THEY SAY A restaurant is one of the hardest businesses to keep afloat. With so much competition and customers? ever-changing tastes and appetite, innovation is any budding restaurant?s must-have ingredient for success?something that Jozu Kin has captured to a tee.
Combining authentic Japanese cuisine with more experimental ones, Jozu Kin is one of the newly opened establishments in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. It?s situated in the still undiscovered Burgos Circle, a small, secluded nook that?s looking to be the site of fine, upscale dining.
While its location is still mostly unheard of, its owner certainly isn?t?VJ Villavicencio, eldest son of VicVic Villavicencio of the Kamayan-Saisaki-Dad?s chain.
VJ, however, has steered himself away from his father?s trademark success in the buffet-style eateries and has concentrated more on his own interests: Fine dining and Japanese food?hence, the creation of Jozu Kin.
Literally meaning ?skillful gold,? Jozu Kin is the upscale version of Jozu, the first Japanese niche restaurant VJ opened in Tomas Morato. It has been running for two years.
?Since [Jozu Kin] is at the Fort, I wanted to cater to a different market,? says VJ. From ingredients to cooking tools, VJ was able to fly in premium materials needed to create an upscale, modern Japanese restaurant with both authentic and experimental dishes.
?It?s 21st-century Japanese, not fusion,? says VJ. ?We never go over-the-top with our dishes, to the point that [the customer] will say that it?s no longer Japanese.?
VJ, together with Jozu Kin?s in-house chef from New York, Chef Jayme, flavors in the 21st century into their dishes by adding different influences from different cuisines without compromising the integrity of the Japanese taste.
?I?m very strict about the quality?the freshness, which is what I like about Japanese food,? says VJ.
One of his bestsellers is a perfect example of how Jozu Kin marries Japanese cuisine with other styles of cooking: The Tartufo Hotate, a pan-seared scallop with asparagus shiitake mushroom and truffled brown butter, seared rare to preserve the scallop?s sweetness. The truffle sauce, says VJ, is just a side addition. ?But it?s really the sweetness that we preserved,? he adds.
Even their pasta does not lose the restaurant?s Japanese authenticity. The Kurokusho Pasta, for instance, has black tobiko, or fermented flying fish roe. An ingredient that?s usually in sushi, it had caught VJ?s attention because ?it looked like caviar.?
For beef lovers, there?s the Matsusaka Gyu (Matsusaka beef traditionally seared on teppan) and Tenderloin Foie Gras (also traditionally seared on teppan), among others.
Even the rice dishes have some tweaks, which give them a more interesting taste. The Pan Fried Foie Gras with Hatchimitzu Glaze is mango-sushi rice topped with honey-glazed duck liver and mango puree.
Jozu Kin also has its share of salads for health-conscious clients. Recommended is the Ushi Ebi Sunburst, a mix of fresh fruits like strawberries, grapes, apples, oranges and blueberries, and grilled prawn tossed in with balsamic vinaigrette.
While the 21st-century Japanese dishes make up around 40 percent of Jozu Kin?s menu, the other 60 percent are still the traditional, authentic dishes like tempura, sashimi, tuna and maki.
VJ requires that the shrimp in the Ushi Ebi Tempura be larger than usual. That way, he says, the customers actually see the shrimp and do not get overwhelmed with too much breading. Jozu Kin also makes its own fresh wasabi.
And just like any fine dining establishment, Jozu Kin?s presentation makes the food even more delectable. Everything is plated?whether it?s maki, sushi, sashimi, salad or pasta.
The restaurant also veers away from the usual Oriental interiors associated with Japanese eateries. Instead, it exudes a snazzy, New York vibe. A part of the wall is covered in bricks, while the rest are padded and leather-upholstered. Hardwood tables and more leather-upholstered chairs in black and dark brown complete Jozu Kin?s traditional-meets-modern look.
?In a way, it also symbolizes Jozu Kin?s combination of the old and new,? VJ says.
With his longtime plan to open a fine dining Japanese restaurant finally in place, VJ is taking things nice and slow with Jozu Kin, easing it little by little into the dining public?s awareness.
?I?m letting people get used to the food,? he says. ?We have gone the extra mile for this; yes, it?s a Japanese restaurant, but you?ll also get the best of all worlds.?
