds mixed with the free packet of katsu sauce. and a lemon slice to garnish.

Two, whip up an easy curry sauce with Japanese curry paste, coconut milk, diced potatoes and carrots and drizzle on katsu.

And third, go All American-inspired and serve katsu with BBQ seasoned French fries and ketchup or sour cream-bleu cheese sauce.

For more recipes, you can visit homefoodie.com and its social media platforms @HomeFoodiePH 

Purefoods Pork Katsu, Chicken Katsu, and Spicy Chicken Nuggets are available in leading supermarkets nationwide.

Spotlight | Kabaya Collagen Gummy.

There is no end to this obsession with collagen supplements and collagen-infused skincare products. It's been almost a year since this craze of mine started, and I've always been on the look-out for collagen products that work.

Case in point - the Kabaya Collagen Gummy. This product is manufactured by Kabaya Foods Corporation, a popular Japanese confectionery company.

Kabaya Collagen Gummy.

Established in the 1960s, Kabaya became well-known for their candy toys - action figures and model kits that come with candies and chocolates. (Think Kinder Joy, Japanese version.) Kabaya expanded their product line through the years, and now they also manufacture cookies, biscuits, and pretzel sticks.

Kabaya contact information.

Now back to collagen. Kabaya Collagen Gummies are sold in foil pouches that weigh approximately 160 grams each. The gummies are individually-wrapped, and come in three flavors - Grape, Peach, and Lemon.

Grape, Peach, and Lemon flavors.

One pack contains 10000 mg of collagen (approximately 200 mg per gummy) and hyaluronic acid. The gummies are super soft and chewable, and taste really good. They have a nice, fruity scent, too. I take one gummy a day, usually in the morning. One foil pouch is good for one month, since it contains about 30+ gummy pieces.

Kabaya Grape Collagen Gummy.

I've been taking these gummies for about six months now, and so far so good! My husband, who is usually stingy with compliments, would often tease me that my skin looks like it's been filtered in real life, haha! My friends have also noticed how my skin looks smooth and 'stress-free', and how my cheeks seem to be plumper than before. :)

The only downside to this product? It's not available in local groceries or supermarkets. I order mine from OneStephStop, the same online store where I purchased my Shiseido Eyebrow Pencil and rare-flavored Pockys. Steph sells these gummies for Php 220 per bag. Pretty affordable, right? :)

Do you take collagen supplements, too? How was your experience?

Foodie Goodie | Yakisoba.

Hello everyone! Happy New Year! How has 2015 been treating you so far?
I spent most of January 1st hibernating. Everyone else here at home did pretty much the same thing since we're all tired from the NYE party, plus it was raining cats and dogs the whole day. Bed weather, definitely.

I was a bit more productive yesterday. The sun was out, and I took advantage of the nice weather by doing the laundry. All the clothes were dry by sun-down thanks to the gusty winds! Oh, and I also watched Summer Nude yesterday, and was able to finish the entire drama - all 11 episodes of it. Watching Summer Nude made me crave for yakisoba, which was like, everybody's favorite food in this drama.

Wanting to satisfy this craving, I went to the supermarket today and bought ingredients for yakisoba. Yup, I decided to take a stab at making it from scratch instead of buying the instant kind. :)

Yakisoba

Ingredients:
250 grams yakisoba noodles
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 bundle of green onions, diced
1 carrot, julienned
2 boneless chicken breasts, diced
1 tablespoon Japanese mayonnaise
Aonori powdered seaweed (optional)
Dried bonito flakes (optional)

Procedure:
1. In a small bowl mix half the soy sauce, water, sugar, ginger, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, and the garlic.
2. In a frying pan, cook the chicken breast over medium heat.
3. Take half of the sauce mix and add it to the frying chicken to cook flavor into chicken.
4. When the chicken is just about ready, turn the heat to high and add the sesame oil, carrot, onions and half the green onions and the remainder of the sauce mix. Stir fry the mix for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the noodles the chicken and vegetables. Sauté until noodles are lightly brown, mixing all in the wok and cooking until the meal done.
6. Garnish with the remainder of the green onions before serving. For extra flavour you can add powdered seaweed, dried bonito flakes, and mayonnaise.

Ittadakimasu! :)

Wordless Wednesday #83 | Totoro!

And look who's addicted to Totoro! :)

Foodie Goodie | Katsudon.

If you're following me on Instagram, then you've probably noticed that I'm into Japanese dramas (dorama) as of late. And no, this isn't a new craze that I've just discovered. It's more like, rekindling with an old flame. You see, before I got into this whole Kpop and Kdrama frenzy, I was actually a fan of all things Japanese - from anime, to music, to video games, to martial arts, to food.

Speaking of which, one of my favorite Japanese dishes is katsudon. It's a donburi (rice bowl) topped with fried onions, egg, and a cutlet of deep fried pork (katsu). I've been craving for katsudon for weeks now, but since we don't have restaurants here that serve Japanese food with the authentic Japanese taste, I tried making my own katsudon instead.

Katsudon

Ingredients:
2 tonkatsu cutlets, sliced
1/3 cup dashi* stock
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 medium-sized carrot, thinly sliced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
Steamed white rice

Procedure:
1. Combine dashi, sugar, and soy sauce in one bowl.
2. In another bowl, place the eggs then lightly beat.
3. Heat a large pan over medium high heat and add the oil.
4. Saute the onions until they are fragrant and start to turn translucent.
5. Pour the dashi mixture over the onions and carrots, then nestle the tonkatsu into the vegetables.
6. Drizzle the egg over everything and then sprinkle with green onions.
7. Cover with a lid and cook for another minute, or until the egg is mostly set.
8. In two large bowls, place the rice then top each bowl with the tonkatsu and egg. Serve immediately.

*Dashi is a Japanese broth used as a base in most Japanese dishes. It gives Japanese dishes the authentic flavor, and comes in granulated or liquid form. Traditional dashi is made by boiling kelp, anchovies, and bonito flakes.

Shared with Food Friday and Food Trip Friday.