6.357 The World’s Best Tasting Tender Beef

6.357

28 (Mon) December 2015

Karubi

3.0

at Gyu-Kaku

(Shangri-la Mall)

-Ortigas, Mandaluyong-

with the Family, Uncle CS and his family

New Year with the Family, Day 3 (see previously 6.356 Steamed Egg White…)

After spending the first 10 days of my winter holiday in Seoul (see previously 6.354 Christmas Special Dinner), the remaining 6 days will be here in Manila.  Arrived together Saturday morning.  The wife and kids fly back on January 2.

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Gyu-Kaku is a Japanese restaurant chain.  Founded in 1996 in Japan.  Currently over 1,000 branches worldwide, 2 in the Philippines, including 1 in SM Megamall.  Specializing in beef yakiniku — which, I reassert, is Korean cuisine, from the BBQ to the side dishes (see generally 6.070 Jo Karubi).

Cousin IS is in Manila with her kids, and her parents, the father being Uncle CS — with whom I had dinner 12 times during my first 4 months in Manila (see initially 5.017 Gambas..; see most recently 5.133 USDA Prime Ribeye Steak), then abruptly ceased doing so, having gotten tired of having to cross town to see him — so we crossed town to hang out with them for the day.

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Kinda flat, flavorless — HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

For dinner, the venue was Gyu-Kaku.

Would rather have gone somewhere else — TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY — but that’s what the old man had decided, and I didn’t want to make a big deal about it, so I just went along without objection.

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1000% Korean

Overall, the food was mediocre.  The one standout was the karubi, not quite “the world’s best tasting tender beef,” but tasty and tender.  The other dishes, meh.  Oh well.

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From left: IW (3), IZ (3.5), DJ (8.5), DB (6) (although the photo would suggest otherwise, DB and IZ are about the same size) (see for comparison 5.266 Gold).

Happy Birthday to Me (43) (see also MY BIRTHDAYS)

When I mentioned my birthday after dinner, they insisted on going back to the hotel for cake and coffee.  I got a martini.

I learned that my uncle and aunt (not yet married) were present (43 years ago) at my birth (in the hospital).

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