Imagine this: You enter a local seafood restaurant and are handed a fishing pole, to use to catch the fish that you'll eat for dinner. Does that appeal to you? Would it be fun? Or would it be far too much work? And what happens if you catch the wrong fish?
Zaou is a chain of restaurants in Japan where you can fish for your dinner and one is going to open in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. When you dine at the restaurant, you have the option to fish or not for your dinner. If you want to go fishing, they'll rent you a rod and provide you with bait. If you need assistance, they will help you catch your intended fish. However, if you catch the wrong fish you might still have to pay for it. Once the fish is caught, it is then delivered to the kitchen, which will prepare it in a variety of ways dependent on your choice. Grilled, Tempura, Sushi and more.
There is a financial benefit to catching your own fish too as Zaou charges you less if you catch your own, maybe about $8-$10 less. However, you have to consider the time involved that you might spend fishing, dependent on how successful you can be in a short time period. If you're a poor fishermen, you might be waiting for your dinner, which could be a problem if you are in a group and the others are better, quicker fishermen.
I can see this as being a novelty for a time or two, but I certainly wouldn't want to make it a regular occurrence. You most often go to a restaurant to relax, not to spend your time working for your dinner. I know people that dislike going to a Hot Pot or Fondue restaurant as they dislike having to cook their own meal. I can't see them wanting to fish for their dinner either. I see it more as a tourist attraction, the novelty of fishing inside a restaurant, rather than a neighborhood spot where everyone goes to eat.
As I want to motivate more people to eat seafood, then I see Zaou as a good thing, something which could attract more people to seafood. However, I'm also very glad that you don't have to fish at Zaou to enjoy their seafood.
Would you like to see Zaou, or a similar restaurant, in Boston?
1 comment:
I did a lot of fishing as a kid with my dad but I would not want to fish for dinner in a restaurant. When I dine out, I prefer to have the food cooked and ready to eat, not floating in a small pond waiting to be caught!
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