Japanese food will forever hold a special place in my heart. So, when I heard about a new Japanese restaurant that opened in San Juan, I knew that I had to go there, rainy evening be damned. The name of this place? Shizuka Cafe.
The cafe gets its name from Japanese word shizuka, which can mean two things:
1. Quiet and Silent
2. Calm and Peaceful
... and this is what this little restaurant slash coffee shop exudes. Located at the quiet part of San juan called Little Baguio, Shizuka Cafe employs deaf and mute employees in order to give equal opportunities for everyone. Customers can interact with them using sign language or hand gestures, and each one of them is happy and willing to help you with a smile. Shizuka Cafe is also equipped with all the coffee shop essentials: Wi-Fi, coffee brewed with local beans, and hearty dishes and desserts.
Their selection of food and drink features local ingredients, paired with a touch of Japanese elements. Shizuka Cafe doesn't call itself authentic, but it does serve homemade comfort food that is simple, and at the same time familiar.
These were my favorite dishes, which you definitely need to try:
1. Pork Gyoza (₱150): 5 pieces of pot stickers. These Japanese dumplings are shaped differently from the usual crescent-moon ones, but that only means more filling to go around! I also enjoyed the contrast between the crunchy bottom and the soft skin encasing a well-seasoned ground pork and leek mixture. And if you try it with their sour-salty soy sauce and vinegar sauce... the meaty taste just comes alive!
2. Onion Tempura (₱125): crispy onion tempura served with Wasabi aioli. Despite being deep-fried, which is normally greasy and messy fun, their version was surprisingly light. It's the kind that you can pull apart with your hands. And props to the chef— it did not have a rancid aftertaste at all!
Scared of spicy stuff? Don't worry. This one is tempered down, all thanks to the creamy sauce. You'll only get the ghost of the wasabi flavor.
3. Tori HBS (₱210): crispy chicken tossed in a honey butter soy glaze with sous vide egg over rice. Loved the consistency and taste of the chicken— it had that nice crunch to it, all thanks to the batter, and the sauce was a good mix of sweet and buttery, made even better with the addition of soy sauce. That way, it isn't too rich or heavy.
4. Katsu Sando (₱190): breaded pork menchi katsu coated in house tonkatsu sauce. This sandwich may sound basic, but in terms of flavor, it really packs a punch. The sour-salty tonkatsu sauce just coats each slab of breaded pork, which is encased in thin slices of white bread (with no crust too!) so all you get is meat, meat, meat! And speaking of meat, did I mention how soft and lean the pork is? Simply divine.
5. Big Breakfast (₱230): pancakes, Italian sausages and Scrambled eggs. It's the quintessential elements of every breakfast— hearty and filling. If I could compare this deck, I would say it mimics the flavors of a Mc Donald's breakfast in a way that it is comforting and familiar. Also, bonus is that they use pork for the sausage patty, so I could enjoy it to my heart's content.
And what goes well with something salty? A sweet fluffy treat in the form of their pancakes! Best enjoyed with tons of syrup for a sweet tooth such as myself, though I would love it 100 times more if the pancakes were the fluffy, jiggly kind. Maybe for another time?
6. Nori Mac n' Cheese (₱190): shell Macaroni in mozzarella, cheddar and Parmesan cream cheese sauce served with crispy Nori, and with a touch of seven spices. Now, I'm a fan of Mac n' Cheese, so this piqued my interest. Taste-wise, it's super cheesy, and even comes with that gooey stretch from the mozzarella.I appreciated the addition of spices, which made it less overwhelming, compared to the usual rich mac n' cheeses. The crunchy Nori on top was a real treat too for that extra crunchy little something in between bites!
On the other hand, these were the other dishes served to us:
1. Nachos (₱180): crispy wonton wrappers with a 3 cheese sauce and a soy bolognese, topped with parmesan cheese. This was a crowd favorite among my fellow foodies, but since I do not eat beef, I wouldn't know how it tasted, although I made do with some pieces that didn't have any beef sauce on them, and it did taste good. Using wontons was a novel idea because it was light, not as tough as other chips and not too greasy.
2. Gyu Salpicao (₱290): beef tenderloin in garlicky salpicao with sous vide egg over rice. Another crowd favorite, but I couldn't taste this because I swore off eating beef forever.
3. Tori Pesto Sandwich (₱165): freshly grilled chicken and shiitake tossed in Pesto sauce
4. Tori Salad (₱180): mixed greens with grilled chicken and a Miso balsamic vinaigrette
5. Tori Tebasaki (₱155): chicken wings glazed with a sambal soy glaze.
Drinks and desserts include these bestsellers, which I really enjoyed:
1. Cold Brew Latte (₱108 for 6oz, ₱128 for 22oz): barako coffee made cold brew so it doesn't have that sour, acidic aftertaste. Sweetened with syrup, made creamy with milk in layers of white and brown, topped with whipped cream.
2. Strawberry Sakerita: loose-leaf chamomile tea and strawberries, sake and a salted rim cup. It's a light alcoholic drink that is sour and refreshing— dubbed by some as a "Ladies Drink", though I beg to differ. I, a lady, do enjoy a hard drink or two from time to time after all. But trust me: this drink is good, fruity stuff.
3. Sparkling Yuzu Mojito: yuzu, tonic water, lime, mint and white rum. sweeter than the usual Mojito, and has a kick compared to the aforementioned Sakerita. I liked this more because of the dominant sour-sweet taste of yuzu (which taste like a cross between an orange and a lemon), and because I like my cocktails sweet.
4. Better than Doughnuts (₱100): fresh beignets with your choice of milk chocolate or green tea ganache. Beignets are hollow pieces of dough that are a cross between soft and crunchy. A helping of powdered sugar goes on top, along with the ganache. My personal favorite was with matcha for that Japanese element. Also because I love the earthy flavors of matcha! But if you want a more familiar taste, their chocolate sauce is also great. It has the right amount of sweetness, and it isn't overwhelmingly thick. To get a better idea, think melted milk chocolate— silken and gooey over warm and fluffy pieces of dough dusted in powdered sugar. It truly is better than donuts!
5. The Nursery (₱115): peanut butter cream cheese with chocolate soil. Comes in its own little cup times three for sharing, but if you're a major sweet tooth such as myself, you'll definitely want to keep it all for yourself. Why? Because it's a creamy, nutty mousse with crumbly bits of chocolate, topped with mint that is very, very addicting. As in. The cream cheese and peanut butter blend so well together, so it isn't overpowering each other.
And if you want to take things to a whole new level, it even comes with a pipette filled with booze.
While their restaurant interiors and motif doesn't scream Japanese, it does have a minimalist charm that you'd find in a coffee shop. But the true secret of Shizuka Cafe lies in their food. There truly is, after all, no love more sincere than tasty, homemade food.
Shizuka Cafe is located in 709 Jose Abad Santos Corner F. Calderon, Little Baguio, San Juan City. For pick up and inquiries, message or call them at 0926-079-2964 or visit their Facebook and Instagram.
And good news! They're available on Grab Food as well!
Many thanks for the invitation, Gel of beingjellybeans.com!
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