Zaan Japanese Tea House boldly went where no one has gone before. I mean this literally, figuratively, and "culinarily."
Zaan Japanese Tea House is located along the famous Mother Ignacia Avenue in Quezon City, but it is not within walking distance from ABS-CBN. It's a ten-minute ride away, a few meters past St. Mary’s College of Quezon City. The restaurant can be quite easy to miss, so you have to pay extra attention in looking for a yellow building (Norifil Foundation) with a burgundy “noren” outside. Zaan is not only a hole-in-the-wall; it is a hole in an isolated wall.
Unlike the barrage of Japanese restaurants that have opened in Manila within the last three years, Zaan did not arrive aboard a bandwagon. There are no ramens, tonkatsus, takoyakis, sushis, sashimis, or teppanyakis here. What Zaan has is a sampling of authentic Japanese home-cooking—the kind of food other restaurants don’t bother making.
At the helm of Zaan’s kitchen is Non Iwamoto, a Japanese empty-nester who chose to retire in the Philippines after a long, exhausting career in the travel industry. Non is not a culinary-schooled chef. She is a mother who has an extensive experience in the kitchen, preparing meals for her family and their many guests. In my book, that counts as an equal, if not a greater qualification for being a good cook.
Non, together with her friend and business partner Antonio Fernandez (a Filipino ex-expatriate who has just come home from 13 years of living and working in Japan), opened Zaan Japanese Tea House last August to fill a gaping hole in Manila’s idea of what Japanese cuisine is. Apparently, despite the number of specialty concepts that have opened here, we Filipinos are still missing a lot.
For instance, Zaan serves Chazuke (P150), an authentic Japanese rice meal prepared by pouring Kombu seaweed tea over steamed rice that’s topped with shredded chicken and seaweed. Nourishing and filling, Chazuke is a popular hangover food in Japan. But you don’t need to be drunk to appreciate the savory appeal of this simple dish, especially when wasabi and sour plum are added. Altogether, the rice mixture hints of the same savory, sour, and spicy flavors of Filipino cuisine’s sinigang.
Chazuke
Eating Chazuke is like getting a warm, loving hug from your mother, on a bowl. It’s basic, nothing too-fancy, but definitely comforting.
Zaan also serves Soboro (P150), a rice dish well-loved by Japanese children. Soboro is nothing more than a bowl of warm Japanese rice, topped with ground chicken, scrambled egg, and vegetables. But there’s something about its simple sweet-salty flavor combination that would make you not bother having it for dinner night after night.
Soboro
The rice meal part of Zaan’s menu is finished off with Onigiri and Udon. While these two are not exclusive here, Zaan's versions are well-thought of and carefully prepared.
Zaan’s Onigiri is sold as a set of three (P150). Tuna, salmon, and egg, hides at the core of sticky Japanese rice. Hokkaido salt and the nori wrapper add dimension to the bento favorite. The best part about this though would have to be the unexpectedly flavorful shiitake mushrooms.
Onigiri
Zaan’s Udon with Meat (P180) is what you eat when you’re terribly hungry. It doesn’t look like much at a glance. But once you start slurping the thick wheat flour noodles, you’ll find that it can fill up your tummy in no time.
Udon with Meat
Zaan Japanese Tea House also aims to educate the Filipinos with the many variants of meal-ender Mochis. There’s Nerikiri (P50) a Japanese confection made from white bean, sticky rice flour and sugar that’s really tedious to make. Kintsuba (P50) is a square shaped confection, also made from beans and sugar. But unlike Nerikiri, Kintsuba has a coarser texture.
Nerikiri
Warabimochi (P50) is very close to Pinoys’ espasol. Soft and chewy, these warabi mochis are rolled in slightly bitter kinako or roasted soybean.
Warabi Mochi
All these mochi variants are good, but if you were to ask the patrons of Zaan Japanese Tea House, they’d unanimously recommend that a first-timer should get Frozen Matcha Surprise (P120).
To make this, Zaan mixes its homemade vanilla ice cream is topped with a thick matcha (green tea) concoction. The result is a milky matcha ice cream unlike anything you’ve had before.
Matcha Ice Cream
If ice cream is not your thing, and if you prefer to end your meal with something warm, get the Matcha Demitasse (P110)— the Western way to drink your green tea. And if green tea doesn’t play well with your taste buds, you might want to resort to ending your meal with a first-timer-friendly Houjicha Smoothie (P120).
Matcha Demitasse
Houjicha Smoothie
You might also want to try Zaan’s TsokoFino collection. Non combines chocolate with different ingredients like Pili nuts, mangoes, and green tea to create TsokoFino. You may eat the chocolate concoctions as dessert in store (TsokoFino Sampler – P40/serving) or bring it home as an omiyage (pasalubong).
TsokoFino
TsokoFino-Green Tea
TsokoFino-Assorted
Its focus on home-cooked meals differentiates Zaan from all the other Japanese restaurants in Manila. But what makes it stand out is its Matcha Traditional Tea Ceremony.
Attending and partaking in a Japanese tea ceremony is a unique privilege, even for foreigners who visit Japan. A formal and private tea ceremony there usually costs more than ¥4000 (Php 1524) per head. Not many visitors get to witness the rituals involved because you usually have to be invited to participate in one. Zaan Japanese Tea House opens the experience to the Filipinos at a much affordable rate.
Available by reservation, Zaan’s Matcha Traditional Tea Ceremony only costs P500 for 3 persons (pay additional P150 per extra person). The tea ceremony, that lasts around 5 to 10 minutes long, is a serene, ritualistic, and meditative experience that lets tea drinkers appreciate matcha on a whole new level.
Non, teaching guests how to rotate bowl in Matcha Tea Ceremony
First, guests will be asked to eat Nerikiri or Kinstuba. Eating something sweet before drinking tea supposedly enhances the flavors of the matcha. But you’re not just to pick the food up and put it in your mouth. The tea ceremony requires you to pay careful attention to how you move everything. Non will teach you how to bow to your food and tea properly, how to pick up and use your chopsticks, how to lift and rotate your bowl, and how to appreciate the littlest of details of the ritual. It’s a beautiful process that gives outsiders a peek at the intricacies of Japanese culture. If you love Japanese food and culture, attending Zaan’s Matcha Traditional Ceremony is a must.
Zaan Japanese Tea House boldly went where no one has gone before. Their cause, which is to educate the Filipinos about the other, unglorified, features of Japanese cuisine, is admirable. Them pricing it in budget-friendly rates makes them even moreso.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly way to experience Japan without leaving the metro, then head to Zaan Japanese Tea House. There, Non Iwamoto will serve you Japanese hangover food, teach you how to drink matcha like a pro, and let you experience a unique Japanese tea ceremony—all for under Php 500 per person.
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Zaan is located at Norifil Foundation Bldg. 16 Mother Ignacia Avenue corner Don Roces Avenue, Quezon City. They are open every day from 11am to 6pm. For 412-8465.
