Tori Chizu: Japanese Dishes with a Cheesy Twist

From the same group handling Bonchon (which serves us Korean food, fastfood style), comes their Japanese counterpart Tori Chizu. Tori Chizu veers away from the usual teriyakis and tempuras being served in Japanese fastfood restaurants, and treads into less familiar terrain: with most of its food items concentrating on chizu (cheese).In less than two years since it was unveiled, it has already branched out in four different locations. Its newest branch is located amidst the hustling Ayala Avenue, which definitely packs a crowd during the weekday lunch and dinner peak hours. We visited them last June 15 (that’s a Saturday, by the way!) to try out their newest menu offerings: their Chizu Rice Bowls!

These rice bowls are perfect for the on-the-go diner, as they are served quickly, and isn’t a hassle to eat! We got to try all of their flavors, namely:

✅ BEEF CHIZU RICE BOWL (Php 149)
Sweet-salty beef strips with cheese sauce, placed on top of steamed rice, with a side of cabbage slaw. The balance of meat and veggies in this bowl is just right, and I loved how flavorful the beef is!

✅ CHICKEN KARAAGE CHIZU RICE BOWL (Php 129) – Must Try!
Among the three, this one’s my favorite! The boneless chicken pieces are plump and juicy, and they were perfectly tasty, too! The cabbage slaw cuts down on the oiliness of the fried chicken, and is its perfect match for a balanced meal. There could have been more cheese sauce, but it was yummy, nonetheless!

✅ CHICKEN KATSU CURRY CHIZU RICE BOWL (Php 139)
For a fast casual dining restaurant, their curry is quite good! Breaded golden chicken fillet strips, with an umami curry sauce mixed with cheese sauce — I found the dish to be a bit too complicated! The flavors actually mixed well together, but I still prefer the simple flavor of the Chicken Karaage. Japanese curry lovers must give this a try, though!

We also got to sample other must try dishes in Tori Chizu:

✅ BAKED PASTA WITH EGG (Php 135)
This is not for the faint of heart. Serving size initially seemed a bit small, but it’s definitely filling because of all the cheese there is! Cheese lovers will surely enjoy this pasta that’s served in a hot pan, so the ooey gooey cheese is easily mixed into the pasta. For an even more indulging experience, you may opt to have it with egg… The yolk perfectly coats each spaghetti noodle, and you’d surely reach for more!

✅ CHICKEN RACKS (8 pcs Umami – Php 530)
We weren’t able to taste the chicken while it was still hot, so it might have contributed to the slight dryness of the chicken. I wish the meat was more flavorful / umami than it is, instead of just concentrating the flavors on the skin. For spicy food lovers, their Spicy Umami chicken will surely fire you up!
They are also quite adventurous when it comes to their dessert, as they are one of the first ones who pioneered offering soft-serve cheese ice cream in the metro. Here’s what we tried:

✅ DOUBLE CHEESE SOFT SERVE (Cup – Php 45, Cone – Php 55)
The cheese ice cream was good, but I found the crunchy cheese bits to be a bit too salty for my liking. Since the ice cream isn’t particularly sweet, the bits stood out a lot and made me focus on its flavor more instead of enjoying the creamy cheese ice cream.

✅ UBE MACAPUNO SOFT SERVE (Cup – Php 52, Cone – Php 62)
I liked how the ube bits and macapuno strings complemented the cheese ice cream. Their sweetness danced well with each other, and made a symphony on my tongue. ❤️ The colors looked really nice, too! An Instagram-mable way to end your meal, indeed.

✅ MILKY CHIZ SOFT SERVE (Cup – Php 39, Cone – Php 49) – Must Try!
However, like a true purist, most of us went for the classic — their Milky Chiz Ice Cream on a cone! The smooth ice cream had sweet and slightly salty notes, and is a perfect way to beat the heat or end a scrumptious meal. The milkiness and cheesiness was well balanced, so even if the ice cream cone is quite big, it isn’t heavy on the tummy. And did I tell you it costs Php 49 only? What a steal!

True enough, having a good an satisfying meal doesn’t have to be pricey! You just need to know where to look. 💛 Tori Chizu has a great potential to become one of the sought after fast casual Japanese restaurants, and I’m sure that will happen soon enough as they expand around the metro.

Tori Chizu has branches located at G/F UP Town Center, 2/F Trinoma Mall, UG/F SM Megamall Buidling A, and G/F Keyland Bulding, Salcedo Village, Makati.

To know more about Tori Chizu and their food offerings, click on the link below to read what other foodies have to say: