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| Image courtesy of Ivin's Catering |
Bento (弁当 ) is a Japanese term often referring to a single-portion home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, & one or more pickled or cooked vegetables. Today, it is still common for Japanese homemakers to spend time and energy for their spouse, child, or themselves producing a carefully prepared lunch box.
Bento boxes have internal dividers, and sometimes several stacked layers, so different kinds of food sit in their own little compartments. (This is nice if, like me, you don't necessarily like to mix flavours!) The goal of a Bento is to make the whole package as attractive as possible - from the colour combinations of the food, garnishing and presenting it as neatly and artfully as one can with other items like an accompanying drink, dessert, paper napkins, and cutlery.
Bento boxes have internal dividers, and sometimes several stacked layers, so different kinds of food sit in their own little compartments. (This is nice if, like me, you don't necessarily like to mix flavours!) The goal of a Bento is to make the whole package as attractive as possible - from the colour combinations of the food, garnishing and presenting it as neatly and artfully as one can with other items like an accompanying drink, dessert, paper napkins, and cutlery.
In Singapore, the idea of bento boxes for lunch began when Japanese restaurants began bento delivery services.
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| Image courtesey of Ye Liang How Catering |
Today, bento delivery has mushroomed and Catering Online has seen a growing number of requests for bento lunch and dinners from corporate clients. These are usually for office lunch in meetings or to celebrate a birthday for a colleague or other celebratory events. Caterers are well prepared to serve this need. Many of them offer cuisines which are not limited to Japanese, but also western, peranakan, thai, local, Indian and international.
Bento boxes vary in pricing from microwaveable containers which can start from $8.00 per pax to, to handsome lacquered boxes priced at $20.00 or more which are suitable for boardroom lunches.
