Chibi’s Kitchen is a fairly new restaurant in Evia Lifestyle Center, a budding new development beside Alabang. Chibi’s Kitchen specializes in Japanese home cooking. I know the word “Chibi” from anime to connote with the super deformed stye of drawing.
I was so surprised when I got to Evia how beautiful it looked. I felt I was transported to a Southwestern US themed locale with many bricks facades.
The ground floor of Chibi’s Kitchen has high counter style tables while the 2nd floor has couches and bar type seating facing the ground floor. There’s also a little food and gift shop inside Chibi’s kitchen where they sell well curated food stuff from Japan.
The cutest item on the shelves is this Kokeshi Bento (P750) available in Waka (Boy/blue) and Hime (Girl/Pink) variants.
Chibi’s Kitchen serves a variety of teishokus (meal set) which includes one main dish, bowl of rice, salad, miso soup and the side dish of the week.
The first tray to come out was the Chicken Karaage (P290), crispy Japanese style fried chicken. It’s a beautiful tray filled with lots of greens to balance out the main dishes. The salad has a soy based vinaigrette to get your taste buds going. The appetizer for that week was Yasai no Ankake (vegetables in thick sauce) and Chawan Mushi, I much preferred the vegetables.
- Here’s a chicken karaage recipe you can do at home – Kitchen Tales: Chicken Karaage.
All the following dishes are teishoku but I’ve focused on the main dishes as the accompany bowls are all the same as the Chicken Karaage.
The most unique dish I tried at Chibi’s Kitchen was the Takoyaki Karaage (P290). Chicken Karaage meets Takoyaki, fried chicken drizzled with mayo and takoyaki sauce then finished off with curling bonito flakes. The fried chicken pieces get a nice boost in flavor from sweet, salty and umami toppings.
Sanma Shioyaki (P270), grilled Pacific saury, a very common dish in many restaurants offered most of time for lunch. My dad and mom loves this and even buys them in Japanese groceries. 
Beef Curry Rice (P310). This teishoku is a bit different as the main dish and rice are served in one plate. Beef strips simmered in curry sauce with onion and carrots, served with gari (pickled ginger) on the side. The curry was good but nothing special.
Buta No Kakuni (P290), slow cooked pork belly in soy sauce. Served with a boiled egg, vegetables and a squeeze of mustard. One of the best I’ve had, a perfect blend of sweet and salty that really plays to my taste buds. The pork belly was meaty yet super tender and this will really cause you to eat way more rice than you plan on eating. (speaking from experience)
Nikujaga (P310). This is a classic Japanese home cooking dish of slice beef with potatoes that I’ve never encountered before. Tasty and comforting, a very nice dish to spread over plain rice.
The Gyoza and Chahan Teishoku (P300). The chahan was nice so I suggest you order the chahan (P125) separately or pick another teishoku instead. The gyoza could use a bit of improvement, the skin was a bit too thick and not as well executed.
Gyudon Donburi Set (P220). Their donburi (rice toppings) also come with soup, side dish and salad making these the best deals in Chibi’s Kitchen. The give the sliced beef and onion classic a little twist with a cooked runny egg (raw egg usually) and a sprinkling of togarashi powder.
One of their new specials was the Saba Misoni Teishoku (P350), mackerel simmered in miso.
Japanese Weiner (P270). These pan fried Japanese sausages have a nice snap with a meaty flavor. My pick for best side dish at Chibi’s.
Chibi’s Kitchen features food that is familiar in Japanese households but not so familiar in our dining scene. Each meal is a complete set so they are great value for money. My picks for the best things to order are the Takoyaki Karaage, Buta No Kakuni and the Japanese weiner. This is perfect place for the people that live near the area or if ever you pass by and want to explore Evia Lifestyle Center.
Chibi’s Kitchen
G/F Everyday Building, EVIA Lifestyle Center Evia City, Las Pinas Operating Hours: 11am to 9pm daily Contact No.: (632) 887-0148Facebook Page: Chibi’s Kitchen
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