MANILA -- The modern Japanese restaurant John and Yoko continues to stay relevant, eight years after it first opened its doors in Greenbelt 5.

Now sporting a new look designed by Space Encounters, which also did Hole in the Wall, Maven and Subspace, it has kept its "cosmopolitan Japanese cuisine," retaining reliable favorites, as well as introducing new dishes.

Compared to its neighbors, John and Yoko stands out with its brighter look, especially compared to their previous violet and black interiors. Concrete finished walls marry seamlessly with wood elements and modern metallic touches. Pastels add a lightness splashed all throughout, from the menu, furniture, to the artwork on display.

The feel is relaxed contemporary, youthful enough to appeal to millennials, but not too modern to dissuade older diners and families.

John and Yoko defines "cosmopolitan Japanese cuisine" as how Japanese food is interpreted in different parts of the world from New York, Paris, Rome, or Madrid.

To update the menu to match the vibrant interiors, the restaurant tasked Chris Oronce, formerly of Nobu New York and Shibuya Las Vegas, Benjamin Gonzales, the executive chef of the SumoSam group, and newcomer Sonny Mariano, award-winning chef of Setai Hotel in Miami, to create a menu that’s truly modern.

“Different chefs, different ideas, rolled into one. So you’ll experience different types of flavors, but the technique, the Japanese essence of it, is still there,” explained Oronce, before giving select food writers a sneak peek into its new offerings.

With a menu that spans the Japanese food gamut from ramen (Shoyu Chasu Ramen), fusion dishes like the Japaella (surf-and-turf paella using Japanese rice) or the Euro Soba (soba in cream sauce), fried dishes (tempura, Crispy Chicken Teriyaki), to some sushi and dishes with an almost California cuisine touch, there are a lot of things to explore in John and Yoko.

Here are 10 that really caught our tastebuds.

1. Mini Tacos

Quick snack? Or a quick appetizer? Choose between three kinds of mini tacos: fresh tasting Tuna Jalapeno, the rich and creamy Salmon Truffle, or the Soft Shell Crab with Mango Salsa and Truffle Oil. I have a preference for the latter with its soft shell crab that’s lightly battered which balanced perfectly with the punchy flavors of mango salsa, with the barest hint of truffle for some earthiness.

2. Salmon Carpaccio

Think Japanese kilawin but with fish sliced so precisely and thinly, with a dressing of truffle ponzu, a light Japanese sauce made from mirin, soy sauce, vinegar, and seaweed. Parmesan adds creaminess and additional umami, while the micro arugula adds a peppery kick.

3. Spicy Tuna Salad

This is not your typical salad. The quenelle of spicy tuna salad tartare with hints of red bell peppers and Korean gochuchang sit atop seared rice, ala nigiri. These are arranged in a circle with mixed greens tossed in onion dressing in its center.

4. Dragon Roll

How can this not be a favorite? Unagi, salty and sweet at the same time, with a texture that melts in your mouth, is rolled in rice, topped with mango slices that add another sweet or sour layer (depending on your mango ripeness, either works). A light sweet-salty sauce almost like teriyaki sauce but less on ginger and sesame notes provides a nice round finish.

5. Unagi Chocolate

Unagi, dark chocolate, miso, lemon, and rice are not flavors that you would normally associate with each other. It’s a dish that’s complex and surprisingly good. Squeeze a bit of lemon before tasting – you first get a hit of lemon, then dark chocolate, then saltiness and sweetness from the unagi mixing in with the rice, ending with notes of dark chocolate and barely any taste of miso (although t I think it’s the miso that makes it all work). How? I don’t know. This is a dish any self-respecting foodie should try at least once.

6. Oyster Overload

Japanese hollandaise (egg yolk and butter, probably with miso) tops an oyster, and is baked in the oven. The result? You get something better than any cheese-topped bi-valve. The hollandaise gets like cheese when baked, and when you bite into it, the oyster flavor and juices just explode in your mouth, mixing with all that creamy umami goodness. A bestseller for a reason.

7. Scallop Dynamite

John and Yoko cements their baked bivalve supremacy in my book with the Scallop Dynamite. A mixture of minced scallops, bell peppers, Japanese hollandaise (or mayonnaise), made spicy probably with togarashi, is baked on top of a scallop shell and finished with a some Japanese mayo and a sprig of micro arugula. It’s like eating a spicy chunky scallop casserole. So good.

8. Uni Truffle Pizza

This is phenomenal. Imagine a truffle cheese pizza punctuated with bits of buttery, creamy, briny uni. Light and fresh, a simple and exceptional seafood pizza.

9. Roponggi Steak

Perfectly cooked tenderloin topped with shallots that are sliced thinly and fried. It’s like eating very tasty hay that adds not only a different texture, but a great aroma and a bit of sweetness as well. The teriyaki sesame sauce grounds the dish, with the micro arugula giving peppery notes.

10. Dessert Bento

Each of the desserts can be enjoyed ala-carte but at a little over P400, the dessert bento has something for everyone. A crepe is in one corner with a dollop of strawberry jam.

Another corner has a light banana chocolate pudding, which may need a little bit more chocolate oomph which can be had courtesy of the included chocolate sauce.

The Earl Grey Crème Brulee had the right tea to custard taste, requisite torched sugar on top.

But the best of the lot, at least for me, was the Molten Green Tea. It comes looking like a deflated soufflé topped with nuts. Dig in and get into its molten insides of green tea chocolate heaven. Like melted green tea chocolate toffee, enjoy a hot and cold bite with vanilla ice cream. Add some cereal for crunch.