Are Japan food fears resonating at restaurants in Asia

News 14:43 13/09/2014
The ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan

But what about restaurants in Asia - who rely mostly on Japanese homegrown products to create plates for patrons? Many individual restaurant operators cite up to an 80 percent loss in business as a result of radiation concerns.

CNBC Asia's Straight Talk anchor Bernie Lo caught up with Erik Idos, executive chef at the Hong Kong branch of the world famous Nobu chain of restaurants, which is located in the Intercontinental Hotel. He says business has been rather stable, only dropping about 5-10 percent.

Idos says most patrons want to know where the menu's coming from, rather than just what is on it. 'Of course they ask us where our fish comes from. So we've mapped out where all our seafood and other produce comes from. And if our customers have any questions, we show them the map of what fish they're getting and where they're coming from,' Idos said.

As for exactly where Idos' catches come from, he points to the Fukuoka prefecture, which is located 'way down south of the Japan islands.'

When pressed about future supplies, Idos says, 'There's some stuff we try to get from Australia, and our salmon comes from Norway, but if the Hong Kong government and Japan government say, 'Stop using seafood from Japan' then we'll stop using it, and we'll try to get different seafood from Australia, Europe and the U.S..'

As for patrons who want to know if the nuclear concerns are affecting their favorite Nobu dishes, they need not worry, adds Idos. He says, 'No menu changes nor any price changes yet. Some of the seafood has gone up a little bit but we have not charged our customers higher prices, all our menus have stayed the same.'

Lo remarked on the fact that Nobu seems to be operating in a business-as-usual mode. Idos waylaid concerns: 'No changes at at all, and we're keeping our business as normal, all our seafood as normal, and we are trying to keep the Nobu brand and Nobu Intercontinental as the best place for Japanese food.'

So as far as some Japanese restaurants go, it seems there is no fear at Nobu.

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