Fine Dining in Another World

Two genres have been making waves in the anime industry for the past couple years.  The "summoned to another world" genre, otherwise known as isekai, has gained traction with the accomplishments of breakout hits like Konosuba and Re:Zero. The other genre of note is cooking, or food more generally. While not on the same level of exposure as the isekai genre the success of mega-hit Shokugeki no Soma brought the genre to new heights of popularity.  In its wake were shows such as Sweetness & Lightning was also met with praise while Shokugeki no Soma approaches its third season itself.  Restaurant to Another World, as the name implies, combines the two genres in an unexpected, yet positively delightful matrimony.

Restaurant to Another World centers around the Nekoya establishment run by an upstanding man known only as Master.  Every Saturday the restaurant's entrance connects to another world.  The Master and his waitress, Aletta, welcome the customers from this standard, high fantasy world and serve them the foods of our world, primarily food you would find in a Japanese western diner (although that may sound like an oxymoron).  The reason for this connection is never explained beyond the vaguest of terms, nor does it need to be as it is, for the most part, irrelevant to the purpose of the show.

The purpose of Restaurant to Another World is rather straightforward: to remind the viewer the simple joy of eating food.  Two factors go into accomplishing this goal, and both involve the isekai aspect of the show.

Setting the Table Before a Meal

The first factor is the way the show is presented as two individual vignettes per episode.  Each vignette focuses on a different customer from the other world as well as a specific dish that is served to them.  The vignettes vary not only in characters, but also in story-telling style such as a man recalling his time at death's doorstep when he stumbled upon Nekoya's own doorstep.  Or how an unseen narrator, as if reading a bed time story to a child, regaled the tale of a lizard man obtaining omelette rice for his tribe.

The stories put forth in each vignette succinctly set up each customer's reasons for visiting the restaurant and why they keep coming back.  Often times the reason for desiring a particular food in real life contributes to the spice of the dish, and the reasons of these otherworldly customers are often relateable.  For example, a particular dish reminding one of their hometown or a food a family member loved before passing away. Of course, it's the experiences inside the restaurant that matter most, which leads into the second ingredient that gives Restaurant to Another World its unique flavor.

Catering to New Tastes

It is relatively rare for people going about their daily lives to be able to eat a dish that is truly different than anything had prior.  "This" burger may be exceptionally better than "that" burger but they are both still burgers, for instance.  Even those more inclined to the culinary arts tend to experiment with what they know rather than throw experience to the wind in an attempt to craft a novel dish.   The moments when someone can say, "I've never had anything like this", are typically reserved for trips to other countries where cuisine never seen before lies in wait around every corner.  If you have such a reaction to another county's food, imagine what it would be like to sample the cuisine from another world.

All the customers who enter the Nekoya restaurant  have never experienced anything remotely close to what the establishment has to offer, and it shows in all of their actions and, more importantly, reactions.  The child-like bewilderment from finding ice cubes in a glass of water when, to them, there was no source of cold in sight emphasized just how new an experience Nekoya was to these customers.

The dishes served at Nekoya are nothing out of the ordinary.  Beef stew, spaghetti with meat sauce, and pudding a la mode are all par for the course when it comes to such a diner in our world.  To the inhabitants of the other world, however, there's almost nothing like them. You won't see Shokugeki no Soma's trademarked "foodgasms" or any other unnecessary fanfare, though.  A customer's eyes may go wide and a smile slowly appear on their face but rarely will you see more than that with the exception of one rather rambunctious individual.  Meanwhile, their minds turn as they attempt to parse out what makes their meals so delicious to them as they continue to take bite after bite.

The eating scenes are carried out in such a way that the we can easily relate to when we had a particular dish for the first time, sometimes even the same dish currently on screen.  While I am not vegan, I can imagine people on such a diet recalling the first time they had a quality tofu dish as they watched the female Elvish customer happily consume her first ever tofu steak.  The joy of the first bite never fades, though, as the customers diligently return week after week to order their favorite meal every visit, always savoring it just as much as the first time.

Stimulating the Memories (and the Taste Buds)

Watching the customers relish such simple dishes reminds the viewer just how enjoyable the act of eating can be, and is supposed to be.  The characters make the viewer feel like they are missing out on something incredible.  We often have a multitude of options for food available wherever we may live and it's easy to get used to those options.  Sometimes we'll mindlessly consume the necessary nutrients to keep on living, even if it was a food we once held in high regard.  Restaurant to Another World shows you don't need have extravagant meals like those prepared in Shokugeki no Soma, or travel to another city or country to find enjoyment in food once more.  The dishes you've had tens or hundreds of times before can still provide those same magical feelings if you take a moment and remember just what made them so special to you in the first place.