Red Box expands food offerings with Sushi Samba selection

Sushi Samba's "Firework"

The menu says it’s the “craziest, tastiest sushi rolls in town”—and, indeed, perhaps it is.

In an era where sushi bars in cosmopolitan cities across the globe have become the dining destination, Red Box brings the same experience to the country by combining the best of Japanese-inspired sushi offerings infused with the brand's creativity, fun, and youthfulness.

"Grenade," named after Bruno Mars' hit

It's an interesting addition to an establishment used to be primarily known as a singing destination. But Red Box has recently put more emphasis on its food offering, revamping its ala carte and buffet options.

“We've evolved the sushi rolls. It's still Japanese-inspired but we've made the selections dynamic and exciting to reflect the fun and youthful energy of the Red Box brand,” said Walden Chu, managing director of Red Box.

A collaborative concept by Red Box’s creative team and a Japanese-trained sushi chef, the rolls celebrate sushi at its finest, using only sushi-grade ingredients.

With the Sushi Samba selections, Red Box has made the cuisine—perceived by many as unachievable—more accessible to the Filipino market, who does not regularly frequent sushi bars. While the rolls have a more playful spin on sushi, it's not at all a radical departure from authentic Japanese sushi.

"I love rock and roll"

“Think of your basic California maki,” Chu said. “It took the classic sushi roll and adapted it to the American palate. It’s essentially what we’re doing here. We’ve diversified the classic sushi roll in such a way that makes it bigger, younger, and more fun.”

The addition of the sushi selections underscores Red Box as a venue for “shared celebrations,” where people come together to sing and dine—not anymore strictly confined to just singing.

“Red Box is just as much about music as it is about celebrating. It has become a place for shared celebrations and we want to continue to be recognized that way by evolving our offerings to make it more relevant to our market,” said Chu,.

There are 12 sumptuous options for the Sushi Samba selection, each one made with unique combinations of seafood, veggies, fruits, and sauce.

"Sushilicious" after Destiny's Childhit

These delectable rolls are named after songs of some of the top music acts like Katy Perry’s “Firework” (deep fried roll made with shrimp tempura); Bruno Mars’ “Grenade” (salmon, tobiko, anago); and Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” (scallop, kani, mango, tobiko).

The rest of the menu include “Walking on Sunshine,” “The Way You Make Me Eel,” “Caterpillar,” “Let’s do the Twist,” and “Sushilicious.” There's also the “La Isla Bonita,” “I love Rock and Roll,” “Kung Fu Fighter,” and “Love Shack.” sauce.

"La isla bonita"

Among the more unusual ingredients not found in typical Japanese sushi (but that makes this offering more exciting) include the use of avacado, cheese, bonita flakes (Japanese flakes made of fish), and chili.

“We've had very positive feedback so far, especially when people order, because of the song references,” Chi said. “It's truly an experience not just in the mouth but fun all the way through.”

While the Sushi Samba line, for the meantime, features 12 selections, the young entrepreneur said they're working on more varieties.

"Caterpillar"

The menu is initially available in Red Box Eastwood, the company's newest branch (which opened in 2010). But Chu said he expects to see the Sushi Samba to be rolled out in the coming months, perhaps before the holidays, in the Greenbelt, Cebu, and TriNoma branches.

Together, the four Red Box branches total more than a 100 rooms—35 in Greenbelt; 18 in TriNoma; 21 in Cebu; and 26 in Eastwood. Red Box employs a combined 60 employees in the four branches.

“Apart from having the widest selection of music, Red Box is where people converge to have fun and spend time together, that's why food has always been an integral part of what Red Box has to offer,” he said.

Red Box has certainly up the ante in the local industry, putting itself in a league of its own, going from an entertainment music zone to providing world-class cuisines that are guaranteed to provide exceptional dining experience to hundreds of guests everyday.

Chu said: “I'm confident we have the best sushi rolls in the country. Our loyal patrons can rest assured we're working on more innovations as we speak. We'll continue pushing the envelope to bring them the best that technology and top-notch food has to offer.”

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