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If You Want to Impress Someone, Ask For This Seat at a Japanese Restaurant
It’s where the most memorable experiences are served
Whether it’s a date, business client, or just somebody you want to impress, there is a seat to always ask for when making your reservation. If you’re at a Japanese restaurant, hands down, always take them to the counter.
What I’m not referring to is the bar counter you find in American restaurants, where the counter seats are often regarded as a simple waiting area. When I say counter seats, I mean straight-in-front-of-the-chef dining, whether that be sushi, kaiseki, tempura, or yakitori.
Open kitchen, counter dining is no longer exclusive to Japanese food, but the practice began in Japan. This style of eating was first developed in the city of Osaka in the 1800s, then known to be a casual form of eating. But post-WWII there was a rapid social restructuring and growth in the business sector, lending for restaurants to pivot and become a place of socializing and entertainment.
Sushi restaurants initially popularized the format, but restaurant patrons loved it so much that soon all kinds of Japanese fine dining restaurants were following. So if you’re looking to create a dining experience that is great for impressing your guest, look no further than Japanese counter top dining.
What makes the counter seats special
Japanese meals at the counter are designed to have a lateral relationship — instead of a top-down relationship where the chef is tucked away in the back, you interact with the person cooking your meal.
For example, in the simplest form, a Japanese customer at the counter would always begin their meal by saying the recognizable phrase: “Itadakimasu” — which roughly translates to, “Thank you for the food, let us eat”, and would end their meal with “Gochisousama deshita” — which roughly translates to, “Thank you for the food, I’m very grateful for this feast”. When the chef is at the counter, he hears this gratitude, closing the distance between chef and diner. It’s not only an opportunity to sharpen your own relationship-building skills, but shows your guest that you value the people you interact with.
