More than a decade ago, Tsukiji Japanese Restaurant (Tsukiji) had already become an ESR. Since the launch of the ESR Star+ Campaign, it has moved through the ranks to become a three-star ESR. “At the beginning, we registered as an ESR to open up new market opportunities,” recalled Mr WU Hoi-kin, the Operating Manager of Tsukiji’s Causeway Bay Branch. “However, when our owner suffered and recovered from a serious illness, we came to realise the importance of healthy eating. In addition, our ‘EatSmart Dishes’ have received a lot of praise from customers. We’ve now become more committed to promoting healthy eating. When designing new dishes, we will take health benefits into consideration.”

Veggie Sushi Set: A Creative Culinary Delight

To offer healthy dishes to customers, Mr Wu and his team put in a great deal of effort. He explained, “We don’t want to use ready-made processed food. Our goal is to show the essence of Japanese cuisine by making good use of natural ingredients. In doing so, customers can taste the original flavours of the ingredients and eat healthily.” The “Veggie Sushi Set” is one of the signature “EatSmart Dishes” provided by Tsukiji. After several modifications, it now offers yam noodles, black garlic salad and eight types of creative vegetarian sushi. Among them, “Foie Gras Sushi” is an example of how health and taste can go hand in hand. Mr Wu explained, “The vegan foie gras is prepared with soybean fibre and seasoned with condiments. We pan-fry the vegan foie gras without oil until the surface is slightly charred, so that its appearance and rich taste are similar to the real one.”

Concerted Effort in Promoting Healthy Eating

“Udon in Tomato Soup with Vegetables” is another popular “EatSmart Dish” created by Tsukiji to satisfy customers’ demand for healthy hot dishes. As revealed by Mr Wu, the provision of “EatSmart Dishes” has enabled Tsukiji to attract many customers who are aware of healthy eating. He said, “These customers have become our loyal supporters. They even bring along their friends. We will continue to list healthy dishes as recommendations on our menu.”

According to Mr Wu, Tsukiji has been more motivated in creating innovative “3 Less” dishes and “More Fruit and Vegetables” dishes since it became an ESR. He said, “It’s actually not difficult to design healthy dishes. While promoting a culture of healthy eating, we would also like to retain the characteristics of authentic Japanese cuisine and focus on bringing out the freshness of the ingredients.” Tsukiji is planning to expand its business and will continue to participate in the ESR Star+ Campaign. As a concluding remark, Mr Wu encouraged Japanese restaurants to create healthy dishes, which are beneficial to building the brand image.