Tori Chizu: Comfort food with a Japanese twist

MANILA, Phiippines – Japanese baked rice or doria is as comforting as comfort food can get. Filling, flavorful, and topped with cheese, it’s the kind of dish that will help you along on a stressful day or when you’re especially hungry.

The appeal of a serving of Japanese baked rice was not lost on Tori Chizu, a restaurant that opened in December at SM Megamall. The brightly-lit and buzzy space is a good introduction to all the exciting dishes they have on their menu.

There is, of course, their selection of Japanese baked rice, which comes in a variety of flavors, all served on top of cheese-covered baked rice: chicken chizu curry, sesame fish, spicy tomato shrimp, kani takoyaki, and beef yakiniku. Of course, the star of their baked rice menu is the Tori Chizu original chicken: chicken chunks covered in teriyaki sauce and baked with melted mozzarella cheese and bechamel.

Served on hot plates the baked rice dishes are the food equivalent of a warm hug on a sad, cold night. The Tori Chizu original chicken, in particular, is something you’ll probably crave, no matter what your mood is.

Aside from the baked rice, Tori Chizu also serves up dishes that have definite comfort food potential. There’s the umami fried chicken, which can be ordered as an 8-, 6-, or 3-piece chicken rack or served as a meal with rice. The crispy, juicy chicken pieces are a good contender to be your go-to fried chicken.

For sandwich lovers, there’s also the Hambagu Sandwich: a juicy meat patty served with tomatoes and shredded cabbage in between two pieces of bread.

They also serve Mazamen, a brothless ramen topped of with bacon bits, corn, spring onions, and a soft-boiled egg. The dish is all at once creamy and savory, and tastes both familiar and new.

For dessert, they offer a milky cheese soft serve, which may just be the perfect thing to finish your meal off with.

With prices that range from P145 to P175 for the baked rice, P89 to P145 for the other meals, and P195 to P495 for the chicken racks, Tori Chizu won’t burn a hole in your pocket – which makes it rank even higher on the comfort food scale.

Which dish from Tori Chizu would you love to try? Sound off in the comments! – Rappler.com

Tori Chizu can be found be found at the Ground level, SM Megamall A, Mandaluyong. To find out more, check out Facebook.com/ToriChizuPH.