This is the time when people who are busy day and night can be the most themselves. Because you have limited time, you can focus on the things you like and what is important to you, and you can interact with people you wouldn't normally meet. The series ``Asakatsu'' focuses on people who naturally enjoy such a rich lifestyle. The 6th guest is Taichi Hara, a French chef who runs three restaurants in Shibuya and Shirokanedai. Even though it's a bistro, it opens from 8am. We spoke to Rojiura, a hidden gem in Udagawa Town, about the background behind the birth of this new style.

By continuing it for a long time, we can make bistro breakfast a culture.

Q: "Rojiura" starts business from 8:00 in the morning. It's an unusual style for a bistro.

“We opened in 2011, but it wasn’t until a few years later that we started opening in the morning.I think it was around 2015.We first started at our affiliated store PATH in Tomigaya, and soon after that, we started opening mornings at PATH. Rojiura", I started incorporating it.Originally, I thought I would do it after establishing a bistro in the evenings.In the restaurant industry, it is normal to work until late every day.Of course, I was like that too. However, as I entered my 30s, I began to think about the importance of mornings."

Q: Please tell me why you became conscious of mornings.

``I like mornings in the first place. I like breakfast.When I was a child, on my day off, my father woke up around 7 a.m. and asked me to buy him something from a bakery near our house for 1,000 yen. That was a really happy time for me when I was little.Looking back, I think that's when my love of mornings started.After I became an adult, I really loved mornings overseas. I'm the type of person who wakes up pretty early, so when everyone else is still asleep, I go for a walk by myself, and it's a blissful time to drink coffee and eat bread at a cafe.I've always thought it would be great if I could do this in Tokyo too. Actually, there was a Paddlers Coffee attached to LIFE son in Sangubashi, and while drinking coffee there, I thought I'd buy some bread baked by Mr. Tarui at the Tarui Bakery next door and eat it. There was a time when I was practicing once a week."


Q: Besides eating, is there anything you're glad you can do in the morning?

``It's a meeting. It's not often that you set a time to meet with someone in the morning. You eat dinner together and then go to work. Before starting your morning at your shop, I often asked the staff, ``Are you going tomorrow?'' By the way, I don't really cook at home. Even if I make something in the morning, it's just French toast or yogurt. Basically, I like eating out. ”

In the morning, when your senses are sharpened, you want to pursue simplicity and essence.

Q: Is there anything you keep in mind when preparing the morning menu?

``Even with soups and salads, I think it's good to have something that's really natural and delicious.I want to make something that's simple and has an essence.In the old days, restaurants used to have gorgeous presentations, and there was a tendency to just decorate. But I started thinking, ``Is that really necessary?'' When I kept it minimal, I ended up looking cooler more and more. For example, ``Rojiura'' has pumpkin soup on the morning menu, but it looks more appealing if it's presented subtractively, with just a few nuts on top and a drizzle of olive oil. Also, since I haven't eaten anything in the morning, I think my sense of taste becomes sharper and I can truly enjoy the quality of the ingredients."

Q: Have you noticed any changes in yourself since you started working in the morning?

``When I see so many customers coming, I feel happy and realize that what I thought was right wasn't a mistake, so I don't hate waking up in the morning anymore. There are a lot of young people who come for the butter sandwich that became a hot topic.If it's not because they're going to eat breakfast, but because there's only breakfast on the menu, then there's a gap in their thinking. Sometimes I feel that way, but I still want people to order soup with me and drink it and feel that ``breakfast is delicious.'' After all, ``Rojiura'' and ``PATH'' are both bistros at night, aren't they? The casual style has increased, but I think French cuisine is still a bit difficult to get into.However, after spending a nice time in the morning, I decided to come in the evening as well, so I decided to stretch out and make a reservation for my girlfriend's birthday. I thought I'd try it. It would be great if I could be the gateway to French cuisine."

Q: How do you want to spend your mornings in the future?

``I don't have my ideals too high and I think it's best to stick with them for a long time.Morning comes every day, and I don't want it to become a temporary ``breakfast'' fad. I believe that there is a culture beyond "Rojiura". Even if it never becomes popular, if people who like mornings come to the store and have fun, I think it will become a culture. "Rojiura" I want ``PATH'' to become something like that long-established store.''

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