Did you know that Visakhapatnam now has authentic Japanese style Bento Boxes? Here’s some good news for those who have watched too many Asian films and anime like us craving for these boxes! For the uninitiated, Bento Box is a form of boxed lunch that is commonplace in Japanese cuisine. To explain it better:
Bento (弁当 bentō) is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento holds rice, fish or meat, with pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container.
In Japan, it is common for mothers to pack elaborate looking lunches for their children. But most importantly, the compartmentalised box helps with making a nutritionally balanced and aesthetically pleasing meal. Mekong at The Green Park, Visakhapatnam is rolling out their working day lunch plans, bringing in the boxed lunch culture to our city. They’re bringing to town express Asian lunch that is served in authentic Japanese style.
Mekong has worked since its launch here to familiarise Vizagites with the Pan Asian food culture. Now, launching the Bento Box is their attempt at offering an ideal lunch option for those who are in the mood for something different, and most importantly, those with short lunch breaks.
Divided into small compartments on a crimson acrylic box are portions of rice/noodles, meat, cooked vegetables, appetiser, salad and dessert – basically a three course meal in a box. Consisting of sushi and dimsums in the first course, rice/noodles and gravy in the main course, followed by dessert. Steaming sake cups of jasmine tea accompany the Bento Boxes that have a fixed menu. The menu does not limit one’s liberty to pick and choose what they want though.
Those in want of a quick power lunch have four different combinations to choose from. Three non-vegetarian combinations and one vegetarian bento box are the variants offered at Mekong as of now. They’re soon going to add more combinations to their menu! Quick, compact and delicious, all at once; the vegetarian Bento Box we tried had delicious Yam Toahu – green vegetables, tofu and straw mushroom in chilli jaggery lime dressing; Oshinko Maki – pickled sweet radish and bell pepper sushi; soft Baby Bok Choy Dumpling; lip-smacking Snow Peas Garlic Fried Rice, stir fried mixed vegetables and a side of salad. The non-vegetarian options feature crab, chicken, fish and more.
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