An assortment of skewers, battered and deep-fried to golden perfection — kushikatsu is your next favorite bar chow to pair with a long night of drinks. Check out this kushikatsu specialty restaurant from Japan that is now open in BGC!
Kushikatsu Daruma in Osaka gets long queues of customers who want their fill of kushikatsu, or katsu in a stick. Battered, placed on sticks and deep fried, these skewers are an assortment of meat, seafood, vegetables, and other things extra awesome when deep fried to golden, crispy perfection. The new Kushikatsu Daruma in Uptown Mall, BGC, is the first in the Philippines, brought to you by Charlie Paw's Tasteless Food Group (Ping Pong Diplomacy, Bad Bird, Le Petit Souffle, Freezer Burn, etc). They had the freedom to play around with the decor and design of the establishment, and the result is a very spunky, upbeat vibe with nooks and crannies filled with the mascot's face and other cheeky illustrations. "No Double Dipping!" a sign screams, and the message is seen repeatedly on table tops, paper napkins, and animated videos plastered on the screens. This refers to the special dipping sauce of their kushikatsu–a blend of sweet, salty, and sour–that can get dangerously addictive.
Kushikatsu here can be ordered in different ways: some skewers come in twos (2 sticks per order – P79) while the others are sold as One stick per order (P59). You can also order them as a set, which combines several skewers: Beginner Level (P480/9 sticks) comes with Classic Kushikatsu, Prawn, Chicken with Garlic, Chikuwa, Tsukune (Chicken Meat Balls), Tonkatsu (Pork Loin), Leeks, Potato, and Camembert Cheese. Love innards? Get yourself the Advanced Level (P480/11 Sticks), which combines Classic Kushikatsu, Chicken Heart, Chicken Intestine, Pork Intestine, Chicken Gizzard, Garlic, Lady Finger (Okra), Gyoza, White Onion, Leeks, and Tonkatsu (Pork Loin).
Grab a skewer, and dip it real good in the sauce — a communal container for you and your company — and remember their no double dipping rule. Once you've got your kushikastu all soaked up in the sauce, bite into it while it's still freshly fried! There will probably come a point where you'll crave for some starch or a change of flavor, so get yourself some rice (P60/Plain Rice, P150/Chahan) or order other sticks to change up the flavors — Camembert Cheese (P59/1 Stick), Mochi (P79/2 sticks), and Cherry Tomato (P79/2 sticks) are must-tries for meatless options, with the tomatoes adding a burst of freshness with every bite. Other favorites are the Prawn (P59/1 stick), Shitake Mushroom (P59/1 stick), and Tsukune (P59/1 stick). They will soon roll out seasonal kushikatsu, like Foie Gras.
Kushikatsu Daruma in now open at the 2nd Floor of Uptown Mall, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. It is open daily from 11:30am to 3am; call 946-7374 for inquiries. Like Kushikatsu Daruma Philippines on Facebook (/kushikatsudarumaph) and follow on Instagram (@kushikatsudaruma_ph).
