Table Setting #85
The Best Menu Dinner with Luxurious Lacquerware 

Who wouldn't be delighted to come home to a delectable meal of sushi and tempura? 
Let stylish and lavish lacquerware items take center stage at the table for a fine-dining eating experience at home with family and friends. 

Contents 

• Using Lacquerware
• Table cloth and Tableware
• Presentation and Plating
  
• Setting the Atmosphere 
• Featured items

Points of This Table Setting

1. Using Lacquerware

The beauty of lacquerware lies in its luscious shine and elegant wood grains. And lacquerware plays an important role in Japanese aesthetics as it enhances the visual appeal of the food being served.
The uniquely designed Echizen lacquerware serving tray showcases the fresh colors of the sushi and the texture, distinctive of lacquerware, also adds a warm and sophisticated touch to the table. 
Lacquerware is often used for stackable bento boxes like this Bamboo Grass Maki-e Yamanaka Lacquerware Two Tiers Round Jubako Bento Box. Colorful menus are presented with an added touch of elegance when served in a lacquerware Jubako Bento box.

2.  Table Cloth and Tableware

When setting the table, you can either pick a table cloth to match the tableware or choose the tableware to match the table cloth.
For this setting, we first chose the lacquerware pieces in dark hues. Then we selected a natural green colored cloth with a lighter colored runner with a touch of pink to highlight the dark colored plates and bento box. 

We prepared the table in a rustic, natural theme with the Gatomikio TOHKA KAKUSEN Yamanaka Lacquerware Katakuchi Sake Carafe sake set with a transparent coat of lacquer and a Shagaraki stoneware vase. 

3. Presentation and Plating

Plating is a one of the key elements that makes Japanese cuisine so unique. Plating executed with detailed techniques can make a big difference in the whole presentation of the table. 
We've introduced some basic rules of plating in some of our  previous table setting articles, but we'll touch on some tips and rules as a refresher. 

For sushi and thick slices of sashimi, plate them slightly slanted to the right. This style of plating is called "nagashi-mori" where "nagashi" means "to flow" and "mori" means "to plate." The food is plated like it "flows" in the natural direction of the way our eyes move from left to right. 

For fried dishes, always give height to the food being plated, almost like a tent. And place an oil-absorbing napkin or paper on the plate. If you have ingredients with varying sizes and colors, place the larger sized pieces in the back and the smaller sized pieces with dark colors in the very front. 

 When using a Juabako Bento box, of course you can serve food directly in the box, but you can also place small dishes of differing colors and shapes inside the box to serve appetizers with a bit of liquid or fruit. The rule is same: give height to the food and do not put too much food in one small dish. When you use small dishes inside, It's actually easier to clean up and you don't have to worry about the flavors of mixing. 

4. Setting the Atmosphere

With a selected number of items on the table, the tableware setting itself is fairly simple. So to further decorate the table and the room, we placed a stoneware Shigaraki ware vase with a dynamic floral arrangement.And on the wall, we hung a delicately woven Kikyoya Nishijin-Ori Brocade Table Runner.  

The Hibino Carbonized Ginsai Checkered Mino Ware Plate is tableware but also works as a decor item with a deep and dark charcoal color and unique shape with a square footing,  

Lacquerware items are authentic Japanese tableware that represent the long history of wood work and lacquer coating technique of Japan. Include a lacquerware item on your table and enjoy the rich culture of Japanese crafts and cuisine.

Featured Item

Echizen Lacquerware

Echizen lacquerware originated around the city of Sabae in Fukui Prefecture, in the northern part of Japan. Known for its subdued luster and elegant beauty with a history going back more than 1,500 years. Echizen lacquerware has developed techniques for product diversification and mass production in response to changing lifestyles and market needs. Echizen lacquerware is easy to use, durable, and beautiful, and is loved not only by households but also by cooking professionals, accounting for more than 80% of all lacquerware for the food industry and commercial use in Japan.