New restaurant alert: Sushi dining goes high tech

MANILA -- Genki Sushi is taking its brand of Japanese "fast food" to the Philippines, where it recently opened its flagship store at the Bonifacio Stopover in Taguig.

Originating from Japan with branches all over the world, Genki Sushi not only its versions of popular Japanese dishes, but also its unique dining concept, which includes a high-tech ordering system.

Using iPads located tableside, customers can personally log-in their orders, see the running tally of their bill, as well as close their order or ask for their bill automatically -- no more waving around to find a server.

Even more high-tech, your food will be transported to your table via the Kousoku Express Train System. Inspired by the Shinkansen bullet train, the Kousoku train carries your order and stops beside your table. It signals for you to get your ordered dishes, and afterwards, you release the train back to the kitchen with a press of a button.

In Genki Sushi, dining is not only interactive, but very fun, as the trains come in different designs -- from race cars to airplanes to even an Astroboy train.

The restaurant's opening menu is filled with Japanese favorites -- from tuna, salmon and California rolls to various nigiri interpretations, tofu skin inari, and even donburis.

Start your meal with appetizers like the Egg Custard, their version of a chawanmushi -- smooth and creamy with a hint of seafood. There's also seaweed/wakame salad, miso soup and a crab/kani salad, refreshingly not drowning in Japanese mayo.

Fresh really comes to mind when tasting the food -- clean flavors and looking very precise.

"We have a machine that rolls and makes the sushi, so we ensure that the quality is consistent, and the service, fast," said Karen Caballero, general manager of Genki Sushi.

Dishes start at P60 to upwards of P350 for the more premium items. Recommended items include the Seared Salmon with Black Pepper, with the Japanese mayo adding a creamy layer to the sushi that is nicely tempered by the black pepper; the Genki Roll, a salmon-wrapped roll; as well as the Yellow Tail and Mackarel sushi, both using the freshest seafood.

Known for its modern approach to food, don't be surprised to see unfamiliar sushi items like "Fried Chicken Nigiri" or "Black Sugar Fried Tofu skin Inari" or even "Horse Mackarel." The Fried Chicken sushi, in particular, would be something that kids and kids at heart would definitely enjoy.

Those inclined to eat a whole bowl of food as opposed to sushi bites can order the rice and noodle bowls -- like the colorful Chirashidon, which is rice with different sashimi toppings from squid, salmon, tuna, kani, tamago, shrimp and roe; or the Unadon, grilled eel over hot steaming rice.

While Genki Sushi also has the more common Chicken Teriyaki, try the Black Pepper Chicken Don -- rice topped with fried chicken tossed in a peppery gravy with onions. Cheese fries, shrimp and vegetable tempura, and even butter corn can also be ordered as side dishes.

Dessert is something to be savored at Genki Sushi, as it offers the best deals with the Strawberry Ice Cream and Green Tea Ice Cream. An order of P80 comes in a bowl filled with two to three scoops. Especially formulated for Genki Sushi, the strawberry was light and wasn't too sweet, while the Green Tea had a strong matcha flavor, a sure hit for green tea lovers.

Cakes available include Tiramisu, Green Tea Cheesecake, Chocolate Mousse, and the Rare Japanese Cheesecake, a rich no-bake cheesecake that had almost a savory note to it.

Dining in the restaurant is definitely a treat, especially using their Hello Kitty-themed cutlery and plates, as well as the table-side bottomless green tea. Takeaway trays are also available with different combinations of sushi.

Truly, Genki Sushi gives a new definition to "fast food" with a fun interactive and high-tech concept, where food gets to diners fast, fresh, and delicious.

Genki Sushi
2/F Bonifacio Stopover Pavilion
Rizal Drive cor. 31st St., Taguig

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Japanese beef bowl gets 1st price hike in 24 years

TOKYO - Japanese fast-food company Yoshinoya Holdings Co said on Tuesday it would raise the price of its signature beef bowl dish - long a symbol of the deflationary economy - for the first time in 24 years due to higher import costs.

The move marks a much-needed win for the central bank, which is struggling to achieve its 2 percent inflation target after two decades of falling prices. Reversing the deflation trend and reviving consumption is key to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's strategy to jump-start the world's third-biggest economy.

Yoshinoya, operator of the 115-year-old beef bowl chain, said it would raise the price of its regular-size "gyuudon" dish by 27 percent to 380 yen ($3) on Dec. 17, citing a spike in U.S. beef prices and the yen's sharp depreciation against the dollar.

The "gyuudon" is a bowl of rice topped with sauteed beef and onions that is a favourite of Japan's penny pinching corporate employees, and thus an informal measure of consumer prices.

That would mark the first pure price hike for the dish since March 1990, excluding an adjustment to prices in April to reflect an increase in the national sales tax, a company spokesman said.

The price rise will be welcome news for the Bank of Japan, which eased monetary policy further in late October to counter the deflationary effect of slumping oil prices and weak domestic demand.

Oil prices have fallen 15 percent since then, likely putting the inflation target further out of reach.

Some central bankers now fear core consumer inflation will slow to about 0.5 percent by the middle of next year, down from May's peak of 1.4 percent.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com