Aired (March 30, 2025): Join Chef JR Royol as he experiences the Japanese vibes and food offerings of Zen Zen Japanese Food Hall located at Alfonso, Cavite! Watch this episode now.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Interiors, small dining spaces,
00:03this is what we're used to seeing in modern Japanese restaurants in Metro Manila.
00:08That's different from the dining experience of a Japanese cafe in Alfonso Cavite.
00:17Your concept, out of everything you can execute, why Japanese?
00:24It comes from a personal place.
00:26I'm a big fan of Japanese food and our family.
00:29Japanese culture.
00:30You can clearly see the entrance.
00:32But when you think of Japanese cuisine, Japanese culture,
00:39what I'm thinking of is a different look.
00:43Okay.
00:44Because when you enter here, the greenhouse is beautiful.
00:48That's the feel, right?
00:50We're after the greenhouse effect.
00:52That's exactly what we're looking for.
00:55You're right, when you think of a Japanese restaurant,
00:58it's Izakaya.
00:59Dark, black.
01:01A bit tight.
01:02Correct.
01:03Food.
01:04That's the right city experience of restaurants in Japan.
01:08That's really authentic.
01:10But we wanted to show an alternative experience that fits the surroundings.
01:14We'll take advantage of the cool weather,
01:17the beautiful rolling hills,
01:19the trees of our environment,
01:22which is very Japanese.
01:24When you go out of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka,
01:27these are the places that Japanese people like to go to.
01:31When you go out of the city, it's bright.
01:33So we have ramen here.
01:35We have Maki.
01:36That's the Ebi Dragon Maki.
01:38Okay.
01:39That's the bestseller.
01:40Almost every table that goes to Zenzen would have one.
01:43That's our specialty roll because it has fried tempura inside.
01:47Okay.
01:48So it marries the best features of California Maki and tempura.
01:52Tempura.
01:53The texture is amazing, chef.
01:54If you notice, it has crunch.
01:56Yes.
01:57It also has umami.
01:59Yes, of course.
02:00And I didn't save the crab meat on top.
02:03Yeah.
02:04The umami that you're talking about, I got it.
02:06Oh, I'm happy to hear that, chef.
02:08The rice is already tasty.
02:09Nice.
02:10And then as you bite into the perfectly cooked shrimp,
02:14the bounce of its cooking is also beautiful.
02:18Of course, when we talk about Japanese food,
02:20as I said, it's stereotypical.
02:22Yeah.
02:23Our ramen will not be missing.
02:24Of course.
02:25This is our black garlic shoyu tonkotsu ramen.
02:28Tonkotsu.
02:38With this bowl and our Maki,
02:42I can already guess your dedication to that quality.
02:48Right?
02:49Yeah.
02:50So we have a Donburi section.
02:51Donburi would be your Japanese rice bowls.
02:53Okay.
02:54It comes with a side of miso soup, which you've been enjoying earlier.
02:57I've been craving this for a while.
02:58With some stir-fried veg and then some pickled ginger.
03:03That's the seasoning that has an impact on Filipino cuisine.
03:07Their love for sweet sauce.
03:10Yeah.
03:11Definitely.
03:12Definitely.
03:13And then our bestseller in the udon line is this beef sukiyaki udon.
03:16Oh.
03:17You might want to mix the yolk, chef.
03:19Yeah.
03:20Because that's a critical part to make the sauce more rich.
03:23Yeah.
03:24Let's have a slurp.
03:28Mmm.
03:29Mmm.
03:30It's a spot that's delicious to hit once in a while.
03:35Yeah.
03:36There's a simplicity in combining salty and sweet.
03:42But the base is a very savory broth.
03:46Correct.
03:48This is our strawberry shortcake in a cube version.
03:52So you serve it like this?
03:54Yes.
03:55Some people take it home.
03:56Yes.
03:57That's nice.
03:58So we wanted it to be compact.
04:00Let's see if we can sit on the roof.
04:04It's like we're in heaven.
04:06The dish is so sweet.
04:08I'm happy to see that what we intended to hit,
04:12a not-too-sweet, texture-focused strawberry shortcake
04:16that actually highlights the strawberry flavor.