Boy, oh boy, it’s Teriyaki Boy!

If you build, they will come.

So Dexter Ong decided to build Teriyaki Boy and – boy, oh, boy! – lovers of Japanese food didn’t just come, they’ve been coming back for more.

Teriyaki Boy is the newest addition to the growing number of Japanese restaurants (among them Zensho, owned and operated by Allan and May Acosta) along Tomas Morato Avenue (Quezon City) which now offers an array of international cuisine – take your pick: Filipino, Vietnamese, Chinese, pizzas of all flavors, Spanish, Italian, all kinds. When Manoling Morato’s family gave their name to this street formerly known as Sampaloc Avenue (there must have been a lot of sampaloc trees in the area years ago), they probably didn’t expect it to become a restaurant row, a gourmet’s paradise.

When that semi-circular building at the tip of Roces Avenue (a few steps from the Acostas’ Zensho) was under construction, I used to wonder as I drove on the way to and from work if another disco was about to rise. You enter Teriyaki Boy and you feel as if you’re inside a disco, except that there are only dozens of tables and there’s no dancefloor at all. The high ceiling is done disco-style and any moment you wait for the lights to dim and strobe lights to crisscross the place. But no, sir, there’s no dancing, just hungry bunches finishing off their bowls of Chicken Teriyaki, Tempura, Sushi, Teppanyaki and other goodies. Yummy. Burp!

"I didn’t like the traditional red and black colors of Japanese restaurant," said Dexter, 25, a Management graduate from PSBA and, according to Dolor Guevarra who invited us to sample the place, a Bong Revilla lookalike. "I wanted a casual, friendly, easy atmosphere where everybody can relax and feel at home. As you can see," added Dexter pointing to the walls and the ceiling dominated by a caricature of the Teriyaki Boy mascot (a cross between Garfield and Jollibee), "instead of paintings and pictures of Japanese scenery, there are drawings of the food we serve. Playful ang effect, di ba?"

Any day you drop by, chances are that you may bump into showbiz and other celebrities at Teriyaki Boy. For all you know, the pretty girl burping at a table nearby could be Dyan Castillejo. The dashing guy enjoying his plateful of sushi could be Quezon City Councilor Bu Mathay. On the day we were there, we saw Pinky Webb and company in one corner; a few tables away was the group of Selina Sevilla.

Dolor Guevarra has been bringing different groups to Teriyaki Boy. Our batch included Tempo’s Ronald Constantino, Malaya’s Mario Hernando, freelance writer John Eric Salut, Charo Santos-Concio’s secretary Aida Espiritu, celebrity photographer Richard Chen, Dolor’s husband director Boots Plata and Eric Quizon who came a bit late and "sentenced" to finish off the feast-ful that remained on our table which Dexter had ordered the waiters to fill up with, I suspected, everything on the menu.

The Tempura Udon (P175 per serving) was good, and so was the Chicken Teriyaki (P130), with imported Gindara (P220) served on the side. I browsed through the menu and, Dolor was right, the prices were relatively lower than those in the other Japanese restaurants in the area, to wit: Yaki Soba (stir-fried egg noodles with vegetables and meat) at P120, Yakimeshi (Japanese fried rice with mixed veggies and pork) at P35, Kani Salad (spiced up with crab sticks) at P60, Ika Teppanyaki (stir-fried squid with teppanyaki sauce) at P120 and a smorgasbord of sushi priced at between P45 and P140.

Or you can try the Tempura Specialties – Kakiage Tempura (mixed with chopped shrimp, squid and sliced vegetables) at P75, Kisu Tempura (silago fish) at P100 and Ebi Tempura at P130 (personal size consisting of three shrimp tempura) or P200 (regular size, five pieces of shrimp tempura).

Dexter said that his family (he’s one of three children) is engaged in the garment business. So how come he put up a restaurant, a Japanese (and not Chinese) restaurant at that?

"I’m a lover of Japanese food," said the shy Dexter who travels to different Asian cities (Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, etc.) to update himself on trends in cuisine. "I love Japanese food. I also love to cook, but only hot food. So it isn’t surprising why I ended up in the restaurant business."

The first Teriyaki Boy outlet was put up six months ago along Madison Street in Greenhills, with a capacity of a little more than 60. The one on Morato Avenue, opened barely six weeks ago (the formal inauguration hasn’t even been scheduled yet), accommodating more than 200 hopefully hungry people, with a function room at the mezzanine ready to operate soon.

"More and more people are going for Japanese food," added Dexter. No wonder we are witnessing this new kind of Japanese "invasion."

Our group could only agree with Dexter with a collective burp.

(Note: For reservation or more info, call 926-7757 to 63.)