First Dibs at SHABURI Japanese Shabu Restaurant in Manila

We got first dibs at SHABURI, the newly opened Shabu Shabu Restaurant in Manila. It's located at the 4th Floor Uptown Mall in BGC and has been soft opened since September. I've been dreading to see this place since they opened but had tons of events in between. The place is owned by Cecille Zamora-Van Straten (Ms. C aka Chuvaness) and her good looking husband Chef Jeroen Van Straten. It was also my first time Chef Jeroen so I was a little starstruck hehe. Now I was thinking this is going to be a little splurge because of the fact that it is an All You Can Eat Wagyu restaurant but there's actually something good about the meat that they're serving. Beef as we all know is rich in protein but aside from that it's got iron, amino acids, zinc and is good for growing kids and improvement of physical and brain function. It's also got Vitamin B, B2 and B12 for beauty, skin care and your hair. Now isn't that enough reason to have good meat? I'll tell you more!

The Interiors

The place was absolutely Japanese. I'm not talking Tatami mats and paper panels, but more of the use of wood, bamboo, glass panels because I think they prioritized privacy among other things. I remember this unspoken rule in Japanese restaurants which was against double dipping things on sauces and containers (which I almost did OMG!) so in each seat in this restaurant, you've got your own pot and induction stove built in on the tables. The color scheme is pretty much classic whites, blacks, wood.

I also LOVE the light fixtures. Everything looked so bright and it's conducive to looking at the face of who you're talking to. Date place? Yes, if you're already in the phase that you're so comfortable to pig out without judging each other, because chances are you are bound to do that here! Ha-ha!

I think that is Vice Mayor Zamora on the far left table. You'll also be seeing celebrities here I'm sure.

Oh and before I forget, aside from Coke, they've got Coffee, iced teas, and a full blown soft Ice Cream machine (it's on the left of the Coke Machine but didn't catch it on the frame) on site. They've got mugs too so if you're in the mood for Rootbeer Float, go ahead and do that. They also have chocolate syrup, sprinkles, more chocolate and caramel too.

They also accept major credit cards so you don't have to lug around a ton of cash when you plan to dine at Shaburi. The 4th Floor is also accessible from the outside escalator if you are coming from the Uptown Mall Fountain or coming from the Valkyrie area. It's just beside Buffalo Wild Wings and mobile phone shops in the area.

Oh, let's talk about the food... glorious food!

The Food

So before I do show you some of the food items that are inside SHABURI I feel I should show you this video first. There's actually a system in doing the Japanese buffet that you should know about. My friendly server Wendy explained to me how it's done so please pay attention or just replay the video if you miss things :)

So as mentioned earlier, you control the heat of this induction cooker by controlling the levels. P1 for simmering, P5 is the highest if you want to boil faster. I chose P1 because I wasn't in a hurry LOL!

I chose the Spicy Miso because I love everything with a kick. I've seen almost everyone order the Original Konbu (I hear it's highly recommended) but they've also got other broth bases like Sukiyaki, the Soy Milk Miso and the Chicken Collagen Paitan which is said to be good on your skin. We need that!

There are tons of fresh vegetables but what I put on my plate was the Bok Choi, the Spinach, White Onions, Onion Leeks, and about 3 kinds of Mushrooms.

The mushrooms bring the soup to another level, like it makes it more earthy, and adds a bit more crunch to your already big vegetable serving simmering in the broth.

They have Papaya, Melon and Pineapples when I was there. I wish I had more room for these aside from the meats I had this evening LOL!

Included in the buffet are Japanese fried favorites like wings, Karaage, Gyudon, Vegetable Tempura, and Fries.

Crazy Melt in Your Mouth Wagyu Beef!

The price of the Buffet basically depends on the meat you want to have. It ranges from Php 499 (I think this is during lunch) up to Php 1,599. The prices also differ for kids, so yes you can include them too! If you want to have dinner on weekends and holidays and have the Special Wagyu, Shaburi Wagyu, Special Beef, Tasty Beef and Tender Pork, or would like to reserve a table or two, you may call them at +632 9782481, +632 8052932 or +639177083930.

If you would like to also do small parties, they have separate areas for that. Just let them know. Oh and before I forget, they also serve Asahi and San Mig Light for those who want a beer or two while they're having dinner. I saw the people at the other table getting drunk! Ha-ha!

This was when the server made me a dip. It was good, so if you don't want the fuss, ask the friendly server and they can help you if you can't make up your mind.

My first serving, including the Special Wagyu (rightmost meat). I wanna go back already!

Do not forget that they also have desserts on the buffet. I chose to put soft ice cream (Vanilla and Chocolate) plus a drizzle of Caramel Syrup. I was a happy boy!

I am so glad to have experienced SHABURI. I didn't know how much I ate (okay I do) but for all that, I didn't feel anything oily, just nourished. I suppose you could call this one of the most awesome places to eat if you very much want VALUE FOR MONEY. The premium meats alone cost a fortune so you're pretty much already getting what you spent for in a couple of servings. The place is clean, the servers are well trained, and the food is glorious. You should try it out if you're in the area. Or if you are celebrating with friends, family and work people, this would be the perfect place to do it. Fresh vegetables, fresh seafood, crunchy karaage, lovely gyudon, scrumptious sushi, unlimited dessert and drinks, what more can you ask for?

Thanks Ms. C for inviting me. I had a feast, and even from a person who lives in QC it was all worth the trip to BGC! I'm going back there for more real soon! SHABURI is again located at the 4th Floor of UPTOWN MALL in BGC. Oh and you just wait, they're planning to open 10 more stores real soon. How convenient would that be if you had it in a mall nearby no? 

For more information about their restaurant:

SHABURI Philippinesr

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Visit their official website

https://www.facebook.com/ShaburiPH

Great Finds at Chuvaness x NBS

I have been reading Chuvaness.com for years now and I've always felt so blessed to have known Ms. C (Cecile Van Straten) personally as I've met her through events and media junkets. She's no ordinary woman, exceptional in fact. What I like most about her is how she was able to turn her brand into a reputable one, authentic and still chic, lovely and endearing at times especially when she talks about her travels, kids and good looking husband. I even adore her love story and how it happened, you could tell I'm a big fan.

Just last week, I received news and invitation about this partnership between Chuvaness and National Bookstore. I've seen this done with greats such as Rajo Laurel and Ms. Daphne Osena Paez a couple of years back. They've come up with a really great line and I knew this one was going to good as I've seen pretty much her aesthetic. Just like her style, she's very original, she has this Japanese vibe going on and I love that a lot. She's been traveling a lot, takes tips and her shopping finds seriously, and if you're a lifestyle blogger in the Philippines and don't know her, you can't sit with me haha!

She took out the design and graphic process meticulously. As the National Bookstore executives tell it, she did the fine details of this collection without a hitch. It's like she's been waiting for this to happen for a long time and when the opportunity came, she was ready as Usain Bolt and ran so easy.

I went to the event alone but found blogger friends in the crowd. Ana Gonzales of http://www.anagonzales.com was shopping already, she took pretty much every piece that they had in the collection because just like me, she was a big fan. Albeit a little shy with Ms. C, she was excited as I am going to the pop up store in the SM Megamall Fashion Hall. Let's just say she had a GREAT time with these models haha!

What caught my eye were these cute purses hanging on the rack. I bet this would be good for girl friends who would want their bags to be organized. We shun people who still have barya on their expensive bags you know LOL.

This is one of their utility bags. It would be good for make up kits, or just about anything that you would want to still keep chica when you take this out of your bag. You can see how personal this has gotten just by looking at the clothes drawn on it. Ms. C pretty much has that aesthetic. You could see why I love her!

She's got this cute tote bag too, which I bet will look good on you when you wear skirts or pretty girly stuff on a sunny day.

Here's that round clutch that was so cute, it's pretty big and can be good for those times where you carry a LOT of small things and you don't wanna carry around a huge bag. This is part of the 15 items she's designed for the collection.

The Tote bag comes in this regular size too, style should never be sacrificed with function.

I totally bought this one and the lovely gift wrappers and stickers. The Travel Pouch is pretty much my way to still keep organized when traveling. It's not too big, nor too small, can fit pretty much some folded papers, your passport hell even your small cameras, but I'd just have this used for travel documents as I don't want to be cluttered inside my bag, so it'll be just for that.

Anna hoarded a lot including this pouch. She didn't hold back haha. It's like a huge envelope if you want something that would fit documents you don't want to fold. She's got everything covered.

Ahh these super cute stickers was just out of this world! From scrapbooks to Balik Bayan Boxes, it would be extra cute and chic with these on them!

The notebooks was just made of quality material. Ms. C doesn't want anything that looks cheap (of course) and I think you could see things like these in Japanese stores. If you're planning, writing notes, this would be good if you want to keep it for a long time.

The Memo Pads were beautiful. I could see you writing thank you letters and cute little reminders with this whilst leaving on the table.

For TO DO lists, this notepad is just cut perfectly. Shopping, groceries or reminders is just a scribble away.

Don't you just hate it when you need to put your shoes inside your luggage? You never have to use plastics from department stores anymore because these canvass bags can fit the bill. There's a little reminder on the front too, I'd take that advice anytime!

There's a lot more in the Pop Up Store and they're going to be there the whole week. You should definitely drop by SM Megamall's Fashion Hall if you have time. You can't buy the models though, they don't come with the pretty stuff from Ms. C's collection hehe!

Oh and thank you so much to @ev.yu for taking up the challenge of drawing my portrait. I think she had a hard time doing it because I wasn't looking haha.

It was nice to see that chubby and curly haired person immortalized on paper. Haha! Okay I will get thinner soon!

Ms. C, National Bookstore executives and the artist.

 

Anyway, you have to go to SM Megamall's Fashion Hall NOW to get a glimpse and buy these off the shelves! Make sure you take your girlfriends along so you can bond over travel and organizing essentials by Chuvaness and National Bookstore. It will be available on all National Bookstore branches very soon! Thank you so much Ms. C for extending me an invite! It was so nice seeing you and congratulations!

For more information about their products:

CHUVANESS

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Visit her official website

http://chuvaness.com