Are you looking for a balanced and nutritious diet?
If yes, ‘teishoku’ is a good idea. The foundation of Japanese cuisine is the concept of ‘ichiju-sansai’ (one soup, three dishes). Ichiju-sansai includes all five essential nutrients: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals, providing a balanced intake of the nutrients necessary for health. This makes it an ideal meal plan for modern Japanese diets. And what is ‘teishoku’? Teishoku is a typical Japanese meal style. Usually, teishoku consists of a main dish, a staple food (rice or bread), miso soup, and small side dishes (such as pickles or other side dishes). Teishoku provides a balanced meal that is nutritious and easy to eat. When I want to eat a balanced, healthy meal, I go to a teishoku restaurant for lunch. I had teishoku three times last week, so let me share what I ate!
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Create Your Own Perfect Set Meal: Maido Ohkini Shokudo
“Maido Ohkini Shokudo” is a teishoku restaurant originating in Osaka. Typically, you choose your meal from a fixed menu at a teishoku restaurant. However, this dining hall operates in a buffet style, allowing you to freely combine your favorite dishes and pay at the register. You can enjoy your own unique set meal.
The kitchen is in the center of the restaurant, surrounded by various dishes. First, take a tray and proceed. Then, you’ll find the corner where they cook tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette) and grilled fish right in front of you. Next is the corner with small side dishes. After that, you’ll enter the main dish corner, and finally, you reach the miso soup and rice corner. As side dishes, they offer a variety of vegetable-based Japanese dishes such as sunomono (vinegared dishes), tofu, and spinach ohitashi. The main dishes include meat-based foods such as hamburg steak and seasonal ingredients like fried oysters. For the staple food, they offer choices like white rice, multi-grain rice, and udon noodles.
On this day, I chose miso soup, multi-grain rice, karaage (fried chicken), eggplant agebitashi (deep-fried eggplant in broth), and tororo (grated yam).　Looks balanced and healthy!
You can enjoy authentic Japanese cuisine at this dining hall.
Set Meal Restaurant Run by A Soy Sauce Sompany
I LOVE Shoyu(soy souce)!
Hisamitsu Shoyu is a set meal restaurant run by a soy sauce company from the Kyushu region. One distinctive feature of Kyushu’s soy sauce is its sweetness. The main dishes feature locally sourced meat and fish, accompanied by tonjiru (pork miso soup) and small side dishes. There are eight types of rice to choose from, and refills are free. The meal is completed with a serving of traditional Japanese sweets at the end. There are soy sauce and yuzu kosho on the table, allowing you to season your food to your liking. Did you notice the white artwork on the wall? It’s shaped like a soy sauce container.
I ordered the minced meat cutlet set meal and chose egg over rice (tamago kake gohan) for my rice option. Colorful and delicious-looking! It included salad, minced meat cutlet, and pork miso soup, making for a well-balanced nutritious meal. The egg yolk for the tamago kake gohan was marinated in soy sauce, and it was exceptional.
Unique Set Meal
This is a slightly unusual set meal. You don’t often see kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers) as part of a set meal. Usually, kushikatsu is paired with beer, so the combination of kushikatsu and rice is quite rare. The set includes seven kinds of kushikatsu, miso soup, rice, shredded cabbage, a raw egg, pickles, and grated daikon radish. The raw egg is eaten as tamago kake gohan (egg on rice). In Japan, tamago kake gohan is very popular. It’s simple and delicious. You crack the egg over the rice, add a bit of soy sauce, and mix it up. The kushikatsu includes sausage, shrimp, eggplant, two beef skewers, lotus root, and quail egg.
Classic Set Meal Menu
What do you like the most?
Comforting flavors, appetizing dishes, and nostalgic tastes. Introducing classic set meal menus that you’ll want to eat right away.
Grilled Fish Set Meal
- Grilled fish (such as mackerel or salmon)
- Rice
- Miso soup
- Pickles
- Small side dishes like ohitashi or simmered vegetables
Tonkatsu Set Meal
- Tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet)
- Rice
- Shredded cabbage
- Miso soup
- Pickles
Tempura Set Meal
- Tempura (fried shrimp and vegetables)
- Rice
- Tempura dipping sauce
- Miso soup
- Pickles
Sashimi Set Meal
- Assorted sashimi
- Rice
- Miso soup
- Pickles
- Small side dishes
Katsudon Set Meal
- Katsudon (pork cutlet bowl with egg)
- Miso soup
- Pickles
These set meals are all well-balanced and offer a taste of Japanese culinary culture.
While set meals are undoubtedly balanced and healthy, it’s worth noting that in some places, rice and miso soup are offered with free refills. This can sometimes lead to overeating, so it’s important to be mindful.
