“Eat later, when hungry”

I was having dinner at SŌWADŌ Izakaya in Shibuya, and opted for the Omakase menu, only because I didn’t know how to order a la carte - much easier to leave it up to the chef. 

Often with these omakase menus, it starts lightest dish to the heaviest, with a signature rice dish as the final item. This is to ensure that the diner can decide how hungry he or she is at the end of the meal and eat accordingly. 

It’s a low cost way for the restaurant to ensure the diner never leaves hungry and dissatisfied, which in itself is quite special and a really nice touch. 

My dining partners and I were stuffed and couldn’t eat another thing, so barely touched the rice. The chef cleared our plates and removed the rice, without a word.

However, upon leaving, he handed us a doggy bag with the rice, informing us to “eat later, when hungry.”

Only when I got back to my room later on, and opened the bag did I realise what he had done.

As there were three of us dining that evening, he had made three onigiri rice balls, individually packed, so we could have it as a snack later if we got hungry.

How wonderful. Simple, but wonderful. 

There is a Japanese philosophy called ‘Omotenashi’ which means to “wholeheartedly look after guests”.

Tokyo’s ‘omotenashi’ is distinct, and deeply rooted in anticipation and respect, defining an incredible service philosophy that is almost impossible to replicate.

#tokyo #omotenashi #customerexperience #onigiri #eatlater #shibuya #izakaya