The launch of the latest umami chicken craze from Filipino favorite Japanese cuisine chain, Tokyo Tokyo
Since it opened in the Philippines about 30 years ago, Tokyo Tokyo has made Japanese food accessible to everyone. But when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the strict health protocols deprived consumers of a “memorable and satisfying Japanese dining experience.”
Even with the challenges posed by the stringent restrictions, the country's number one Japanese restaurant chain couldn’t just go back on its mission to “serve its customers high-quality Japanese food as it aimed to bring Japan closer to Filipinos.”
In early November, the casual-dining restaurant launched the Umami Fried Chicken at its Trinoma Mall branch in Quezon City. It’s a version of Pinoy’s much-loved fried chicken with a distinct Japanese touch. The Umami Fried Chicken is made with three key ingredients, namely pepper, garlic, and ginger, all exuding the umami flavor.
Paired with delicious shiitake mushroom gravy with real mushroom bits and steaming rice, Umami Fried Chicken will have you taking a trip to Tokyo Tokyo for more.
“We wanted to introduce something familiar and loved by the Filipinos so that when they see Tokyo Tokyo but are still unfamiliar with it,” marketing director Ghena Austero enthuses, “they will still find something they are already very familiar with, which is the fried chicken. We just made sure that it has a Japanese twist to it that is true to our DNA as a Japanese restaurant.”
The Umami Fried Chicken is “something different from a familiar favorite,” but made crispier, juicier, and more flavorful. It is available through solo plates, bento meals, as well as platters at all Tokyo Tokyo stores but in Luzon only for the meantime.
Umami, contrary to public perception, is not monosodium glutamate, or MSG. “There is a natural umami flavor in most of the food that we have such as anchovies, mushrooms, and cheeses,” Austero explains.
Tokyo Tokyo has 70 food stores across the country. It also has about a hundred food trailers located in Metro Manila, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Laguna. Two trailers are opening in Cebu, the first two trailers outside of Luzon.
'...They will still find something they are already very familiar with, which is the fried chicken. We just made sure that it has a Japanese twist to it that is true to our DNA as a Japanese restaurant.'
“If before ‘yung customers ‘yung lumalapit sa amin para puntahan, bisitahin, kumain sa stores namin, ngayon mas malapit na kami sa kanila. Mas madali na nila kaming puntahan, mas madali na silang mag-order. Puwede na sila mag-order via takeout or puwede magpa-deliver,” the marketing chief shares.
There’s no cause to worry about the possible shortage of chickens nor the quality of its products due to the scarcity of raw materials, Austero assures: “We have a very good supply management team so they make sure that…we negotiate for the best possible price so that we are still able to maintain the quality that our customers are looking for because we don’t want to shortchange them.”
@tokyotokyophilippines