John and Yoko

I have wanted to bring my family to try out the restaurants at Greenbelt. They are so used to going to Robinson’s Place Ermita and they do not have the patience to brave the heavy traffic. But since my birthday fell on a weekday and that I work at Ayala, I suggested we have dinner at John and Yoko. My cousin used to work here and have been saying a lot of good stuffs about the place. I have been to J&Y before so he needed not to convince me.

First to arrive at our table was the Crunchy Squid Teriyaki. The menu says crunchy and it is definitely not lying. The sweet and salty taste of the dish was addicting. I don’t like squids very much but this was an exception.

Crunchy Squid Teriyaki

We ordered two kinds of Maki. Both were good but I just now realized how J&Y convinced me to pay for such a pricey dish. Oh, well maybe it was the birthday syndrome.

Spider Roll Maki Php258

New York Fried Maki Php278

We got a bowl of Japanese Fried Rice. There was nothing about the fried rice that would make you jump of off your seats. I think there is a lot of better-tasting fried rice out there.

Japanese Fried Rice Php178

You can never go wrong with dory and bacon. Put them together in one dish and it’s surely a hit. I loved how the saltiness of the bacon complimented the plain yet moist dory.

Bacon Wrapped Dory Php238

Salmon Belly Teriyaki was a disappointment. My dad’s teriyaki sauce was way better and the salmon was a little too fishy.

Salmon Belly Teriyaki Php228

My mom complained that she only got mostly breading on her tempura. I have no complaints with mine though. But again, Php368 for five pieces of shrimp coated with flour?

Ebi Tempura Php368

Since their servings are small, I had to ask for additional dish which was tofu steak: breaded tofu with bits of mushroom, beef strips, carrots and green peas. I would have enjoyed it more if we hadn’t spent most of the time arguing if it was tofu or not. We all think it was just tokwa.

Tofu Steak

We spotted TV actress Denise Laurel. Youtube sensation and now Journey’s lead singer Arnel Pineda was also a few table away from us. I was thinking it would be awesome if he came to my table and sing Happy Birthday to me when I suddenly heard HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Believe me, CAPS lock and making the letters bold are not enough. It was so loud that I almost spit my iced tea. Apparently, a lady was also celebrating her birthday. I knew what was going on through their their minds (I saw light bulbs over Boyet's head) but I threatened them not to do it. I was still embarrassed when they did that do me a few years ago.

As the saying goes “Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.” Just a few minutes after I settled the bill, there was another loud roar of HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Oh, let’s just say that I uttered some not-so-nice words because of shock. There was another birthday celebrator in the restaurant. It was a signal to call it a night before they could fool me thrice. :)

John and Yoko
Level 2 Greenbelt 5
Makati City