Pepper Lunch

This is my second time to have lunch at Pepper Lunch. Just a brief background, Pepper Lunch is a “fast-steak” restaurant that originated in Japan. Their first branch in the Philippines, located at Power Plant mall, opened 3 years ago. One gets to cook their own food over a patented electromagnetic plate that is heated up to 260 degrees Celsius within a minute. The plate also allows the food to stay hot for a longer time compared to standard “sizzling” plates. Choice cuts of meat such as beef, chicken, pork, salmon, and shrimp are served with rice and vegetables for diners to cook and season using a variety of flavors such as honey brown sauce and garlic soy sauce. A dash of freshly ground pepper is also added to give a delicious, flavor-filled meal.

Pepper Lunch is ALWAYS full. I don’t know if it’s just at their Greenbelt 5 branch or with other branches too. We went there at 1 pm and we still had to wait to be seated. By 2pm there was still a long line of people waiting for a seat. Thankfully, we were able to get good seats. Whenever I pass by Pepper Lunch, I always see a long queue of people lining up for a meal. That alone got me curious. Why would people line up for this when there are actually a lot of other restaurants nearby? And then when I first tried their dishes, it was an “ahh” moment. Now, I totally understand. They have really delicious meals that are totally worth the wait!
The first dish I tried here was their bestseller, Beef Pepper Rice. This time, I tried Beef Yakiniku (P225) with mushroom soup. Yakiniku actually means “grilled meat”. Usually at Pepper Lunch, you have to add some sauce to make the dish more flavorful. But with Beef Yakiniku, there is no need to add any because it uses its own special sauce. When eating here, you have to mix the rice with the meat and vegetables as soon as it was served on the table. This allows the meat to cook evenly. Anyway, I find this dish very flavorful. I love its sweet, slightly peppery taste. The sauce is really perfect for the dish. As for the mushroom soup, I didn’t like the spring onion that they included. However, I am so relieved that it wasn’t as salty as when I first tried it. But when it comes to mushroom soup, my favorite still has to be Shakey’s.
I was also able to taste Cha Han (P285), which has shrimp, chicken, and beef. You have to add some sauce based on your preference. It looks really yummy but Rhalph and I both prefer the taste of Beef Yakiniku over it.
When it comes to their serving size, I’d say it is just right. When you get a taste of their dishes, you’d probably feel that you should have every mouthful to yourself. Haha! When it comes to their service, the attendants are quite attentive to your needs and they have good customer service. Aside from their good service, they also make it a point to keep the area neat and clean. Overall, perfect ambiance for a great lunch!