A woman holding an ice cream walks out of a KFC restaurant in Beijing
Curbing food cravings is one of the tested and proven ways to lose weight. Many people often give in to their cravings and later feel guilty of eating something they shouldn’t have. IN PHOTO: A woman holding an ice cream walks out of a KFC restaurant in Beijing July 17, 2014. Yum Brands Inc on Wednesday said its KFC business bounced back in China, its No. 1 market, but its stock fell more than 2 percent. REUTERS/KIM KYUNG-HOON

Japanese restaurant chains are eyeing China as the destination for their big ticket expansion. Japanese restaurants appeal to food lovers with their variety and often bring to mind images of the famed Sushi restaurants. But they offer variety and there at least 30 different kinds of restaurants Japan is offering, depending on the specialisation of its cuisine, reports Japan Talk

Watami Outlets

Recently Japanese restaurant chains Watami and Saizeriya unveiled their plans to expand their presence in China by leveraging the growing middle-class consumers. As an innovation, Watamis new line of restaurants will also serve Mediterranean cuisine with a Japanese flare. In Hong Kong, the first such store was opened in early October, and it hopes to add 10 more outlets in the next few years. The first outlet had 100 seats, with the average cost of a lunch estimated at 1,200 yen ($11.17), and the average dinner at 2,300 yen.

Watami has been popular in Asia with more than 100 outlets serving Japanese cuisine. The first outlet in Cambodia was a big success which opened in early June, is doing well. The chain will open 20 new overseas stores, mostly in China, by the end of March, according to Asia Nikki report

Saizeriya's Italian Food

Saizeriya is a Japanese chain of Italian restaurants with a legacy lasting half a century. It is planning to open more than 100 stores outside Japan before August 2015. In the expansion drive, it is giving China's big cities such as Shanghai and Guangzhou a major focus. It is also expanding in Singapore and Taiwan. By August, the number of Saizeriya's overseas outlets will zoom to roughly 320. But both will be curbing their exposure in native Japan. Watami will open 20 domestic stores and close 60 because of labour shortage. Saizeriya will target 40 new store openings.

Different Menu

The Watami is famous for its salads of diverse flavors with ingredients such as brocolli, corn, tomatoes, seaweeds and shrimps. Customers like the freshness, crispiness and taste of its dressing, says a review by anotsopopularkid.com The dish named Okonomiyaki is another savory delight as a light vegetable dish with its sweet and savory taste and texture. Saizeriya enjoys the fame for casual dining with its delicious appetizers such as chicken wings, smoked salmon, grilled escargots, mussels marinara at affordable prices, says a report in a Mitsueki hotel blog.