With the recent worldwide population growth, there is a growing fear that food supplies will start to dwindle in the near future. One solution to this problem that has been garnering attention as of late is "entomophagy" which is the action of eating insects! Recently in Japan, there have been books published relating to insects and the ways to eat them such as using cricket powder to make rice crackers, which has also in turn allowed for a few restaurants that serve sustainable insect-based dishes to open and allowed for overall knowledge of insect-based meals to increase. Our editorial team decided to visit one of those restaurants found in Shibuya, Tokyo, known as "EAT for E" to see what all the fuss is about!
「EAT for E」EAT for E - A Sustainable Restaurant From the Dark Boxing Company b-monster
Boxing in the dark is a sport that has been gaining popularity in Japan as of late. One company you cannot afford to miss when talking about it is "b-monster". They combine boxing in the dark with upbeat music to help move your body and give you a refreshing and fun exercise experience that almost feels as though you're in a club. It's a brand new boxing experience unlike any before it.
b-monster has a vision of "creating a world where people continue to challenge themselves in both body and mind" and supports everyone and anyone who seeks that same vision. One aspect of that training which cannot be overlooked is the food you eat alongside. b-monster not only wants to provide food that gives benefits and ample nutrition, but also food that is delicious. They, however, wanted to offer something different from the typical restaurants that were available up until now, something more unique and interesting, and as such decided to open a restaurant where you're able to eat nutritional and delicious insect-based meals! They're high in protein and low in fat, filled with nutrition, and perfect for bodybuilding. They also wanted to ensure their restaurant was sustainable within today's society and for the environment, which is why the menu is centered around sustainable insect-based meals, and thus, EAT for E was born!
About EAT for E
The name "EAT for E" stands for "EAT for Earth" as in "Eat to help save the Earth". To ensure all items on the menu are light and delicious and can be enjoyed by Japanese citizens who are not yet used to "Insect Food", all of the menu items have been supervised by the restaurant sio's Toba chef which has attained a Michelin star. None of the meals on the menu remind you of insects and have been specially designed so, with a variety of textures and flavors in each and every dish. Within the store, you'll find a fully-fledged food and drink menu. You're also able to have certain insects as toppings on some of the menu items. Also, if you're still not keen to try insects, you're able to get the dishes without the insect toppings as well!
All of EAT for E's orders must be made online, meaning there's no need to wait at the cash register. You're able to use your smartphone to read the on-site QR code and be sent to the restaurant's website where you're able to see the menu! Within the restaurant, you mostly do everything yourself other than the cooking of the actual meals, once your meal is ready you can make your way to the counter to pick it up. Please note you're not able to use cash in-store!
An "Insect" Menu Filled with Delicious Flavors & Nutrition
The menu item of choice this time around was a sustainable protein-filled gapao rice and sustainable soy meat sauce curry. The drink is a honey lemon sour.
The sustainable protein-filled gapao rice has cricket powder mixed in with it as well as creating a sort of healthy junk-food style dish, it also contains various vegetables and Thai-style minced meat as well as basil and a fried egg as a topping with some mayonnaise garnish. The insects you see topping the dish here have been flavored with soy sauce and mirin. There are many ingredients that make up this dish, all of which dampen the presence of the insects, and while the writer of this article isn't a big fan of the idea of eating insections, they were able to eat it without much worry!
The next dish we want to introduce is tofu meat sustainable meat curry. We're sure you're not able to figure out where the insects actually are, and while you may think it's insect powder, this recipe actually doesn't use any insects at all! When you eat it, it seems like normal meat when in actuality it's tofu! This is a highly recommended dish for people who want to eat healthily but are a little concerned about eating insects.
Finally, let's take a look at the drinks at EAT for E, there is tea, lemon sours, high balls, and more, all of which use some type of insect! We went with the lemon sour. When we went to pick our drink up, the impact of seeing the bees above the sliced lemon was big! If you're not really up for the insects, make sure to order it without toppings.
There are many more items other than what we've introduced here including fried super worms, a protein salad with added cricket powder, dried crickets, a protein soup with added circuit oil, and more! We're sure the insect food market is going to grow in the near future, and that a day will come when we're all eating insect-based meals without a second thought. If you're visiting Tokyo in the near future and want to try a brand new experience, make sure to visit for yourself.
Information
- Name： EAT for E
- Address：〒150-0042 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Udagawacho, 20−11 Underground Floor 1 Shibuya Mitsuba Bld.
- Business Hours：11:00〜20:00 (19:30 L.O.)
- Holidays： Irregular（Open During New Year Period）
- Access：6-minute walk from JR Shibuya Station using all JR Lines / 3-minute walk from Entrance 6 (or 5-minute from Entrance 8) of Shibuya Station using the Tokyo-Metro Hanzomon Line, Tokyo-Metro Fukutoshin Line, Tōyoko Line, or Den-en-Toshi Line / 8-minute walk from Inokashira Line Shibuya Station
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