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The love of Japanese food is not without its quirks, passions and challenges. While it has plenty of joys, there are just some things only a Japanese food lover will understand.
Sushi, gyoza, shabu-shabu, Kobe beef and udon noodles are just some of the pleasures that await the Japanese food connoisseur. To love Japanese food is to love subtlety, harmony and umami, and then wash it all down with sake. Of course, to love Japanese food is also to know that sometimes you march to the beat of your own taiko (also known as a drum), and with that come a few things only you and your fellow fans will understand.
Last Tuesday (June 27, 2017), I had the privilege to attend the Launching of yet another Genki Sushi branch at SM Aura Premier. It was already their 4th branch, the first one was located in Bonifacio Stopover Global. Other branches are located at the UP Town Center in Quezon City and Ayala 30th in Ortigas Avenue and very soon in SM North EDSA. Genki Sushi continues its innovative Japanese dining experience in less than 2 years since it first operated.
I got hype up when I heard that the food will be serve to you by its speedy and convenient service with the use of the so called "Kousoku Express Train System", the mouth-watering dishes that you order are within reach in just 5 to 10 minutes. This service is inspired by the Shinkansen bullet train in Japan (awesome, isn't?). It is somehow, programmed to slow down upon reaching the diner’s table. I had a lot of fun watching the orders served by a "food train", not just by the typical waiters/servers.
In addition, the menu list is also technologically advanced. You must try out. And see for yourself what I've been talking about here. Till about five years back restaurants across the world was using the traditional paper or booklet menu and now restaurants have started giving tablets loaded with a customized app to customers to browse food in the menu and place orders. Now tablet ordering system or e-menu as it is generally known has revolutionized the hospitality industry and Restaurant tablet menu has become a part of the restaurant vocabulary. Today many restaurants around the globe have invested in designing and developing customized tablet app so that customers can place orders by themselves after browsing through the menu and entertain themselves while waiting for their food. This innovative way of food ordering has been tested and implemented in hundreds of restaurants across the world. With just a few clicks on a small screen tablet beside you, it'll definitely bring back your childhood adrenaline (ooopsie... I think I ordered a lot now).
Well... what I like about this set-up is that It provides detailed description of the food, Eliminates order-taking errors by waiters, The chef in the kitchen gets a clear picture as to what the customer needs, It is high tech, futuristic and fun. And since I myself, is a social media influencer.... Restaurants like this can build a good online reputation and develop a customer community through social media platforms.
TIME TO EAT
They also have an array of added new dishes to their menu. There’s the tasty Kushi-Age, 5 different kinds of deep fried skewered meat and vegetable in special Japanese batter; Coconut Shrimps, deep fried shrimps in panko bread crumbs rolled in coconut flakes; Deep Fried Salmon Skin and 4 new selections of sumptuous sushi trios.
I've been eyeing for this sushi trio: Crab Salad, Spicy Salmon and Tuna Salad (I must tell you this, it's so delicious).
Maki is a great Japanese sushi dish consisting of sushi and raw vegetables, wrapped in seaweed. Year by year, Western society becomes more enamored of sushi, that mysterious yet oddly addictive food offering from Japan. Even people who want little to do with fish (let alone that of the raw variety) can find themselves drawn to it time and again.
Contrary to popular belief, sushi does not mean raw seafood. Instead, the word refers to the vinegared rice that can (but need not) be paired with raw seafood. The pressed seaweed paper used to hold sushi together is nori. The raw fish is called sashimi. Sashimi can be combined with vinegar rice (and sometimes a bit of nori) to form a type of sushi, or can be ordered on its own.
There are two main types of sushi: maki and nigiri. Maki is rolled sushi, with the ingredients laid upon a sheet of nori, rolled to form a log-like shape, then sliced into several round pieces. Sometimes ingredients are arranged upon the outside of the nori as well as within (“reverse sushi,” this is called). Temaki is a form of maki better known as a “handroll.” In temaki sushi, the ingredients are laid upon a sheet of nori which is shaped into a cone and handed to the diner. Nigiri sushi features one main ingredient offered upon a formed finger of vinegared rice. If nori is used, it will be present only as a thin ribbon nominally securing the primary ingredient to its rice base.
Salmon Sashimi
When it comes to raw fish, there's more to good sashimi than just being fresh. The flavour and texture of fish changes over time, and just like good beef, some fish improves with a bit of time to age. As a general rule smaller fish and seafood like prawns and squid are best eaten as soon as they're dispatched, and larger fish like flounder and snapper might need to be rested on ice for a few hours or overnight for their muscles to relax and their flavour to improve. Some even think very large fish like tuna are at their best aged for week or two. But be warned - ageing fish to be eaten raw is strictly for the experts and my advice when choosing fish for sashimi is to follow the advice of a good fishmonger.
With the Marketing Head and the Brand Manager
Visit their branch for an awesome Japanese dining experience:
Bonifacio Stop Over, Rizal Drive Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
UP Town Center, Quezon City
Ayala Mall, The 30th