Ordering My Okos
Another Japanese-theme “food court” has opened up and this is certainly nothing to be excited about. We have too many of this same dining concept over the past year. But after a visit to Ebisboshi Shotengai (ES) at Iluma the other night, I realize ES sets apart from the rest; for one, ES is the only one that hails from Japan (i.e. they have the exactly same thing in Japan) and second, ES has a really unique and fun food self-ordering system.
Here comes my Okos mins later
Like the other with the similar food concept, ES is made up of about 7 different food brands or food stalls. But unlike the others, there is no need for you to queue up at the individual stall for your food. Once seated, you will be given a pen to order your food. And no, it is not for you to write down your order. It is a high tech pen that allows you to order your food without leaving your seat and without a serving staff. All you need to do is to point the pen to the corresponding icons on the menu (i.e. paper menu, not moniter) and your order will be sent to the kitchen. There are also icons on the menu for you to review and confirm your order. The impressive part is the pen actually interacts and responds by repeating and confirming your order. How cool is that? In times where good service staff is like one in a zillion, I thought this whole concept of self-ordering is really good. I’m pretty sure this touch-pen self-ordering system is here to stay. Bet we will be seeing more and more restaurants using this system in the near future. Besides, it made my first dining experience so much more fun that it didn’t matter much even though the food wasn’t perfect.
