They say that necessity is the mother of invention.
In the case of Gyu Don Ten, the latest stall at the Gyud Food Hub at UP Diliman, the owner’s 22-year-old son, Rafa, missed the taste of authentic beef rice bowl from their visits to the Land of the Rising Sun.
“Our family would visit Japan about five times a year,” said Chef Chicklette Keyser. “My son Rafa would always complain that the gyudon available here is too sweet for his taste.”
“So, we thought, why not open our own gyudon stall,” she added.
Chef Chicklette is no stranger to inventions borne out of necessity.
During the pandemic, she got bored and decided to open Rafa’s Kitchen, which became a hit online with its Hainanese Chicken Rice and Bagnet Kare-Kare.
And in the case of her son Rafa, well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
With Gyu Don Ten, the Keysers pitched the concept to fellow foodie and entrepreneur Jose Magsaysay, and the partnership led to the latest kiosk at the al fresco area of Gyud Food.
“Gyudon is my favorite food. It is one of Japan’s staples,” said Rafa. “After multiple trips to Japan, we were looking for that real Japanese taste in Manila and somehow, we could not find it. It was either a fusion or the taste and flavors were localized.”
At Gyu Don Ten, there’s gyudon of course, in three sizes – mini, regular and large; miso soup, chicken karaage, and Japanese potato salad, among others.
“Gyu Don Ten is chasing authenticity. We don’t want to water down or sweeten the flavor for the Filipino market… We want our customers to feel like they’re eating in Japan – no ticket needed,” he added.