One of my default lunch choices when I’m in the SM Mall in our area is Tokyo Tokyo’s Beef Misono rice bowl. It’s a little pricey compared to fastfood usual offerings of fried chicken and rice stuffed inside a styro. But fried sukiyaki–like beef strips on a bed of warm white rice beside slivers of red pickles and some stir-fried veggies at P119 is fine with me. And for drinks, I usually order a small bottle of mineral water because their red iced tea costs about P40 and I can be a little cheap sometimes. But if I’m feeling indulgent, I’ll order a glass of Coke and a small portion of gelatin for a soothing dessert.
I love rice bowl toppings, maybe because it reminded me of summer outings with cousins in SM City. We used to order different types of rice bowls in the now closed SingYa Toppings right before watching a movie or traipsing in the mall. There’s just something uplifting about a bowl of warm rice and a juicy viand of meat and chicken slices seeped in lathery sauce and sometimes topped with mushrooms, fried egg or assorted vegetables.
And though this beef misono may not have the rich, thick sauce blanketing the rice, its simplicity is just as pleasing. Topped with garlic chips, the beef strips doesn’t seem to be marinated, maybe lightly dusted with salt and pepper before stir-frying. It has no lingering meaty aftertaste and retains enough flavor when combined with a spoonful of rice. Meanwhile, I also fancied the misono’s quirky red pickles. The scorching red gave a certain zing to the meal’s presentation, standing out from the bland white background and its companions. Its slightly sour taste whipped an appetizing contrast to the beef, cutting through the greasiness most especially to the throng of stir- fried cabbage and carrots beside it.
Tokyo Tokyo’s Beef Misono rice bowl may not look much, just meat and vegetables and a sprig of color in a bowl of rice. But it is filling because your fix of protein and veggies is all there with the option of ordering extra rice for free. Its simple flavors may be no match to the rice bowls with a deluge of sauce but food as in life doesn’t always have be a showcase of the dramatics, sometimes something with simple flavors can be just as satisfying.
