A Fresh Market to Plate Dining Experience at Mitsukoshi’s Meat Kitchen

Gabbie and I went out for our usual evening walk and run sesh and by the time we were done, it was already 7 PM and we hadn’t eaten dinner yet. Since it’s Holy Week and we wanted to avoid meat, we thought it’d be nice to try a new seafood restaurant. |  |  | | - | - | _{Mitsukoshi Mall | Meat section} We didn’t mind walking around because we were counting our steps. We walked from Uptown Mall to Mitsukoshi Mall in BGC just to explore some options. Funny enough, we realized we’ve only had coffee and snacks at Mitsukoshi before and we never really had a proper meal so we decided to dine there. While walking, I saw a tarpaulin with a photo of Gambas al Ajillo near the supermarket and instantly told Gabbie that I want Gambas. So of course, we looked for it but we ended up at the supermarket itself 😂 Turns out, inside the meat section of Mitsukoshi Mall, there’s a hidden gem called **The Meat Kitchen** where you can buy fresh meat or seafood and have them cook it for you on the spot. Luckily they serve Gambas! We asked the staff just to be sure.  _{The Meat Kitchen Menu} **How it works:** **Step 1: Pick your meat or seafood.** Since we were craving Gambas, we grabbed shrimp from the meat section, just right beside The Meat Kitchen’s counter. They're priced by their weight. **Step 2: Choose your cooking method.** They have two categories: From the Grill (Japanese Wagyu, USDA Angus, Australian lamb, sausages, etc.) and House Specials (beef salpicao, buttered chicken, calamares, buttered garlic shrimp, and yes, Gambas!). Of course, we picked Gambas. The shrimp cost around Php 865 ($15.25 USD), but we got a discount and only paid Php 441 ($7.78 USD). The cooking fee was Php 380 ($6.70 USD) (based on weight). **Step 3: Add your extras.** They offer skewers, sides, sauces, and rice bowls. We added two bowls of Japanese rice at Php 80 ($1.41 USD) each. They don’t have drinks on the menu, but you can grab some from the supermarket and pay at the counter together with your order. We got bottled water and two cokes. All in all, we spent Php 1,066 ($18.80 USD) for our Gambas for sharing, two rice bowls, and drinks. We waited around 10 minutes, which didn’t feel long at all since we could watch the chef cook right in front of us. Seating was limited. There are 5 seats facing the kitchen, a long table good for around 8–10 people, and another counter for 4. While we were there, one family took the long table, and a few solo diners were enjoying their meals too. The staff were super friendly and nice. They guided us through the whole process since it was our first time. The chef even asked how our food was. He handed it to us personally since we were seated right in front of him 😄 Tbh, I expected the Gambas to be served in a paper container or something supermarket-style, the ones they use for to-go orders, but nope, it came on a hot plate. The rice was in proper bowls, and they even gave us chopsticks (it is a Japanese mall after all).  _{Gambas!!! 😋}  _{our Japanese rice} The Gambas? Soo good and spicy, just how I like it. I'd say it wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but it was pretty solid. Also, the serving size was huge. We totally forgot we bought over half a kilo of shrimp 😂 definitely good for sharing! I wouldn't recommend it for solo eating though, unless you're that hungry or you're okay taking out your leftovers. Would we go back? Absolutely! Can’t wait to try their other dishes next time.  _{Let's eat!!!} What made it memorable was the whole 'market to plate' experience inside Mitsukoshi. We had fun watching our food being cooked right in front of us. So if you want to try something like this, try this out. --- It's my first time trying a rating system on my foodie blog 😊 **Food:** ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I loved the spicy gambas! **Service:** 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Super accommodating staff. A+ for being helpful and polite! **Ambiance:** 🪑🪑🪑🪑 A bit tight on space but still cozy. Love the open kitchen setup.