Our Story
The Roots of YAYOI
When Japan opened it's doors to the foreign world during the Meiji Restoration in the 19th century, cuisines from around the world flooded into Japanese Culture. As time progressed, Western Cuisines began to gradually merge with traditional Japanese cuisine resulting in Yayoi-Ken which opened in 1886. This marriage of traditional Japanese cuisine with Western influence resulted in what we now call Teishoku.
What's Teishoku?
Teishoku, or a meal set, is a familiar feature in everyday Japanese Cuisine. Teishoku has a typical serving style that reflects what Japanese people eat on a day to day basis, and usually consists of rice, soup, pickles and main dishes with meat, fish and vegetables. The reasoning behind this set up is to promote a daily well balanced meal between the carbohydrates, proteins, and vegetable intake. With fresh high quality ingredients, it's quite amazing to have a well balanced meal taste so good!
The Importance of Rice
Although the entree usually headlines the meal, our specially milled rice plays a central role in Teishoku. Japanese people have been eating rice since early times and in Teishoku, all the other dishes that surround the rice bowl are planned and cooked in a way to enhance their flavors when eaten with rice. The premium rice that we use is called Kinme-Mai and is said to have retained the abundant nutrients of brown rice but still have the sweet rich taste of white rice through a new and refined modern milling process!
How does Teishoku compare to Western Cuisine?
Unlike Western Cuisine, Teishoku serves all of the dishes at once. Though it may feel strange for the first time, Teishoku has its own way to enjoy every dish. First, start with rice and have some soup. Then go back to rice again and eat one of side dishes. You essentially return to the rice every time you eat the other dishes. The merit of this eating style allows for a versatile and unique dining experience.
