Teriyaki romance at John and Yoko

It was a lazy sunday afternoon, perfect time to watch a movie and Life of Pi is showing in theaters. I BBMed a good friend from her rabbit hole and just like that, all was set. I tagged along with her and her little sister's Alabang trip and a company of three who loves to eat and watch good films made a Sunday afternoon awesome.

I can go on and tell you about how brilliant a film Life of Pi is, but this is a blog about my love for food so we are talking about my Chiken Teriyaki Roll at John and Yoko. It's Japanese food today, ladies and gentlemen.

Let's start with the restaurant name. I think it's pretty creative coming up with pop culture couple for a restaurant name. It gives it a good recall. When I first heard about it from a cousin, I wondered if it's a fusion of English and Japanese food but the emphasis was actually on Yoko. The actual feel inside the place was a bit eccentric with its dim red lighting and Safari-inspired chairs. Before you forget that you are in a Japanese restaurant amidst leopard, snake, tiger, and zebra prints on the chairs, you will have a hushed Japanese film flashed on the red velvet-covered wall. I realized that the red interior would stimulate appetite and conversation, according to the psychology of colors.

Japanese Safari?

Now on to my Chicken Teriyaki Roll. I was full that time after having my lunch to my new favorite fast food chain (I'm not going to reveal it yet because I want to blog about it in the coming days; it toppled Mang Inasal) so I settled to just take it easy with a light typical item you'll see in a Japanese restaurant. It was good, the roll. I am a new convert to Japanese cuisine and I'm still trying to enjoy one food creation at a time (not to mention that I still need to hone my skills in using the chop sticks).

Chicken teriyaki roll

The rolls came in cubic layers (so they are not rolls, form-wise) of Japonica rice, dried seaweed called nori, with teriyaki chiken and a slice of ripe mango in the middle. They were accented by black and white sesame seeds and minced green onion leaves. The small dice of this sushi creation didn't disappoint, especially after I dipped it in soy sauce with chili powder. I was reminded by my friend from the rabbit hole, as she is an expert in characte-rice-ing, about the "springiness" of the rice used. According to her, it's that quality of being firm on the outside and soft on the inside, such that when you take a bite, like the gummy bears, it somewhat returns to its original shape. I think it's the stickiness of the rice that let's you enjoy the blend of flavors of the mango, nori, and teriyaki chicken. You got to give it to the Japanese for their being meticulous in paying attention with details -- from the preparation to the flavor of their food. I have to start learning how to dip it in a sauce with wasabi, though. I still can't enjoy that weird green paste in my food. A single serving with six more-than-bite-sizes of the teriyaki roll was PhP 208. Pretty reasonable for the nice place and good customer service.

How do you say "yum" in Japanese?

Four burps in Japanese accent (if there's a sound like that) for John and Yoko Cosmopolitan Japanese Resto's Chicken Teriyaki Roll.