Takeda House

Takeda House (Yamataigo: 武田邸 – “Takeda-tei,” literally “Takeda's Manor”) is a fine dining concept by Motoyoshi Tachiko. It serves Tachiko's signature, personal style, ICly high-concept Lianjia cuisine, with a real-world analogy of something very much like a haute-nouvelle French-Chinese Fusion. While the (very expensive) restaurant does not have a specific dress code, the clientele is decidedly non-casual, generally in semi-formal dress, Traditional Yamataian Dress, or Military Dress.

In YE 42, after arriving at her new duty station in the Jiyuu System and flush with cash from extended back-pay and the sale of salvage, Motoyoshi Tachiko decided she needed a bigger, better outlet for her culinary passion. With this windfall and the blessing of the Motoyoshi Clan, she opened her first location on Gemini Star Fortress in the second month of the year. Proximity of the founding location to the Juugoya Cooperative headquarters allowed Takeda House a ready supply of the highest quality ingredients for their dishes.

Takeda House Restaurants
“Ever at your service.”
Established	YE 42
CEO and Executive Chef	Motoyoshi Tachiko
Parent Company	Yugumo Corporation
Associated Faction	Yamatai Star Empire
Headquarters	Tokyo, Jiyuu III
Nomenclature ID	Tt

The company shares office space and staff with the Takeda Foundation.

Takeda House's facilities are its restaurants. They are found in high-wealth, high-traffic areas, whether stand-alone or tenant. Besides the Headquarters itself, Takeda House has no support facilities, as Komorebi Foods handles delivery and resupply.

• Gemini Star Fortress – First Location
  • Sakura Arm
  • Tokyo Arm
• Jiyuu III – Corporate Headquarters
  • Jiyuu Jo
  • Tokyo (Several Locations)
  • Fuji Hotel
• Dawn Station – First Origin Industries Expansion
• Yamatai (Planet)
  • Motoyoshi-Jo
  • Campus Belmont
  • Downtown Kyoto (Several Locations)
• Noval Station, Sanctum – First New Dusk Conclave expansion
• Starchaser III-Class Ferry First Class Decks

The company was founded by its CEO and Executive Chef, Motoyoshi Tachiko. It is funded jointly through Tachiko's own finances and Yugumo Corporation through its subsidiary Komorebi Foods.

• Motoyoshi Tachiko
• Yugumo Corporation via Juugoya Cooperative

Takeda House serves a seven-course, table d'hôte, prix fixe menu at market price, averaging about 250-300KS a plate, though particularly rare dishes or more courses (up to 13) might push this up to 500KS or more per person. Expensive drinks can drive this up even more, perhaps adding up to be greater than the cost of the meal itself. Takeda House's food features seafood of all kinds prominently, and does not shy away from offal and other organ meats. The specific dishes vary from day to day, but some representative menus (275KS) are below:

• Hors d'œuvre: Oysters with Sichuan Pepper Sorbet
• Soup: Egg Drop Soup with Spider Crab "Effiloché"
• Entrée: White Mushrooms with a Foam of Sorrel, Smoked Tofu "Foie Gras"
• Fish: White Asparagus, Kombu, Orange Zest, Cream with Parmesan and Monk Fish
• Main Course: Char Siu Pork Stuffed with Smoked Tofu "Foie Gras"
• Cheese: Cheesy Choux Pastry and Sea Urchin Tart
• Dessert: Dried Banana with Honey, Sorrel Sauce, Crème fraîche

Takeda House has been mentioned by name in many roleplays, but here are some of the specific menus and items that have been featured¹⁾:

As featured during Takeda Delights:

• Hors d'œuvre: Andouille Chaoshou with Tarragon Black Vinegar
• Soup: Oxtail Soup
• Entrée: Oyster Mushrooms in Five Spice Demi-glace, Century Egg
• Fish: Swordfish Steak, ginger-dill pesto
• Main Course: Roast Suckling Pig, Sichuan Pepper Asparagus
• Cheese: Crab Soufflé
• Dessert: Lychee Sorbet with Honey, White Balsamic Reduction, Crème fraîche

A rare breakfast menu was served during Resolutions of the Ghost Episode 4, Part 2: To My Folly..., A Heavy Mission Ahead:

• First Course: Miso, rice, grilled fish, and green tea
• Second Course: Cheese and onion bialy with a dollop of lox
• Dessert: Tamarind sorbet in durian yogurt, topped with shredded and toasted coconut.

Takeda House hosted a Year End Winter Holiday Party, YE42:

• VIP Basket: Wine, cheese, and winter fruit from Ainu Orchards, fresh-baked pastries

Takeda House made a brief appearance during Trans-Universal Relations:

• Dessert: Strawberry tart with fresh mint

Katsuko met with the Ryu-Mizumitsu at Takeda House to discuss business in Munching on Asteroids and was served a special menu:

• Hors d'œuvre: Spicy pickled mussel in a warm broth, pea shoots, and fennel
• Amuse-bouche: Imperial Chicken Ball: smoked chicken pancake-battered takoyaki, cilantro mayo
• Entreé: Kameyama Lamb Sausage Roll, miso mustard sauce
• Fish: Jiyuuian scallops, aquaculture seaweed, roasted maitake mushrooms and kohlrabi, brown butter sauce, Ainu Orchards maple vinaigrette
• Main Course: Braised short-rib, pickled and braised cabbage
• Dessert: Sticky toffee pudding, rum caramel, crystallized white chocolate crunch, Bananas Foster ice cream.

Katsuko's favorite crab cakes were served during Lunch and Learn:

• Hors d'œuvre: Mussels on the half shell with ginger-tamarind mingionette
• Soup: Mushroom-onion gratinée
• Entrée: Cumin lamb biang-biang noodles
• Fish: Ginger-Lime Crab Cakes with Five-Spice Aioli
• Main Course: Roast duck breast stuffed with with smoked tofu “foie gras”
• Cheese: Baked brie topped with red-braised crisp pork belly in honey-chili
• Dessert: Seasonal fruits in a Shaoxing sweet rice wine reduction with citrus purée and basil

Takeda House has an extensive wine list, featuring not only labels such as Black Wolf Winery and Chateau Hanako (when available), but also many rare vintages and unique bottles, as well. Among these are the exclusive Motoyoshi Private Label umeshu and anjushu, including its inaugural vintage Yuuki-42.

There is an assortment of beer and sake available, as well as mead for the particularly archetypal Nekovalkyrja among the clientele, as well as tea, seasonal fruit juices, Coffee, and mineral water. Delsaurian Dusk with vintages before YE 27 are available in limited quantities at market price.

Takeda House restaurants do not have a dedicated bar or bartender, only the Sommelier. Aside from apéritifs and digestifs such as Delsaurian Dusk and Mazrit Brandy, hard liquor and mind-altering substances like Lorath Wine are generally not available, as Takeda House establishments are frequented by on-duty, high-ranking Star Army of Yamatai personnel and other dignitaries. As they are typically Minkan and Nekovalkyrja, they have their systems set to break down alcohol, and are generally only drinking that which complements the food.

The Chef de Cuisine at a Takeda House, responsible not only for creating the daily menu, but also day-to-day management and supervision, could be a civilian-educated culinary apprenticeship graduate, a decomissioned Star Army Cook, or someone with similar experience. Typically, the Sommelier has a similar background as well, as often does the Maître d'hôtel.

The Chef de Cuisine is present daily during the busiest time (late lunch to late dinner). At other times, the Maître d'hôtel and Sommelier share management duties. The Chef can earn upwards of 100,000KS per standard year, before bonuses, more than many mid-ranking Star Army officers, while other senior staff, such as the Sommelier and Maître d'hôtel, can be paid as much as 50,000 to 60,000KS per standard year, plus bonuses, though their additional bonuses are smaller. Other staff tend to earn about half or less of the lower end to middle of that.

All non-management personnel of Takeda House must be members of, and are represented by the Yugumo Workers Federation. The Yugumo Workers Federation ensures that all training and safety regulations are followed, and represents the employees in arbitrating any disputes they may have with Yugumo Corporation. Until YE 44, Takeda House relied heavily on semi-sentient android drones.

Front-of-house staff wear austere, solid-color Iromuji kimono of the sort used for performing the Tea Ceremony. They are a variety of conservative pastels, earth tones, and neutrals and each bear a single Takeda Kamon, in gold or silver print depending on the base color. Kitchen staff wear Kappōgi over the same sort of Iromuji kimono.

The Chef wears a typical Chef's Uniform, while the Sommelier and Maître d'hôtel wear indigo-dyed Happi coats bearing the Takeda Kamon and other symbols of the Takeda family such as two cranes bowing their heads together. If the Maître d'hôtel or Sommelier is not an individual with wireless capability, they will have a datapad to coordinate with the kitchen.

A Takeda House restaurant will always be in an upscale area, near other dining and entertainment, and will have a traditional Yamataian façade and decor. They open early, during the period many would consider brunch, staying open until well after even many bars and nightclubs are closed, serving the same set menu for the entire day, no matter the time. While reservations are not strictly required at Takeda House, they are all but a necessity except at the earliest and latest times, as there are few tables and high demand. A typical location sees on average 200-300 diners over the course of a day's business, more or less depending on the day (60-150 on a very slow day, over 500 on a very busy one), at an average of 350KS a person, drinks included, priced to make a 25%-50% margin.

Upon entering, customers must remove their shoes and wear the provided slippers. They are met by the Maître d'hôtel, who will seat them at a traditional Yamataian low table, and also take their orders. Food and drink are brought to the table by servers, though the Maître d'hôtel will check on diners and relay requests to the serving staff. apéritifs and Crudités are served immediately upon being seated. Courses are brought one at a time, à la russe, from hors d'œuvre to dessert, impeccably timed at the direction of the ever-observant Maître d'hôtel. Diners eating a meal at Takeda House likely spend over 2 hours from start to finish. At the conclusion, digestifs are served, and the bill is presented. Takeda House does not split checks except evenly, and even then only begrudgingly (albeit politely so).

Given the concentrated wealth, importance, and political and military leadership that feature prominently among the restaurant's clientele, Takeda House takes very seriously keeping that clientele as secure as possible, as discreetly as possible. There are always at least two discreet security staff on site. Heavy security personnel are out of sight of customers and staff alike until needed, and are EM-J6-1 "Rayleigh" androids with the medical option for emergencies and the commander upgrade for interacting with VIPs and controlling crowds. One, or two at most, are all a location would have, however.

Because of who the security is charged with protecting, these androids feature custom, hard-wired programming from Emrys Industries. Its protocols ensure they comply with the orders of Star Army Officers or Ketsurui Samurai present in their establishment as if they were subordinate Star Army of Yamatai personnel themselves, as well as prioritize the protection of these individuals and those whom they designate. This programming deletes itself in the instance one of them gains sentience.

In general, the Maître d'hôtel will respond immediately to any disruptive behavior on premises, politely asking offending individuals cease the behavior, or leave the premises, as the case may be. After that, should it continue, discreet security will also politely, but more firmly ask. Once past that point, or if the individual was hostile to the Maître d'hôtel in the initial encounter, discreet security will restrain and eject the offender from the restaurant, apologize to all present, and vanish once more into the back. Any armed or mass violence will see heavy security emerge and use necessary force to subdue the threat. Heavy security will also be present to escort any particularly high-value VIPs, even in the absence of overt threats.

Discreet security personnel are dressed smartly in Akemi's Fashion Line with concealed holsters and reflective sunglasses with varifocal lenses. Heavy security Rayleigh androids wear nothing but a black pistol belt to carry their sidearm and EM-W4 Stun Baton, but are tastefully painted in Takeda House livery. Security personnel are armed with Type 33/C Civilian Nekovalkyrja Service Pistols with YB-28A Triple-Power Magazines, which they will generally only use on the stun setting except in extreme circumstances. They also carry handcuffs, flashlights, and first aid kits. Rayleigh will each have access to a Personal Defense Shield in tower size with solid volumetrics and the electric stun system.

In YE 43 Yugumo Corporation took over management of Takeda House's budget amid internal restructuring. The original 5,000,000 KS investment was returned to Takeda Foundation.

Yuuki created this article on 2020/01/20 19:38.

This article was approved on 01/24/2020 by Andrew. See Forum Thread.