We first tried Saboten during a Saturday evening with the entire family. It was their soft opening. Ej and I were really excited to try Saboten. It was near our place so we got there at 7 pm for a dinner scheduled at 7:30 pm. We were anticipating the number of people who we knew would line up. True enough, when we got there, we were the 3rd in line (not too bad, actually).
Saboten from the outside looked very clean. I love the lights. The restaurant seemed to glow as compared to the other restaurants in Serendra. At around 7:30 pm, with lady luck on our side, we were seated and we were a group of 8 adults with Baby Z.
It was Baby Z’s 3rd month birthday, so we wanted to celebrate. It took a while before the waiters gave us the menu. We thought to ourselves, “sure, no problem. They must still be new to this”. We then ordered. The menu, by the way, was so classy and the pictures were so vivid and appetizing.
Saboten Serendra
After a while, our waiter came and he placed the utensils on top of the slightly wet table (since the waiters hurriedly wiped it after the customers who were seated before us left). Then the experience got worse when the chicken was dry and they charged us a corkage fee for the customized cake that we brought for Zeeka. We ended up not eating the cake at all :( I was surprised that a restaurant like theirs charged corkage for cakes like these. We are so used to bringing cakes to other restaurants and also so used to having waiters happily cut the cake and serve the slices to us.
Anyway, a week after, we got an apology letter from Saboten and they invited us to try eating their again. We love the food from the Raintree restaurants so we agreed. Full disclosure, they gave us Php 1000 to spend. We gave them another shot.
Much to our surprise, service was superb. Waiters were taking their time in assisting us and bowing at customers every time they left the table. They took their time in explaining the dishes to us and in answering our questions. We also observed how they treated the guests in the other tables and yes, they were consistent. They were not like this the first time we visited. Most of the guests now were smiling as compared to the last time. In all honesty, the service improved.
Saboten Appetizers
Saboten Meal set Unlimited Cabbage
Now for the food, I ordered the Saboten Specialty Course “Hana” Flower and again, a big improvement again from the first time we visited. It came with appetizers (on top of the unlimited cabbage salad), and also a scoop of ice cream. I loved the miso soup. I didn’t get the chance to take a picture, since I gulped it down. The meat was juicy and tender. There was really a noticeable difference. I loved it.
Saboten Specialty Course “Hana” Flower
Ej also loved the Katsu Curry Chicken Set, although he liked the “competitor’s” more. I thought there wasn’t much of a difference.
Saboten Katsu Curry Chicken Set
Here are the other dishes that you might want to try:
The Saboten Original Tenderloin set was what I ordered when I first visited.
Saboten The Original Tenderloin Set
Saboten Clay Pot Tenderloin Set
Check out the Saboten Clay Pit Tenderloin set. It was delicious. This was what my mom and dad ordered, and with this dish, they want to celebrate dad’s birthday in Saboten this coming week.
Overall, I like Saboten. Aside from the convenience of being there in 10 minutes, which might make me a frequent visitor, prices are pretty reasonable for the serving size. All the dishes that we ordered seem to be great.
How about you? Have you tried eating at Saboten? Any feedback that you would like to share? :)
Love lots,
Contact details:
Saboten Serendra
G/F Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, 1634 Taguig
Saboten Facebook Page
