Why Super Foods Now?
Conrad Tokyo serves “super food” menus for self-medication at all of their restaurants for 2 months during the summer period from July 1st to August 31st, 2016.
Rie TANIHATA
Director of Marketing Communications, Conrad Tokyo
What’s the reason behind the super food menus?
As a luxury hotel, Conrad is supported by customers with high sense of beauty or value. People with executive titles especially seem to be careful about keeping in shape. In addition to being highly conscious of food and exercise, the idea of self-medication* is becoming established and super foods are popular among people with executive titles across the globe.
*Self-medication: With longer life expectancy and issues of lifestyle related diseases, we are questioned about the way of living healthy everyday. Taking this into account, “self-medication” is attracting attention. Self-medication is defined as “being responsible for one’s health and treating light physical illnesses on your own” by WHO.
That’s why Conrad is serving healthy and delicious super food menus for high-end people.
That’s right. It’s not easy to cook delicious super foods at home. Super food menus prepared by our top chefs are served at all restaurants and bar & lounge at Conrad this summer. Summer is the time of the year when your strength and immune system weaken so we want our customers to overcome the heat by eating healthy and delicious super food menus.
What is the definition of super foods?
It is defined as “a nutrient-rich food with higher nutrition than ordinary foods.” There is a group in Japan called the Japan Superfoods Association, which promotes enlightening activities of different types of super foods.
Which menu is the most popular?
The afternoon tea is popular. It is not only appealing to the eye, but also uses a wide range of super foods. Next are the Chinese dim sum menu and the red curry. I will explain the details later.
Who are your main targets?
We have 3 main targets. Women highly conscious of beauty, executives who are careful about keeping in shape and maintaining health, and seniors who are conscious of their health in the aging society.
Where do you procure your ingredients?
They are from both inside and outside of Japan.
Are you planning to continue this super food program?
International guests are increasing and needs for special diets such as gluten free or allergies are diversifying. Throughout the year, we plan and decide on new menus from the view of marketing promotion. We will review at the end of August when the super food project is over. By the way, we will be serving meat and mushroom dishes at our restaurants this fall. There is a meat boom right now so we will serve menus using popular types of meat.
How do you develop and propose new menus?
Basically, our chefs at each restaurant develop the menus. Ingredients are suggested to the chefs by the marketing department considering the current trends and hot items in the market. We suggest items that attract attention of the media and finalize the menus. We believe adding seasonal ingredients are very important. We propose ingredients and menus from the viewpoint of marketing promotion.
Finally, please share with us your popular super food menus.
Super foods: high cacao chocolate, cacao nib, chia seed, quinoa, pitaya, coconut, Goji berry, spirulina, turmeric, etc.
Characteristics: Sweets and savory that captures women’s hearts including “Dark chocolate and cacao nib eclair” using high cacao chocolate with over 125% cacao, “Pitaya bowl” using beauty food from Hawaii, and spirulina financier. “Almond croquette with quinoa and mozzarella” has a great match of quinoa’s solid texture and creamy mozzarella.
Super foods: Chia seed, quinoa, coconut milk, cumin, turmeric, broccoli sprout and acai
Characteristics: The main dish is the rich and spicy red curry. Rice eaten with the curry contains quinoa. The side dish is broccoli spout salad with antioxidant and weight-loss effects. Dessert is acai and yogurt parfait.
Super foods: Goji berry, turmeric, coconut powder, etc.
Characteristics: The daily dim sum menu uses super food such as turmeric or Goji berry in one of the four
A new type of summer cocktail. A combination of “popsicle” and “cocktail” and comes in 3 flavors. Pink: pitaya, raspberry, chia seed. Yellow: Chinese citron, yuzu, Manuka honey. Green: ume (plum), perilla, sweet sake with ume.
