Since it opened last year in Manila, this place has been packing in crowds, particularly big families. This has been the appeal of Pepper lunch to the public...its novelty . Pepper Lunch has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a " lonely man's eatery " in Japan several years ago. In fact my son, Iggy said when he was in Japan a few years back.. he has tried this and he loves it. I grew up in a carnivorous family wherein most of our meals consisted of MEAT MEAT MEAT... so the idea of trying out a restaurant that specialized in meat was a welcome treat for me!
At Pepper Lunch... you cannot reserve a table ahead of your order. You have to fall in line first, have your order taken at the counter and ONLY then a table number is provided. While waiting in line, I started to look at what I was going to order.... was it going to be the YAWARAKA LOIN STEAK or the SHIMOFURI PEPPER STEAK.... well... at the end... I chose the SHIMOFURI which was rib-eye steak. One tip for all of you who haven't eaten at Pepper Lunch... try to go there early ... meaning... 11:00 am for lunch and 6:00 pm for dinner... YOU will surely get a table as you order your meal.
It is simple and it is ... FUN!!!! Whether you go for their steaks ( like I do ), salmon, chicken or pork.... YOU can be a CHEF here at Pepper Lunch! Although the meat is already tasty in itself, diners can make it spicier or sweeter by sprinkling the sizzling dish either with AMAKUCHI (honey soy sauce) or their KARACUCHI (garlic soy sauce).
Don't forget to spread the secret brown pepper butter on your slab of meat. Although I liked the way it was served... I wish they serve extra butter for people like me who would like their steaks juicier. Another plus point for PEPPER LUNCH is that your meal is served in 10 minutes... THAT IS WHAT I CALL GOOD SERVICE!!!!
My steak was served on a hot plate. Not just any ordinary hot plate -- Pepper Lunch uses a patented technology that heats up to 260 degrees so you can cook your meat, and keeps your food hot without burning. I noticed that this pan is non-stick, so there is no danger of your food sticking to the metal.
My son, Iggy and his wife Cris, tried the Combo Cut Steak & Hamburger and they said that it was very good...
The meats arrive sizzling. There are instructions printed on the paper that shields you from the metal pan. Basically, when you are served your meal, you are supposed to slather the flavored butter across the meat and cook it to your desired done-ness...... which I preferred to cook it .... RARE... or what you may call.. " SLIGHTLY DEAD " !!...
The best sellers include the SHIMOFURI ( rib-eye ) steak which costs 610 PHP, Cut Steak and Hamburger Combo which costs 320 PHP. Their BEEF PEPPER RICE which costs 198 PHP is considered also a " must try " here.....They also have other flavors like Curry Beef, Chicken, Pork, Salmon and Unagi Pepper Rice... I liked the taste of pepper in the rice and the combination I chose which was the Beef Pepper Rice.
They also have what they call " shake shake salads " which costs 98 PHP each and their flavors are...... Sesame Chicken, Seaweed, Kani and Spicy Tuna. I tried the Seaweed salad.. it was very good! You literally shake the glass to mix the greens. They come in plastic green glasses with dome lids, the kind usually used for smoothies.
If you want your food well-done, you can leave it on the plate until it cools. If you prefer it medium-well, you can either set aside the meat in another plate or place it on top of their vegetables. Each dish comes with a generous serving of Japanese rice and veggies. I also found out that their rice, special sauces and butter are imported from Japan.. their meat comes from New Zealand and Australia.... and their salmon from Norway.
We tried also one of their desserts which was the MOLTEN MILK CHOCOLATE CAKE which costs 120 PHP. It was served warm and it was very moist! Just the way I like it ! This is one of the popular desserts at Pepper Lunch.
Pepper Lunch has 4 branches now in the Philippines... Power Plant Mall at Rockwell and another one at the Greenbelt 5 Mall in Makati, Shangri-la Plaza Mall in Ortigas and Alabang Town Center in Alabang.
If you haven't tried Pepper Lunch yet..... what are you waiting for.... Let's all go and try PEPPER LUNCH!!
PEPPER LUNCH
Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center
tel. nos. 895 6185
Greenbelt 5 ( second floor )
Phase 1
Shangri-la Plaza Mall
Lower basement
tel. nos. 634 3231
Alabang Town Center
Corte de los Palmas ( second floor )
tel. nos. 856 7062
