Food Journal : There's always a first time for everything
That time, I went alone to a shopping mall to get a bag of pike roast beans but before that, I decided to have lunch at the mall. It was quite difficult deciding where to choose as I have tried almost many food stalls and restaurants in this mall. Then, I remember that I have not tried Kimukatsu, a Japanese restaurant offering various katsu as the name suggests.
I think this is the first dining experience when I felt like the food industry is growing here and by that I mean, they are starting to leverage technology. Basically, to eat inside this place you have to scan a code that will generate a table number. Then, that number will be attached to your menu and the bill.
Obviously, it was not optimal. When I first scanned the code, it didn't generate anything. However, the staff was good enough to check in instead of me. Then, I was seated and given a piece of paper where it had another QR code that I could scan to order the menu. Thankfully, I had my other phone that worked and made the whole experience go smoothly. So, I ordered the menu just like I normally do from my Grabfood app. It was essentially something like dine-in but with online experience.
I ended up choosing Cucumber & Wakame Salad, a salmon spicy roll with crunchy panko and flame-seared salmon, and as for the main course, I chose gyu katsu which is one of the most interesting foods I have seen. After choosing all the meals, I was directed to another tab which shows me the total of the food and my preferred payment method. Though I can practically pay with my e-payment card, I was not confident enough to do it. Hence, I choose the cashier payment. To my surprise, I was also charged about 1$ for simply using the QR code and the service. I guess even mildly futuristic service comes with a price!
Gyukatsu
So basically gyukatsu is Beef katsu served with rice, miso soup, mashed potatoes, and fresh cabbage. It is served half-cooked and you will be given apparatus to cook the meat. I was quite a bit surprised and didn’t know how to cook it. Thanks to youtube, I got to see how to eat the slab of katsu presented in front of me.
Apparently, I have to put the meat on top of the burner which has something like wax paper to put the meat. It took a while for the meat to cook. So, thankfully, I also ordered salad and the salmon roll. If you don’t have the patience for Gyukatsu then I think you can skip that.
From the looks of the meat, it looked like marbling beautifully and when cooked, it was amazing. The meat was soft and really juicy. It was like, I wanted more and more. But by the time I wanted more. I was too full because I also ordered the salmon roll.
salmon roll sushi
On top of that the crunchy wakame and cucumber salad added more extra fullness. It also made me tired of chewing because the salad portion was huge. I think in this place, you need to order one but for two.
Cucumber and Wakame salad
It took me about an hour before I finished eating. Then, just as I was about to finish my food, a waitress came up to me and asked me to review them on google review in exchange for Tokyo sweet potato miruku. I was skeptical of it because I don’t really like sweet potatoes that much especially for dessert. But why would I reject free stuff? So I said yes and I wrote a review on google without mentioning anything because I was put on the spot and I don’t want to have bias in my review. I added a picture, gave it 5 stars, then they checked it. After a few moments, I got my sweet potato miruku.It doesn’t look bad at all nor does its taste. I kind of like it but I fail to taste the sweet potato in the dessert. Overall though, everything was fine and the price was quite reasonable for the service and the selection of katsu sauces and its plating. It was worth every penny spent.
Finally, I liked the service that they were trying to do with the QR code. It is very convenient, quick, and cashless. Although obviously, it was not optimal because perhaps some people can’t detect the QR code as I experienced. And as inferred in the beginning of this post, it was my first time eating in a place that uses QR code for dining experience.
Have you ever visited any restaurants with QR code service? What was your experience like? Did you like it or wished it was a manual service instead?
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| Mac is a content creator that covers literature, books, technology, philosophy, nootropics, productivity, minimalist lifestyle, cybersecurity, and languages. Other than that, she is passionate about cooking and traveling. In her free time, she enjoys learning various things. If you like her content, don't hesitate to upvote, leave a comment or a feedback. A re-blog is also appreciated. |