Some restaurants we try out of curiosity. If we don’t like the food or the service, or if the prices are way out of proportion with the quality of the food, we don’t go back. If we like the food, service and price, the restaurant becomes a habit. Jipan is one those habits. We’ve been Jipan customers since Sam and Alex were toddlers, and we’re still happy Jipan customers ’till now.
Yesterday, we were at the SM Megamall to buy a new school bag for Sam, Sam asked where we’d have lunch, I tried to think of a good but inexpensive place and Jipan was the first name that came to mind. If you’ve never heard of Jipan, it is a bakery and coffee shop on the ground flour of SM Megamall’s Building B. It’s a small place, less than ten tables for four (most customers go there to buy bread) but, my goodness, the food is so very, very good.
And I’m not just talking about the bread which, though a bit pricey than those found on supermarket shelves, are truly artisan stuff. The owner has an aversion for margarine (there is a poster on the wall that says margarine is one molecule away from plastic) so Jipan bread is made with real butter. The taste and aroma prove it.
But we weren’t at Jipan to buy bread yesterday; we were there to eat lunch. And what was lunch?
For Speedy, it was the katsu sandwich. Tonkatsu (see my chicken version) between slices of Jipan bread. I had a bite and it was wonderful. Still crisp panko coating the meat and just the right amount of thick sweet-salty sauce.
Sam ordered her usual — ebi tempura udon. She gets that on practically every visit to Jipan. So it must be good. Sam is a harsh food critic. Very harsh.
Thinking I was very hungry, I ordered a full meal which was preceded by miso soup topped with fried tempura batter.
I had never ordered a full meal at Jipan before (I’ve always chosen ramen or udon) and I was quite unprepared for the size of the meal.
Sukiyaki-cut beef flash fried in sweet soy sauce, vegetable tempura, cubes or fish fillet, salad, eggplants and rice. I was very hungry but, gee, one look and I knew I wouldn’t be able to finish all of it. So, I asked Speedy to share it with me. After all, he only had a sandwich. Surely, he had enough space in his stomach for a portion of my gargantuan meal…?? Okay, he did. And we loved every item in the bento box. So, soooo delectable.
Speedy looks happy, doesn’t he?
And the price? All that food plus Sam’s iced tea (Speedy and I had the free house genmaicha) cost P590.00. Like USD13.00.
We love Jipan.
ahhhh….Jipan….their commissary/bakery is in a hidden street in san juan between shell and honda shaw….breads are 50% ’round closing time 5pm…..so if you’re lucky you can get the famous Monroe bread…think a whole loaf like a croissant…..its the butter…always the butter that’ll make you coming back for it
If only we lived in the area, I’d be there before 5 everyday.
I loooooooove Jipan’s Monroe bread! It may have gotten pricey but it’s worth it!!!!
filing Jipan under
“restos whose portion size don’t change even if prices go up a bit”
this is our default resto whenever we’re in glorietta! yummy food and bread!
Richard, yaaaahhh, true. And they don’t scrimp on the ingredients either.
Cai, I still haven’t located the Glorietta branch.
it’s on the 2nd floor of glorietta 4 (i think) near italianni’s beside sakura
Thanks, Cai!
Ms. Connie, this is my favorite Megamall resto too! I started habitually eating at Jipan when I started working for the nearby devt. bank. When I saw that most of the Japanese expat bank employees ate there during lunch time, I told myself, ay, this must be the real deal. I’ve been loyal to Jipan since then, next favorite resto ko naman ay Mei Lin (aka Pot and Noodle house) now relocated at Megamall Atrium. Same thing.. I saw the Chinese expat bank staff eating there too kaya sinubukan ko rin.
Mei Lin is where they make hand-pulled noodles, right?
Yes, that’s it.
They serve wonderful fried isaw there hehehehe
thanks for all these resto reviews ms connie.. im making a mental note for when im next home… places for good eats xx
Gigi, restos change their cooks and management, okay? Jipan has been consistent, so far, but it’s always worth considering that it might not be the same 10 years from now.
Ms. Connie, try their chicken sandwich !!! You may think what’s so special about their chicken sandwich …. its the BEST I’ve tasted !!!!!
I was actually going to order a sandwich last Tuesday but I thought I was SO HUNGRY that I needed a huge meal hehehehe
They don’t always have it (and it has been two years since I was home so maybe they don’t have it anymore), but if you go to Jipan, ask if they have the Kouign Amann, a breton based sticky/custardy/bread, it’s loaded with butter and sugar and full of happy thoughts (at least that’s how I feel when I’m eating one!). It’s great even when cold!
Oh gosh, saw that on tv. Puff pastry with sugar between layers then stuffed into muffin pans and baked till brown. I’ve been thinking about making it at home since I didn’t know where I could get some.
Hello everyone! I have been passing through this store whenever I go to Glorietta since it’s the way to SM if you’re going to the MRT station. And I have been ignoring it. I had accidentally got into this blog article and read it! Since then, I have been craving for everything you peeps have been talking about. So I decided to go to Glorietta and tried it. The bread counter area is too narrow and I had a hard time carrying my stuff and the tray while choosing what to buy because you also need to bend to see the ones on the lower shelves. There is this instance when I was trying to get the mini croissant in the huge breadbox and I can’t open it easily because there are some packed ones on top. Suddenly, an old woman approached and helped me. She was speaking half English/half Filipino and has a different accent. I think that woman is the owner. Anyways, I bought 1 croissant, 1 blueberry muffin and if I’m not mistaken, it’s called monroe pan… (it’s like 3 small rolls in one and has different fillings: strawberry, chocolate and custard) The blueberry muffin is okay, somewhat buttery, not moist, well, not really the type I wanted (the best one I tasted was the “Otis Spunkmeyer” that I got from my niece from their flight from Hawaii) the monroe pan’s bread is so soft, but I don’t like the taste of the filling except for the strawberry filling bread part that I liked. And the croissant, it was excellent! It was soooo heavenly! I came back the next day (which was yesterday) to buy some again. This time I chose 2 mini croiossant ( I gave one to my brother when I got home and he was soo pleased), and the other one is a big chunk of a bread topped with blueberry and has cheesecake on the middle. I was about to go out of the store when I spotted a bread with a weird name “Kouni Aman” and remembered what “MIla”, recommended you to buy. I immediately grab and paid for it! I’ll eat it later.
Wow! Amazingly delicious! I had just eaten the “Kouni Aman” I bought yesterday and it was heavenly! I could even pass for a commercial audition when I was eating it—- I close my eyes in every bite.
I love it that you love jipan. its been our comfort food for a decade and half. and youre so right that its very consistent. their kakiage udon when i was 13 is still the same after 15 years. and their staff is great too. they remember regular customers and their favorites (or maybe because i literally grew up with them hehe).
their price increase had been very minimal and the size are still the same. my aunt calls their udon bowl, plangana but we always managed to finish it. sarap!
wow! restaurants are definitely more expensive here. =(