Food trucks continue to evolve in the pursuit of deliciousness. A popular seafood bowl restaurant installed a display case so that customers could judge the freshness of the food. Meanwhile, after much trial and error, they arrived at French-style roasted chicken. They installed a French grill for about 1.5 million yen. The chicken rotates around, creating a moist texture. And the former chef at the Prime Minister's residence prepares African cuisine. He is carrying the future of his country's children on his shoulders. ■Seafood Food Truck The most popular dish is the "5-kind seafood bowl" The seafood food truck "Shionagi," based in Adachi Ward, specializes in seasonal sashimi and seafood bowls. Its unique feature is its display case, which is rare for a food truck. Regular customer: "Are you done with the ark shells and squid?" Owner Shingo Taniguchi (43) "Not done. Just not ready to serve yet." Regular customer: "Can you make them?" Taniguchi: "Yes, we can." Regular customer: "Shall we wait a bit?" Taniguchi: "Show them and sell them. Then let the customer decide. There was no food truck that handled raw food." Owner Taniguchi says he introduced a display case so that customers could judge the freshness for themselves. An authentic seafood bowl started by a fish professional. We will get to the bottom of the secret behind the succession of repeat customers. Regular customer: "It's completely different from supermarket sashimi. It has a special feeling to it." "Please put in the ark shells too." The ark shells are purchased with the shells still on and the meat is removed just before selling. The sweetness and crunchy texture are proof of freshness. This family usually eats sashimi from the supermarket, but on this day they bought botan shrimp from the food truck. Mother: "Is it delicious?" Child: "Yes! It's sweeter than usual." The most popular item in the restaurant is the "5 kinds of seafood bowl" for 860 yen. On this day, it included rockfish, salmon, striped jack, negitoro, and even otoro. For the chutoro and otoro, they use southern bluefin tuna, which is characterized by its sweetness and fat that melts in your mouth. Taniguchi: "It's natural, so the fat isn't heavy." On the other hand, they purchase only the bones of bluefin tuna to make nakaochi. Compared to southern bluefin tuna, it is characterized by its sourness and strong flavor. ■A professional connoisseur purchases fish at Toyosu every morning, and wants to provide high-quality fish at the lowest possible price... In fact, Taniguchi worked as a wholesaler at Tsukiji and Toyosu markets for 20 years. Taniguchi: "Because my days were reversed, I didn't have much time to spend with my family and children. My children are still young, so I thought this was the perfect time to open a food truck." He started the food truck about a year ago. The seafood on display at the store is procured every morning at Toyosu by professional connoisseur Taniguchi. "It's rock bream. The more slime there is, the better the condition." The fish purchased is butchered just before opening, so it is extremely fresh. The food truck allows customers to choose from the display case. On weekdays, the truck opens in Adachi Ward and Kita Ward. ■ Whole roasted chicken on a special French grill Meanwhile, in Otemachi, a hotbed of food trucks, authentic whole roasted chicken is very popular! The secret is in the rotating grill inside the food truck. "Epices de Bonheur" is a food truck that serves French-style "roasted chicken." It is so popular that there are long queues at peak times. A regular customer says, "The taste is really authentic. I can't believe they can make something this delicious in a food truck." The most popular lunch box is a three-piece lunch box containing thigh, leg, and wing meat. The owner, Haruyasu Hirayama (60), used to work in the delivery business, but retired at the age of 45. He started a curry food truck, but... Hirayama: "After wandering around trying out all sorts of different menu items, I came across roast chicken 7-8 years ago." Fascinated by the roast chicken he had eaten at another food truck, Hirayama spent 3 years studying it on his own, but it was a constant process of trial and error. Hirayama: "It's hard to circulate heat inside a normal oven. Cooking it for just 5 more minutes can make the meat too firm and dry..." He then settled on a French grill, which cost about 1.5 million yen. By slowly cooking the meat over a low flame while rotating, excess fat is removed, resulting in a moist finish. He went to the trouble of ordering cooking equipment from France in order to prepare authentic dishes. Even so, Hirayama wasn't satisfied with the current situation. Hirayama: "I'm still experimenting, so I'm always thinking about what other menu items will please my customers." ■With the proceeds...building an elementary school and a high school in his home country And in this colorful food truck... Regular customer: "Do you have mafé today?" Owner: "We have mafé." Regular customer: "Couscous au poulet." One after another, dishes I'd never heard of before... A regular customer from the Czech Republic: "You'd have to go to Africa to find that." A former chef at the official residence makes the "flavors of his home country." In fact, he was carrying the future of his home country on his shoulders. "FOFO" is a food truck serving African cuisine. The owner is Emile Ilboudou (65), from Burkina Faso in West Africa. He came to Japan 28 years ago, and before that... Emile: "I worked for the government. I made food." Before coming to Japan, he worked as a personal chef for the president of Côte d'Ivoire for eight years. After that, he came to Japan and worked as a chef at three embassies, including Guinea and his native Burkina Faso, before starting the food truck 10 years ago. Emile said, "Many people don't know the name of my country (Burkina Faso) when I tell them. I wanted to make a car with the flag (design) and go around to make people aware of (Burkina Faso)." Authentic African cuisine from Burkina Faso and his home country, Burkina Faso, made by a former chef at the Prime Minister's residence. Repeat customers say they can't get this anywhere else. Regular customers say, "It's delicious and different from the usual. You can't go wrong." "The beans are like 16-grain rice. It's so good I can't stop eating it." In fact, they also have a store in Kawasaki City, where you can eat the same menu as the food car, and you can also take it out. The most popular dish is Burkina Faso's home-cooked dish, "Sumbala Rice." Fermented beans "sumbala," which are very similar to natto, and rice are simmered in tomato and fish soup. Announcer Sayaka Masuda, who has hardly ever eaten African food, said, "It has a richness like seafood and a fermented taste like natto. It's similar to the feeling of eating paella." In order to bring out the taste of his home country, they import ingredients and seasonings. Even more surprising is how he uses the profits from this food truck! Emile: "I built this school" Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world. Incredibly, Emile built an elementary school with money he had saved up over the course of seven years. Emile: "There are not many schools in the country (Burkina Faso), so children in the countryside have to travel long distances to go to school and then come back home. That's why I built a school." So far, 64 children have attended the elementary school that Emile built, and this month a new high school was completed. The food truck, which he started to help people learn about his home country, also carries the dreams of the children who will carry the country's future. [TV Asahi News] https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp