Monday, June 17, 2013

Snacking Around XU: Turning Japanese at Tokyo, Tokyo

Tokyo,Tokyo.The first fast food restaurant that has made Japanese food accessible here in the Philippines. I've been waiting for franchise to open in the city ever since I tried it in Manila and got hooked on affordable Japanese cuisine. I was glad to see someone brought it to Cagayan de Oro and it has found a home in Limketkai Mall.

Cagayan de Oro is no stranger to Japanese cuisine. Aside from several standalone restaurants in the city, Limketkai has two ramen restaurants, the high end Ramen Tei and the more casual Rai Rai Ken. However, Tokyo, Tokyo takes a different approach to their offerings. Their menu is a fusion of Japanese and Western fast food fare. From Shogun burgers, wasabi fries and California maki, it caters to a younger clientele who have been fed a regular diet of Japanese anime and manga and curious enough to sample the food they've read or seen on their entertainment media.

It is not authentic sushi, but it sure is colorful.

On my visit to Tokyo, Tokyo, I tried some of their snack offerings. I ordered some Americans rolls with onion rings and a glass of their signature red iced tea on the side. The rice rolls are examples of the Japanese-Western fusion I've mentioned earlier. Instead of raw fish, this is sushi made with ham and cream cheese. Instead of soy sauce and wasabi, it has some sort of sweet sauce and mayo as a dip. It was quite disappointing since It wasn't the fresh taste I expected. It was some sort of fancy substitute for people too timid to try actual Japanese food. The onion rings were better and looked appetizing enough, but biting into it, it didn't had the crisp I was looking for in rings.It would in a pinch but I've had better rings.

I like how their onion rings look but it lacked crisp.

Still, Tokyo, Tokyo has some gems. Their Shogun burger is the best fast food burger I've had in Cagayan de Oro. The bun tasted refresh with actual poppy seeds on it. The beef was also satisfying as was the onion rings that totally made the burger. I had it on an earlier  visit and I would definitely have it again. They still have more menu items that were interesting, especially some rice meals and toppings suitable for lunch, so I definitely would be coming back.

Are you curious enough to try some accessible fast food with a modern Japanese twist? Visit Tokyo, Tokyo on the second floor of Limketkai Mall.

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