About Cooking

At Harappa Cafe, cooking is a creative and collaborative experience. We encourage staff to look at what ingredients are available and prepare dishes freely.

Once ready, dishes go straight onto the buffet table for everyone to enjoy.

That said, we sometimes receive reservations or special requests due to dietary needs. In those cases, we may kindly ask you to prepare something specific. Examples include:

• Dishes without onions or garlic
• Gluten-free options
• Simple, mild dishes suitable for children

We appreciate your flexibility and care when accommodating these requests.

Number and Quantity of Dishes

We kindly ask that each cooking team (or individual) prepares at least 3 different dishes.
Having a variety helps us offer something for everyone, especially guests with dietary preferences or restrictions.

For portion size, aim for about 4 servings per dish.
It’s okay to make a little less—but making too much can be troublesome if there are leftovers.

You’re responsible for the dishes you prepare, so we encourage you to:

• Reuse and creatively repurpose leftovers into new meals whenever possible
• Think ahead about how dishes can be refreshed or served again

About Customer Numbers

The number of guests can vary a lot from day to day.
Some days we might serve only around 5 people, while on busier days it could be up to 20 or more.

About Heating Equipment

Soups and Broths
We use induction heaters (IH), so please use—or transfer dishes into—IH-compatible pots for serving. An IH-compatible pot is one made of magnetic metal (such as iron or stainless steel) with a flat bottom.
Pots that cannot be used include aluminum, ceramic, and pots with rounded bottoms.
Other Dishes
We don’t have heat lamps or warming trays, so food tends to cool down fairly quickly after being served.
Because of this, there’s no need to rush to serve everything piping hot right at opening time.
It’s perfectly fine to serve dishes as they’re ready.

Available Cooking Equipments

Here is some of the equipment we have:

• 8 stovetops
• 1 gas oven (big enough to bake two loaves of bread at once)
• Plenty of pots, pans, and frying pans
• Steamer
• Takoyaki maker
• Hot plate
• Pressure cooker
• Food processor, electric mill, hand mixer, powerful blender
• Electric whisk
• Bread kneader
• Baking pans: tart, chiffon cake, cupcake, plus cookie cutters
• Waffle maker, hot sandwich maker, taiyaki maker
• Juicer
• Dehydrator (great for making dried fruit, herb powder, or veggie chips)
• Toaster oven
• Microwave

If you need a tool that isn’t listed, just ask—we probably have it tucked away somewhere, or can figure out a creative alternative!

Knife Safety

⚠️ Please wash your knives right after use and return them to their proper place.
Leaving knives in the sink is a safety hazard and makes cleaning harder for others.
Thank you for being mindful!

Accommodating Dietary Restrictions

Many of our guests follow special diets, including vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or Taiwanese Buddhist vegan.
We do our best to welcome them with thoughtful, clearly labeled dishes.

Please label everything you prepare—labels and markers are available.

Note: You’re not required to make special dishes unless a specific request has been made.
But when possible, having at least one or two accommodating options on the buffet is deeply appreciated.

Common Dietary Needs

Vegan

Vegans avoid all animal-derived ingredients—including meat, fish, eggs, dairy, honey and gelatin.
Even processed items like sauces or snacks may contain hidden animal products, so always check labels.

Vegetarian

Vegetarians avoid meat and seafood but usually eat eggs, dairy, and honey.
Many still avoid gelatin (often made from animal bones).

Taiwanese Vegan (Buddhist Vegetarian)

Despite the name, the foods they can eat are similar to vegetarians.
They consume dairy products and eggs. The difference is: in addition to vegetarian restrictions, they also avoid alliums—such as onions, garlic, chives, scallions, and Chinese leeks (known as the “five pungent spices”).
They do eat ginger and celery.

Guests following this diet often come in groups and may arrive without a reservation.
When possible, we try to have some allium-free dish ready—this makes their visit much more welcoming.

Gluten-Free

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye.
While gluten-free guests may eat animal products, they must avoid anything containing wheat flour.
⚠️ Important: Many common Japanese staples like soy sauce and miso contain wheat.
We stock gluten-free soy sauce and miso—please use them when preparing gluten-free dishes.

Dietary Restrictions Quick Reference

Example Dishes & Dietary Suitability

Here are some dishes we commonly serve, along with how they fit different diets.
(✅ = suitable, with notes where preparation matters.)
(❌ = Not suitable.)

🌿🧀🧅🍳♪