MAGOSABURO MANILA: Mago Kaiseki & Japanese Wagyu Steak on Lava Stone with Wine Pairings!

MAGOSABURO is a posh Japanese restaurant and wine bar hailing from the Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan founded in 2009. The Mago Manila franchise specializes on Mago Kaiseki which is a 9-course set (think degustation) with Japanese Wagyu steak cooked on a Lava Stone as the highlight.

Some foodies are familiar with the Magosaburou in Singapore which is known for its “Ultra-luxurious Japanese BBQ” concept. The Kaiseki focus and the wine-lounge concept sets the Manila branch apart from Magosaburo international franchises in Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Thailand.

We tried the 9-course Mago Kaiseki and sampled a selection of their famed Japanese wagyu steaks during an intimate lunch with the owner a few days after its soft opening.

Here’s what we like and some tips to have an awesome experience at Magosaburo Philippines:

What’s New in BGC Restaurants in 2013?

You can’t miss the impressive facade as you pass by the Fort strip facing the 28th Street in BGC.

The zen-like design and high- ceiling ambiance give an elegant dining experience.

MAGOSABURO SOFT OPENING MENU:

Essentially, you have three (3) Kaiseki set menu options:

The 9-course signature Mago Kaiseki (P3,500/head),
the 7-course Sakura Yakishabu (P3,000/head) and
the 7-course Fuji Sukiyaki (P2,500/head).

You can also order ala-carte and assemble your own courses.

The mezzanine floor has 3 function rooms for a group of 8 for privacy or business meetings.

The upper floor houses the wine- lounge concept with a bar, and a VIP lounge area.

You can access the wine- lounge area directly from the elevator, and this is usually the smoking area.

Chef Takashi Motomatsu from Magosaburou Singapore has transferred to Manila to ensure the authenticity and quality execution of the concept.

#1 – SMALL APPETIZER: Assorted Namuru (Japanese Pickles)

The first course is a trio of vegetable appetizers spinach with sesame oil, cherry tomatoes and radish to prepare your appetite. Each piece was prepared well, and just right to kick-off the kaiseki experience.

#2 – COLD APPETIZER: Assorted Cold Appetizer

The cold appetizers consisted of Caprese Salad (Tomato+Mozzarella), Seared Tuna with Vinegar Jelly, Wagyu Tataki with Onion, Wagyu Sushi with Vinegrette sauce and rice.

The wagyu pieces tease your taste buds on what to expect with the steak main course. I personally prefer the bite pieces of seared tuna and the caprese salad. A bit “bitin”, but the flavors are just right to whet your appetite.

Naked Grape Pinot Grigio, California 2010 (P1,700/ Bottle)

They have a good selection of wine and we started with a naked grape wine with just the right sweetness to pair off with the appetizers.

#3 – SOUP: Foie-gras Chawanmushi ★

This is a sinfully- rich egg soup with yummy foie gras on top. It’s so good but you can feel the cholesterol going all the way to your head 🙂

#4 – HOT APPETIZER: Wagyu Beef Shank Stew ★

This is like a piece of wagyu “bulalo” heaven. Sarap and make sure to eat it while it is hot.

The seafood course came in a dome made of wakame, nori, rock salt, and egg white, cooked for 20 minutes to give an interesting flavor to the king prawn inside.

#5 – SEAFOOD: King Prawn with Mushrooms Wrapped in Seaweed Salt

All of us love the presentation and you can’t wait to taste the rock-salty seaweed flavoring.

However, the prawn tasted a bit salty and I was expecting to have more seaweed taste infused into the prawn flavor.

Entremet: Basil Sorbet

The iced pesto sorbet was a good palate cleanser to prepare your taste buds for the wagyu steaks.

#6 – FIRST MAIN: Lava Stone Special Prime Ox Tongue

They use the softest tip part of the tongue to serve as part of the Mago Kaiseki.

They cooked it over the lava stone heated at around 180 degrees to perfectly cook the meat.

They cooked 80% of one side, turn it over when the juices were coming out and then 20% on the other side to achieve the right level of doneness.

I was excited to eat alongside Sam Oh who I had just listened to that morning during her early morning radio talk show with Gibb over at 89.9.

It was good and you can put a little bit of lemon and rock salt to enjoy it.

Barefoot Merlot 2007 California (P1,550)

We ordered red wine to pair off with the steaks.

#7 – MAGO KAISEKI MAIN COURSE: Lava Stone Japanese Wagyu Sirloin Steak ★

All of us were raving about the wagyu sirloin steak on how flavorful it was with a melt-in-your-mouth quality. This sets the Mago Kaiseki apart from the other courses.

The phorous lava stone gives the steak a unique grill flavor and best to eat it right away.

I like eating it on its own, and just like to savor each piece. You can also dip it in the soy sauce foam.

Thanks to my seatmate foodie couple, Yeng and Chuckie Dreyfus, for an enjoyable company throughout the 9 courses which lasted for 2 hours.

SAKURA – YAKISHABU MAIN COURSE: Lava Stone Chuck Roll Yakishabu ★

If you take the 7-course Sakura, the main course is the thinly sliced chuck- roll steak.

It has a good marbling and just the right portion of fat.

I also enjoyed this because it is very soft, flavorful and best to eat with the fat.

You can request to have it cut into bite-size pieces.

Best to dip it with the sesame soy sauce.

FUJI – SUKIYAKI MAIN COURSE: Tomato Sukiyaki ★

The Tomato Sukiyaki is a uniquely Magosaburo creation and was presented in a big mound of red meat with tomato on top.

What I like about the steak courses is that the dishes are cooked on the spot while you wait.

The tomato provided an added sweetness to balance the soy flavors.

I love to dip it in its special freshly- beaten egg sauce which adds a different dimension to the flavor.

#8 – RICE: MAGOSABURO Curry Rice

The curry rice is really good but it was served last to conform with the Japanese kaiseki tradition.

#9 – DESSERT: Your choice from the platter with Nespresso Coffee

For dessert, the flourless chocolate cake was OK, and I particularly like the chocolate crust.

My birthday girl seatmate, Sara Lizano, got a Happy Birthday Dessert Platter composed of Coconut Panna Cotta (P250), Nespresso Tiramisu (280), Flourless Chocolate Cake (P280), and Earl Grey Cream Brulee (P280).

I personally like the Earl Grey Cream Brulee, followed by the Nespresso Tiramisu because it’s a light- sweet finish to a delightful meal 🙂

Overall, we love the quality of their Japanese wagyu steaks which include the Sirloin, Chuckroll and even the Tomato Sukiyaki version. We also love the flavor of the meat when cooked over the lava stone.

I did not enjoy the ox tongue and the king prawn that much. And, I hope they will have more unique Japanese dessert selections.

This is highly recommended for romantic couples, foodie barkada, or people celebrating special occasions or milestones. Budget P4,000/head for the 9-course Kaiseki meal, or P2,500 if you are going for the sukiyaki.

Congratulations to Abi for a successful opening week of Magosaburo!

MAGOSABURO PHILIPPINES
Fort Pointe 2 Building, 28th street, The Fort, Taguig City, Philippines
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday 6.00pm to 11.00pm
Telephone: +632 856-1808
Reservations Email: reservations@magosaburo.com.ph
Website: www.magosaburo.com.ph (in development)
Facebook: Magosaburo Philippines

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Full Disclosure: Our meal is courtesy of Mangosaburo who hosted a by-invitation only media lunch. I wrote this blog post myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I have no business relationship with any company mentioned in this post or any organization promoting it. As a policy, I don’t receive compensation from food and travel places we feature in the blog.

P.S. Tip: You can probably insist to serve the rice together with the steak instead of serving it last.

6 thoughts on “MAGOSABURO MANILA: Mago Kaiseki & Japanese Wagyu Steak on Lava Stone with Wine Pairings!”

Atsushi Matsuura says:

July 20, 2013 at 3:21 am

Correction: “Assorted Namuru (Japanese Pickles)” This should be NAMUL which is a Korean dish and not Japanese. I don’t think NAMUL is even considered all pickled.
The wine in this restaurant is not kept the way it should be. You’d know if you’ve seen it.
Considering, I would stay away from the wine. At least for the mean time until they figure how to keep them properly.

Anton Diaz says:

July 20, 2013 at 7:28 am

Thanks for the comment! Yes, there’s a little bit of fusion of other cuisines into the menu.
Thanks for sharing that info about Namul and tip about the wine 🙂

Kelly says:

July 27, 2013 at 12:41 am

Try tanabe heard it is the best Japanese restaurant.

Atsushi Matsuura says:

July 30, 2013 at 1:12 am

Hello Kelly, thanks for the tip on Tanabe but it’s definitely not on my top 10 list.
Maybe it was a little bit too early for you to recommend that restaurant before you’ve tried other great restaurants out there.

Cavite Delicacies says:

July 30, 2013 at 3:36 pm

Ang mahal pero I think it’s worthit.

Ren says:

September 3, 2013 at 11:56 am

NAMURU is fine, I guess? Since it’s a borrowed word from Korean.

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6 thoughts on “MAGOSABURO MANILA: Mago Kaiseki & Japanese Wagyu Steak on Lava Stone with Wine Pairings!”

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