Konnichiwa! Please introduce yourself.
Hi! My name is Lloyd. I'm a converted "salaryman" by day and a
pretend-chef by night.
Have you always been crazy about food and gastronomy?
I grew up surrounded by good food and cooking, and was lucky enough to
be independent from 17. I moved to Manila from Cebu for university and had
to fend for myself by learning to cook. Relocating to Tokyo in 2011, however,
would have to be the strongest trigger. The Japanese's level of sophistication and
respect for food is just a whole other world.
Your Instagram account is filled to the brim with beautifully-
styled dishes, often accompanied with little anecdotes of where you
got your ingredients or found inspiration for it. How has Tokyo
nurtured the foodie in you? And what finally pushed you to start
the Tiny Tokyo Kitchen page?
Cooking has always been a channel for me to discover and rediscover
myself. I've been lucky enough to call Tokyo home for over eight years
now. This has allowed me to experience the best that the city has to
offer and meet people who share the same love for good food. As for my
Instagram account, it is surprisingly a recent addition.
I broke my left hand terribly while doing Crossfit and
decided to start posting my photos as a distraction while
rehabilitating.
What do you love most about the process of
cooking and preparing food?
My mood greatly affects the choices I make
while grocery-shopping, and my current state of mind
inspires my cooking. The books I read, conversations
I've had, recent travels or experiences also influence my
choices in the kitchen. Cooking is a great way to gain
insight into where I am in that moment in time.
You hail from Cebu, one of the country's
gastronomic hotspots. Have you found yourself
experimenting and fusing Sugbu fare with
Tokyoite staples?
I would love to. There is low awareness for Filipino
food [here], and I am still trying to figure out the right
balance in developing content.
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05
Live Japanese prawns "kuruma
ebi," grilled with "nanohana"
broccoli rape greens Opposite
page: The makings of a
seafood tapas plate