Muji eatery tweaks food offerings

Cafe and Meal Muji, an eatery run by the Japanese retail brand Muji, has launched a new menu.

Located on the ground floor of the Muji Hotel Beijing that opened six months ago, the compound in the historic old Beijing district near Tiananmen Square has been doing brisk trade, due no doubt to Muji's renown for its functional stationery, simplistic aesthetics of homewares and clothes. But the eatery has failed to make a splash on foodies' must-eat list. That is not until recently, when it made some big culinary adjustments.

Like Muji's products that appeal to an understated aesthetic, the restaurant's new menu reflects a penchant for making the most of natural and healthy ingredients, serving comfort dishes with tasteful designs.

Han Jie, 40, head chef of Cafe & Meal Muji, says that he aims to bring out the original, natural flavor of each ingredient with a more approachable touch to the customers.

Eighty percent of the original dishes have been replaced, he says, and the new concept encompasses easily recognizable dishes of different countries including fish and chips, Japanese hamburger steak, healthy vegetarian salad, spaghetti, curry and Chinese meat buns.

"These representative dishes look simple and approachable, but making them stand out from what other places serve is a demanding task," Han says.

"To preserve the flavor of each ingredient we cook as simply as possible, limit the use of chemical condiments and never add preservatives so as to make the most of the ingredients and highlight their natural delicious taste."