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.

Foodie Goodie | Crispy Tofu Bites.

Tofu is love!
You all know how fond I am of tofu, having professed my undying love for this ingredient in some of my previous food posts.

If you love tofu as much as I do, I'm pretty sure you'll love this dish as well. It's easy to prepare, and kid-friendly, too. My six-year-old claims this is his new favorite dish - next to chicken curry. Haha! :)

Crispy Tofu Bites

Ingredients:
1 package tofu, drained and cut into bite-size squares
Potato flour or cornstarch for coating
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon green onions, finely chopped
Oil for frying

Procedure:
1. Coat the tofu generously with potato flour/cornstarch. Fry it until all sides are brown. Place it in a paper-towel lined plate, let drain, then set aside.
2. In the same pan, add the ginger, soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, and sesame oil. Cook for a minute.
3. Pour the sauce over the tofu.
4. Garnish with green onions and serve.

Happy weekend eating! :)

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! :)

Foodie Goodie | Fish Katsu.

What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word "katsu"? I bet the image of a breaded and fried pork cutlet will usually come to mind. You might not know it, but there are actually a variety of ways to cook and enjoy this popular Japanese dish.

For starters, there's tonkatsu - breaded pork cutlets with the fat intact. Then there's hirekatsu, which is also pork, but with the fat trimmed before breading and frying. And then we have katsudon, one of my favorite Japanese dish. It's katsu served over rice, topped with egg, onions, and sweet sauce. (You can view the recipe for katsudon here.)

Also in the list are gyukatsu - which uses beef, and chicken katsu - which, as the name suggests, uses chicken. There's also fish katsu - and yes you guessed it right - this one uses fish. This dish is quite popular in South Korea, and has been adapted into Korean cuisine. They call this 'saengsun katsu', and if you're following me on Instagram, you might have seen my bento from last week which features this dish.

I'm sharing the recipe for my fish katsu, as requested by my mommy friends. This dish is very easy to prepare, and even easier to cook, and is a big hit with kids. I know, because my son and his friends are crazy about this dish! :)

Fish Katsu

Ingredients:
500 grams cream dory (or other white fish), cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp sesame oil
4 Tbsp calamansi or lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking oil for frying

Procedure:
1. Marinate fish in calamansi juice, salt, and pepper for 10 minutes.
2. In a bowl, add the eggs and sesame oil. Whisk well, then set aside.
3. Dredge the fish in flour.
4. Dip the fish in the egg mixture.
5. Coat the fish with Panko bread crumbs.
6. In a frying pan, heat the oil over low heat.
7. Place the fish in the pan, and cook until the panko bread crumbs turn light golden brown.
8. Turn the fish over, and cook until the underside turns light golden brown as well.
9. Remove from the pan, and drain the fish on paper towels.
10. Serve with fry sauce* and shredded cabbage on the side.

*Fry sauce is a simple combination of ketchup and mayonnaise, a condiment for dipping french fries. 

Solaire Exclusives for Mother's Day 2014!

On Sunday, May 11, we celebrate the day of the most important women in our lives - our moms.

And our friends from Solaire have came up with the best treats to honor our beloved moms. From the special discounted rates in the ultimate family staycation, to the exquisite set menus in our fine dining establishments, they’ve made sure that this will be one unforgettable Mother’s Day.

On Mother’s Day weekend, bring your entire family to Solaire and stay in one of their luxurious suites with discounted rates. Under the Summer Family Getaway packages, their rooms go as low as PhP6,000++ for Deluxe Room Cityview and PhP7,000++ for the Deluxe Room Bayview. The special rates are also available in Grand Deluxe Cityview (PhP8,000++), Grand Deluxe Bayview (PhP9,000++) and 2-Bay Suite (PhP12,000).

Amazing accommodation at Solaire.

Their amazing staycation packages come with an impeccable buffet breakfast for two adults and two kids age 6 years and below. For kids who are 7 to 12 years old, they offer a 50% dining discount. Your stay also includes free use of the swimming pool and the fitness center. To test your luck, the package comes with PhP500 worth of gaming credits.

If you opt to celebrate mom’s special day with a lavish dinner, they have set menus in Fresh, Yakumi, Finestra, Red Lantern and Strip. Everyone in the family can enjoy their mini pizza creation of the day (Roasted Branzino in potato crust, Versuvio tomatoes, white wine and Gamberoni), Pasta Carbonara in rich and creamy sauce with pancetta bacon, Limon Cello lemon and Chicken Parmigiano at their Italian restaurant Finestra.

Pasta Carbonara from Finestra.

For the lovers of Japanese cuisine, Yakumi offers a special menu that includes Gyuniku Tataki (Seared beef strip loin with onion dressing and micro herbs), Yakumi Sushi and sashimi sampler, Lobster mini soup, Ebi tempura, Chilean Seabass teriyaki and Steamed Japanese style egg custard with foie gras.

Steamed Japanese style egg custard with foie gras from Yakumi.

Red Lantern also offers a sumptuous set menu for those who prefer Chinese dishes. The family can feast on Hand rolled Beijing duck, Pumpkin soup with seafood and white fungus, Deep fried crispy shrimps with sweet mayonnaise, Wok fried prime beef black pepper sauce, Steamed sliced fish with Tofu in black bean sauce, the season's best vegetables with oyster sauce, and Braised noodles with spring onions and ginger sesame oil.

A sample of what Red Lantern has to offer.

Strip, the hotel's steak house, also offers a Mother’s Day menu consisting of Green Pea sphere and crisp ham; Tomato salad dried olive oil and goat’s cheese; Foie gras crumble mousse with candied fruit and nut; Seared tuna blood orange sponge, watermelon and labuyo chili crust; Pork belly beer braised and tomato relish; Smoked Angus beef and Caramel Sand torch banana. All of the set menus are priced at PhP1,900 and all come with the Solaire Mother’s Day creation, the Caramel cheesecake with red berries and white chocolate silk.

Sumptuous food from the Strip.

If you want to go all – out however, their buffet outlet Fresh is ready with Lechon (Charcoal grilled suckling pig), Roasted prime rib of ‘Gold Label’ prime beef, Brioche baked whole salmon Coulibiac, seafood delights and a long list of desserts which include tarts, cupcakes, cookies, parfaits, doughnuts, puddings and cakes.

May it be the ultimate staycation or a gastronomic adventure in one of our first-class restaurants, Mother’s Day at Solaire is definitely a great bonding opportunity for the entire family. For reservations, call 888 8888 or log on to www.solaireresort.com for more details.

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.