Go Bento reopens with mix-and-match Japanese ‘value meal’ bentos
MANILA, Philippines — Japan-inspired fast casual restaurant chain Go Bento recently reopened its Bonifacio Global City branch with new branding, interiors and offerings in addition to tried-and-tested bestsellers.
Scott Tan, Managing Director of Go Bento’s parent company Scottland Food Group Inc., shared that they decided to give the restaurant a facelift after getting feedback that customers prefer to dine more together, as opposed to eating quickly or just grabbing food, as such was the grab-and-go concept behind Go Bento back in 2016.
“It used to be a grab-and-go concept – everything is warmed, heated, then packed,” Tan shared to the press in a group interview at the re-launch.
“The grab-and-go concept is like not yet a big thing here in the Philippines because we love eating together as families and friends, ‘di ba? It’s not really instilled in our culture. So I have to listen to the customer and tweak it to make it more Filipino-friendly. When we eat, we eat together as friends and family, ‘di ba? So that’s the final concept of Go Bento.”
Thus, from grab-and-go, the restaurant now boasts of more nooks for group seating. From a “Zen” green, wood and white, the diner’s interiors have also been transformed by an architect-designer to look more upbeat Japanese pop or J-pop.
“When we were planning on how to redesign… I explored Japan to study Japanese restaurants and discovered that they either imbibe a traditional restaurant concept or focus on the J-Pop, Manga genre,” stated Tan, who manages the same company that successfully launched Korean fast casual chain Bonchon in the Philippines.
“One day, I was in a Tokyo train station and I realized that our Go Bento concept would work well with a metro train station vibe,” he explained.
This prompted him to adopt the feel of Tokyo’s train station – red tiles, signage, railings and other design aspects as the main features in the restaurant’s new look – with the group seating and tables resembling train passenger cabins.
“The train stations are full of bento stations there. They grab, they eat on the train, to-go or go back home. So I covered it (as) an idea (for the) design na parang since the Philippines is becoming a more fast-paced society, parang it’s perfect to integrate this whole train station, Japanese train station, metro design concept.”
The interiors’ more vibrant “Tokyo-Metro” vibe is reflected in the refashioned menu.
“This blueprint goes well with our bento boxes, bentos being a huge part of Japanese people’s culture and heritage, just as train stations are,” Tan stated.
“Because people and bento go hand-and-hand,” he added during the interview.
According to him, the restaurant’s food then and now is the same. “Of course, over the years, we improved the meats, the sauce based on customers’ suggestions on how to make (these) better.”
Just like any Pinoy, Tan said he loves to eat “with a lot of ulam.”
“If you go to a casual dining (restaurant), you order one plate of this, one plate of that, so it ends up napapamahal, ‘di ba? So I wanted to put that concept in a bento where you get appetizers, two ulams, your rice, your soup, your drinks, all complete meal na eh… Parang canteen-style…”
Hence, the restaurant offers bento boxes (with miso soup, vegetables and a drink), available in these sets: Beef Misono, Chicken/Pork Katsu, Tempura, Chicken Teriyaki, Yakitori, Ebi Katsu, Karaage, and Chicken/Pork Katsu Curry.
For bigger appetites, there are also the one-piece and two-piece Chicken Bento and Salmon Teriyaki, as well as Party Platters to Go. A new offering is to customize meals and going big with the Big Bento, which is composed of two main dishes, miso soup, a side dish, veggies and Japanese rice. Selections for the first main dish include Beef Misono, Chicken or Pork Katsu, Karaage or Mixed Tempura. For the second main dish, options include Beef Misono, Chicken Teriyaki, or Chicken Yakitori, and a side dish (Gyoza or California Maki).
“The biggest seller right now that surprised me is the Big Bento… So I’m really happy that people see the value in the bento. Even if it’s a little bit pricier than the single bento… Some people order it for sharing, they just get extra rice,” Tan shared.
Other menu selections include Donburi (Oyakodon, Yakitoridon, Gyudon,, Ebi Katsudon and Beef Misono). A la carte dishes include crowd favorites Umami Fried Chicken, Karaage-style Chicken, Chicken or Pork Tonkotsu, Spicy Karaage Ramen and Sukiyaki. Other items worth trying are Chicken Mango Salad, Japanese Hambagu, Potato Takoyaki and Matcha Soft Serve.
Of these, Tan’s favorite is Katsu, “Because my every first Japanese food, I would never forget, was Katsudon. And I fell in love kagad.”
Since it is his favorite, Tan made sure to exhaust his means to serve what he believes is the perfect Katsu in the restaurant.
“It took me months to find the perfect Katsu for me, that’s very balanced in terms of price points and quality. First, I don’t want dry bread crumbs. I wanted to really use fresh bread crumbs, which is so hard to find here and very expensive, so I have to find ways to make it pasok sa cost namin and show everyone who would taste, ‘This is what a Katsu should taste like,’ hindi ‘yung dry breading lang then deep-fried na. There’s so much detail that comes with a simple Katsu.”
Though gunning to be affordable, the restaurant’s food are made with “quality and authenticity,” Tan assured diners.
“That’s why we attach a lot of importance on small things. Customers are more discerning now. For example, we want our shrimp to have the perfect texture, we use fresh breading for our Katsu and I insist on serving only Japanese rice. We found the sweet spot between very good quality and price so that our food remains value for money. We want that our bento box to be at par with Japanese casual dining restaurants, but always at pocket-friendly prices.”
“Authentic” Japanese food, according to him, “is very simple, umami and just the right amount of flavors mixed well together.”
From their 15 cloud kitchen stores, Tan got feedback that Japanese food is really preferred by more and more people in Manila, so they are targeting to open 10 more stores this year, some are already being constructed all over Metro Manila.
“This is something we wanted to grow very, very fast because in my opinion, we lack Japanese food that is value-for-money and affordable. I guess it’s me, growing up with Japanese (restaurants) being a little bit on the expensive side. You have to go to the mall, hotels to eat good Japanese food. So for me, there’s more room for growth in terms of Japanese food,” he affirmed.
“There’s (already) so many Filipino food, Chinese food, so Japanese food, in terms of taste, is very close to our Filipino palate, but it’s not as much (a) choice as compared to other cuisines, so we plan to expand and open fast so other people can try it faster – a value meal that’s Japanese food.”
