Yakimix and Sambo Kojin

They say it’s impossible to talk about one without having the other in mind. Bloggers confess on not being able to avoid mentioning both when writing an entry for any which of them since they pretty much have the same concept, and they offer similar food selections which dining regulars like myself are particular about. On top of that, they are within the same price range so a comparison is inevitable.  My very first yakiniku experience was with Yedang, so I already had a sort of reference when I tried these two. Here is my attempt for an objective comparison, and to justify why the latter won my heart. J

I first heard of Yakimix from my sister in law and her boyfriend who are regular customers. I got a chance to try them just a couple of months back out of curiosity, plus I already wanted to understand what loyal visitors have been raving about. My friend and I visited the Podium branch for lunch one day. I had the assumption that this is their branch with less customers plus it’s the one closest to the office, just perfect for my first time.

photo credits:

Yakimix Philippines Facebook page
http://aehthea.wordpress.com ; http://www.atwerpslife.com

They have more branches, they have one in almost every major mall or landmark in the city. Their stores exude elegance. Flashy chandeliers, classy lighting, glossy leather couches, and their staff all looked like hotel employees in their uniforms. Their food selections are mostly on the Japanese-Chinese cuisine. Of course they have all the options: meat, poultry, seafood, cold cuts, noodles, rice, and desserts. I was able to find everything that I thought of from their wide options on both raw and cooked menu. Despite that, I did not feel like wanting to come back for more after my first visit. I might consider visiting other branches hoping for a different experience one day, but it won’t be worth my own expense. That was exactly how I felt, unfortunately. Even more after I tried Sambo Kojin.

Since we’ve been to the famous crossover buffet of Dads-Saisaki-Kamayan a number of times, and I pass by EDSA everyday, we couldn’t avoid but notice the new Sambo Kojin, this was how I first learned of it. I heard from a good friend as well sometime last year that it’s another well raved yakiniku place, I didn’t understand why until I finally got a chance to taste the experience.

It was on the last weekend of the school’s semester break, and the last day of my long weekend from work when my husband, daughter and I craved for some nice dinner. We were not up for even just half an hour drive and we didn’t want to get out of our comfy shorts and flip flops, but we wanted to try out something new. Good thing that the West Avenue branch is just a 10 minute drive from our place, plus they don’t have a dress code (lol) and so we went.

 photo credit:

Sambo Kojin Facebook page

The West Avenue location, if I’m not mistaken, is their third and newest branch. They may have just a handful of branches, but they are all accessible. Their stores may not showcase the same level of elegance without the fancy lights and chandeliers, but their white leather seats are stylishly modern and truly comfortable. Their staff, mostly male, are in black uniform which adds to the Japanese restaurant vibe. Their food selections are on the Japanese-Korean cuisine with options of the musts diners crave for when doing buffet. Other than that, their bacon bar, Korean side dishes and Kamameshi rice got me sold! Now I understood why it was normal to compare. I couldn’t wait to come back the soonest possible, and I started craving as early as the following day. I ended up trying all three branches, on three different occasions, just within the same month. J

Rants and Raves:

ú          Yakimix maybe more popular because of accessibility, they are everywhere. Sambo Kojin only has West Avenue , EDSA Greenhills, and Eastwood.

ú          Yakimix has elegant interiors that make you feel like you are actually in a high end restaurant. Sambo Kojin is simple but classy and homey.

ú          Yakimix has couches, sometimes it requires a bit of an effort for those who are seated by the wall to move out of the table and grab more food. Sambo Kojin has a number of couches too, but their seats are positioned in a manner where everyone has enough space to move from and be able to stand up for refills. They offer single seats too.

ú          Yakimix and Sambo Kojin have similar grillers, just not sure if they’re of the same brand, but speaking out of experience, the ones from Sambo Kojin doesn’t seem to be non-stick.

ú          I find it difficult to hold the XL tongs at Yakimix, the ones in Sambo Kojin are easier to manage and it doesn't cause a mild sprain in the hands.

ú          Sambo Kojin waiters are waaaaay more accommodating. They are all over the place, raise your arm and they will all try to attend to you first. Even the chief waiters have visibility and they will take part on assisting you like a personal butler. I have visited all their branches and that was the case each time. As for the staff of Yakimix. They just do not have the customer service skills required of a restaurant.

ú          Although Yakimix has a wider selection on food, nothing stood out. Their sushi rolls maybe colorful but they tasted the same and are all bland. They always run out of Tempura (like seriously?!), and raw shrimp. Plus you have to season the meat on your own, or were the marinade just not that distinct? There isn't any flavor worth remembering, and I can’t even point out a single item that would pass as a favorite.

ú          Sambo Kojin may not meet the same level of quantity in terms of menu, but their food options are of high quality. Their selections are more unique and they all make the tummy happy! My family and friends can attest to how much I love bacon, so their bacon bar is just worth my every penny. Veggies, greens, mushrooms, and my favorite- crab stick wrapped in bacon is heaven! They NEVER run out of Tempura. Some waiters will even go around tables every now and then to offer more fresh from the pan tempura goodness for your convenience. Their sushi rolls each have remarkable flavors. I love their Korean side dishes, their raw meat are marinated in distinct yumminess, plus they have additional sauce and oil options on every table. I can list a number of favorites, but that bacon bar is just a big hit.

Now that we have more and more dining options and buffet restaurants are really popular, competition is at peak. Other than the good news that more diners are now health conscious, restaurant owners and managers should be keen on the level of service and flavor they deliver. It’s no longer just eating after all, the dining experience should speak for its worth.

Yakimix

Branches, Contact numbers, prices and other info:
http://www.facebook.com/YakimixPhilippines/info

Last visit: October 2012

Sambo Kojin

Branches, Contact numbers, prices and other info:
http://www.facebook.com/SamboKojin/info; http://www.sambokojin.com/

Last visit: November 2012

CityBuffet Restaurant

Although my office for the last three years is located in the busy business district of Ortigas, I rarely go to Robinson's Galleria. I mean if I had to go to the mall to meet some friends after work or at times when we crave for some out of the norm dish for lunch, Shangri La Mall or Megamall, depending on whether or not I am in the mood for walking, would be the top options. Galleria would be last since I have not really associated the place with dining or not even anything at all for some reason (I'm really sorry Mr. Gokongwei). Well that was just until CityBuffet Restaurant opened.

I can't recall when they officially opened for operations exactly but I remember that it was just this year. I was doing some research online on some buffet options within our office area other than the usual when I came across a review of the place. At that time I couldn't find any other information of them aside from that site, they were not even listed in munchpunch nor myfoodtrip yet, but it was written that they were "just like Yakimix minus the grilling" so we decided to give it a try.

You wouldn't miss it, it is indeed easy to find. As soon as you get to the top floor of the mall, across the cinema area you would see a Chinese-restaurant-themed place that looks really inviting from the outside. It has a glass wall stretched to and from both ends of the restaurant so you could see the lighting fixtures and dark grey laminated cushioned seats that all looked really elegant. Their signage though is like that of a fast food chain, it doesn't match the elegant feel of the restaurant interiors at all. Their buffet table is visible but you can barely see most of the food unless you enter the restaurant for a closer peek, which they allow. Some customers would first check on the current menu before deciding whether to dine or not, wherein of course most of them did.

Our first experience was memorable. It was just their soft opening then so everything from their decors down to the utensils are brand new. Their buffet selections was like an array of happiness. They have Chinese, Japanese, American, Filipino and even a few Italian selections (e.g. pizza, pasta). They also got more than a couple of ice cream flavors, a variety of dessert options from the tarts, cakes, rice cakes, panna cotta, halo-halo, etc. They have a salad bar, a sushi counter, and multiple dispensers for soda and juices. Although the food flavors weren't remarkable, it's above average than the usual experience, plus some of them are different from the casual viand you get to see on a standard buffet. Bottom line, I was looking forward to coming back the moment we stepped out of the place, it was a PHP499 well spent for dinner and drinks.

My schedule did not allow me to come back until last Monday, for a quick lunch out this time. I called ahead to verify their hours of operations for lunch to make sure I make it just in time before closing. Lunch starts 11am, the buffet is open just until 2:30pm while they close by 3pm. We arrived 1:30pm and as expected, they have just enough number of weekday customers and some of them are already on their desserts. Perfect timing since I needed to make sure I maximize my 1-hour break having the buffet stretch almost all to ourselves, ha! ;p To my surprise, lunch is even a way better deal for PHP399 with drinks.

I already knew what I was craving that day. I have this thing about over-planning almost everything, like planning ahead the things I am to look for and get in a bazaar, and so I also have a mental list of the things I will eat in a buffet visit. ;) With that in my subconscious, I was a little disappointed to find out that a number of these cravings were not offered that day for unknown reasons. Maybe because their selections have changed since their soft opening, but hopefully not because they are starting to lose track of maintenance.

My tummy wasn't as happy as how it was from my first visit. The menu isn't as extensive, the dessert options, salad bar and sushi counter didn't looked as enticing as before. The only food on my plate that was warm were the plain rice and the corn soup, the rest of the viands I tried looked like leftovers and they're all cold. I took a couple of sticks of yakiniku and they're both dry, chewy, and cold. They don't have shrimp tempura that day (sadness!) so I settled for vegetable and kani tempura but they were cold. Even the ramen was dry and cold. Their fruit tart will break into pieces as soon as you place them on your plate. I couldn't find the ice cream cups and when I had to ask for one, a waiter handed me a big red plastic dish container so I could get one myself (didn't even know if the ice cream cups on the thing was sanitized) plus their iced tea options were all bland.

I had the impression that maybe because we arrived an hour before their closing so they had to turn off their warmers or that's why it was evident that all their crew couldn't wait for the customers to leave so they could start cleaning up. We were told that the food will be pulled out by 2:30pm but we could stay until 3pm, we weren't able to do so as well since for some reason, the aircon was turned off together with the buffet setup. It was very disappointing to see how the place have started to turn ugly in less than a year. I just hope they can have this corrected before they even start losing regular customers. 

Will I come back? Sure. They gave a lasting happy first impression so I could afford to forgive them, everyone has their own Manic-Monday and this one might just be one of theirs. :) I hope the succeeding ones will be a way better experience each time though. They offer buffet so consistency is a golden rule. I am crossing my fingers wishing for them to keep that in mind. Customers would've been looking forward to regularly dining at Robinson's Galleria because of their place, it would be stupid to take that status for granted.

Pictures? Google 'em or check their Facebook page, see link below.

CityBuffet Restaurant

Address: Level 4 Robinson's Galleria, Ortigas Avenue

Website: http://www.facebook.com/CityBuffet

Last visit: October 2012