\nThe owners, who both worked at the award-winning Royal Sushi & Izakaya<\/a> in Queen Village, opened dancerobot<\/a>\u00a0in September to much fanfare, boasting a full waitlist for its first 30 days of operation.\n<\/p>\n \nIto, who was named as a finalist<\/a> this week for a James Beard Award for the best chef in the Mid-Atlantic, has said his mission is to push the Philly food scene forward.<\/p>\n \n\u201cThe brunch menu at dancerobot is inspired by Japan\u2019s past and present food culture as well as my own personal breakfast tastes,\u201d Bacharach said. \u201cWe are also doing something pretty unique to Philadelphia. The dishes and flavors we\u2019re playing around with aren\u2019t things you would generally see on a restaurant\u2019s breakfast menu.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nAmong its offerings are a Kare pan dish made with braised beef cheek, spicy Japanese curry and seaweed; a Katsu curry made with spicy curry sauce and koshihikari rice; and bacon, egg and cheese served in the form of an onigiri, or deep fried rice ball. The menu also includes an Omurice omelette cut tableside to reveal its creamy insides, which Bacharach called one of the most popular dishes, and the item that people \u201cjudge\u201d the restaurant on the most.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cIt\u2019s the most familiar set of flavors but in a different package,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s something we\u2019ve hyped for a long time. Many of our guests \u2026 whip out their phones the moment it is brought to the table, expecting a viral moment.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nThe risk in introducing a new flavor palette to brunch customers has seemed to pay off, especially with dancerobot\u2019s Teishoku, a traditional Japanese breakfast dish that consists of a choice of fish, miso soup, rice and Japanese pickles.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cI think people are surprised when they order this by how much it makes sense as a morning meal,\u201d Bacharach said. \u201cIt is personally my favorite item on the menu and my favorite way to eat breakfast \u2026 and is the most traditional Japanese item we are serving.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The sourdough pancake at dancerobot was the most difficult item to plan on the restaurant’s brunch menu, co-owner Justin Bacharach said.<\/p>\n \nIt was dancerobot\u2019s deceptively simple sourdough pancake, served with red miso maple syrup and lemon zest, that took the most amount of work to pull off.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cEveryone these days has a signature brunch pancake and a lot of people have a particular perception of Japanese-style pancakes, so I wanted to work hard to make something special,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n \nBacharach said he and Ito got inspiration from a wide range of sources \u2014 from experiences in New York City to a restaurant in the basement of Tokyo\u2019s Ginza 5 shopping center to Philly’s brunch and breakfast staples.\n<\/p>\n \nDancerobot\u2019s concept plays into the idea of Kissaten-style restaurants found in Japan, which were popular in the mid-20th century and are known for their retro ambience. Bacharach said it was something he was always interested in as a chef, and credited Little Pete\u2019s<\/a>, the beloved 24-hour diner in Center City that closed in 2017, with upholding the \u201ctimeless and classic\u201d vibes that a Kissaten establishment emanates.\n<\/p>\n \nWhen Bacharach worked as head chef at Royal Sushi & Izakaya, he would schedule staff field trips to Ocean City Restaurant in Chinatown to eat dim sum, which he calls the \u201cclosest parallel\u201d to what dancerobot is offering now. The bustling energy of Parc on Rittenhouse Square was also something he hoped to replicate.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWe sought out the best versions of certain items \u2026 and then I brought those memories back home and put our own creative spin on them,\u201d Bacharach said.\n<\/p>\n![\"dancerobot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/dancerobot_brunch_1.width-704.png\")
Provided Image\/dancerobot<\/p>\n