Foodtrip with Chef JR Royol at Zen Zen Japanese Food Hall! | Farm To Table - video Dailymotion

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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.  For more Farm to Table Highlights, click the link: https://shorturl.at/JiWPM

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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.

Foodtrip with Chef JR Royol at Zen Zen Japanese Food Hall! | Farm To Table

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