What to expect when eating in a Japanese restaurant
When you’re in Japan, your food is served on small plates. This makes it easier to try different foods and helps you focus on the taste of each ingredient rather than its size or shape. It also means that when you eat out at a Japanese boat quay dinner restaurant, you can order as few dishes as possible.
There are many benefits to eating like this, including:
Eating smaller portions means less food wastage, which saves money.
Smaller portions mean more variety is available for you to choose from.
Sitting down to eat with friends and family allows you to talk about your meals and enjoy them together.
These are all great reasons why you should start thinking about your next meal in a Japanese restaurant.
Introduction
If you want to get the most out of your dining experience, then you need to focus on the following three aspects of your meal:
The ingredients
How they’ve been prepared and presented
The atmosphere
At first glance, these may seem like obvious points. But what if I told you that the majority of people don’t give any thought to how their food is being prepared? And that they often just walk into a restaurant and expect everything to be delicious?
Here are some tips to help you make sure you get the best value from your time spent in a Japanese restaurant.
1. Choose a Japanese restaurant that offers fresh ingredients
You could be forgiven for thinking that every restaurant will have fresh ingredients on offer, but that isn’t always the case. You may find yourself ordering food from a Chinese restaurant because it has been there longer and therefore has more experience serving up tasty food. Or you may end up going to a Thai restaurant because it always seems to have a good reputation for its food.
However, if you visit a Japanese restaurant, then you’ll see that your choices are limited. There may not be much choice in terms of what you can order, but that doesn’t mean that the options aren’t varied. In fact, if you take the time to look closely at the ingredients, you’ll notice that they come from local farms and suppliers, ensuring that the food is fresh.
You might even think about buying produce directly from the farmer who grows it so you know it hasn’t been flown halfway across the world before you ate it. If you’re really keen to avoid plastic packaging, then you can even buy Japanese-made products such as sake in glass bottles.
All of this will contribute towards making your meal healthier and cheaper too. After all, you won’t have to pay for extra ingredients that you didn’t need. And if you do decide to splurge on something that you wouldn’t normally consider eating, then you’ll be able to enjoy it without feeling guilty!
2. Order a set menu
When you go to a Japanese restaurant, you usually pick one main dish and two side dishes at the beginning of your meal. This way, you can sit back and relax while someone else prepares your food for you. Then, you simply decide whether you want to add anything extra to the sides. It’s a much simpler process than ordering individual items off the menu.
This approach works well for a number of reasons. First of all, it ensures that you only consume enough calories and nutrients to keep you healthy. Second, you’re choosing the best quality food that you can afford. And thirdly, you can enjoy your meal in peace knowing that no one is rushing around behind you shouting ‘what would you like to drink?’
3. Don’t skip dessert
A lot of diners will order a light meal, only to find themselves full after just half an hour. The problem here is that they haven’t allowed themselves time to digest their food properly before eating another snack or dessert. However, if you wait until the end of your meal to indulge, it’s likely that you’ll overindulge and feel sick afterwards. So, instead, allow yourself a little time between courses to let your body settle.
Japanese cuisine 101
Now that you understand the basics of eating in a Japanese restaurant, you should have a better idea of what to expect. As long as you stick to the principles above, you should soon discover that you’re getting a whole new level of satisfaction from your meals.
For example, if you were to order a bowl of noodles from a Chinese restaurant, you’d probably be disappointed by the lack of spices. On the other hand, if you ordered a bowl of miso ramen from a Japanese restaurant, you could savour every single ingredient and appreciate how it was all put together. You could even compare the texture of the noodles against the broth to determine which came out on top.
And if you had decided to order a sushi roll from a Western restaurant, you’d be left disappointed by the lack of flavour and spice. However, if you ordered a sushi roll from a Japanese restaurant, you could enjoy both the rice and the fish. And you could add wasabi paste to the mix for more kick. Not only that, but you could add cucumber sticks for extra crunch.
So, next time you’re enjoying a meal in a Japanese restaurant, take the time to explore the ingredients. Think about how they’ve been prepared and how they complement each other. Try things you wouldn’t normally eat, and savour every mouthful of flavor.