Ahoy Yayoi

Plano lands uncommon comfort-food restaurant straight from Japan

Plano will be home to the first branch of Yayoi in Texas.

Photo courtesy of Yayoi

Do you like Japanese fried chicken? A new restaurant concept from Japan called Yayoi is coming to the Dallas area. It's a "teishoku" style restaurant, described as Japanese comfort food, and the first branch in Texas will open in Plano at 120 Legacy Dr., in a new development at the Legacy 100 center at US 75.

Teishoku is an East-meets-West deal consisting of home-style "set meals," sort of like the American three squares, with a main dish of meat or fish, plus rice, vegetables, and miso soup.

The teishoku concept has become a popular convenient meal option in Japan, with many teishoku-style chains, of which Yoyai is one. It's a little like cafeteria-style eating, with a variety of items on your tray, at a set price. They also serve quickly, making them a popular option for workers on their lunch break.

Main dish options include deep-fried pork loin in miso sauce; pork belly and stir-fried vegetables; and teriyaki hamburg teishoku, a Japanese take on Salisbury steak. If you don't want to to do teishoku, there are noodles and other Japanese dishes.

The fried chicken is pounded flat like a steak and breaded with a thick, crunchy crust. It's drizzled with sweet and sour sauce and a special Yayoi tartar sauce.

In addition to the novelty of the teishoku concept, Yayoi's ordering is unique. There is regular full service with a physical menu, or you can also order from an iPad menu where you tap and send your choice to the kitchen, then monitor the status of your order real-time, and even pay your bill. Great for control freaks.

There's also a full bar.

The chain operates 297 Yayoi-ken restaurants in Japan, with origins that date back to the 19th century, and 155 overseas locations, many in Thailand. It made its U.S. debut in 2016 with the opening of a branch in Palo Alto. According to a spokesperson, the Plano location is the first of eight branches that will open in Texas.

openings

Ice Cream News

Global gourmet ice cream chain debuts in U.S. with 2 Dallas-area shops

Dumont Ice Cream

An ice cream concept from India has made its U.S. debut, right here in Texas: Called Dumont Creamery & Cafe, it's a ice cream chain founded in Hyderabad that now has two locations in the Dallas area.

Their first location was Frisco, which opened at 1951 FM 423 at the end of 2023; a second location opened in late October in Coppell at 1535 S. Belt Line Rd. #160.

Dumont was founded in 1999 by brothers Vivek and Bhashkaar, and currently has 23 locations in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Vijayawada listed on their website.

Bringing the concept to Texas are local franchisees and friends Sai Sashank and Tarang Tirumala, who moved to the U.S. in 2005 to attend college.

Both have successful consulting careers, but craved a taste of home.

Ice cream is the centerpiece at Dumont with more than two dozen flavors, ranging from gourmet to classics to flavors boasting global influences: from Italian-inspired sorbet to a New Zealand-inspired honey ice cream called "hokey pokey."

There is vanilla, chocolate, and mint chocolate chip — but also unique options such as cake and jam, an ice cream with a vanilla base, bites of cake, and spiced jam; and kheer, a coconut ice cream studded with dried fruits and nuts — a nod to the kheer rice pudding that's one of India's favorite desserts.

A single scoop is $4. They have cups and a cute version of waffle cones: shorter and fatter than usual, to provide a greater ratio of ice cream-to-cone.

In addition to ice cream, they have a beverage program with coffee and espresso drinks such as lattes, plus boba tea. There are also special drinks like falooda — an exotic Indian milkshake with rose syrup and vermicelli — as well as limited-edition drinks like iced kheer, a cool beverage version of that same popular rice pudding dessert.

Both locations are spacious, bright, and clean, with pale green banquettes at Frisco, and pale blue chairs and tables at Coppell. Both feature an astronaut theme with statues and framed photos and cartoons on the wall. The Coppell location also has a mural dedicated to great moments in Coppell history.