Teppanyaki is a Japanese style of cooking that uses a flat-top grill.

Diners are seated around the grill while the meal is prepared and the chefs show off their seasoned and often flamboyant culinary skills.

In restaurants outside of Japan, it is very common for there to be hand tricks and other forms of entertainment; the emphasis is not necessarily on the meal itself.

Does this sound intriguing to you? Are you unfamiliar with the concept and interested in learning what type of food is offered when dining at this type of restaurant?

If so, here is an overview of what you can expect.

The Appetizer

The appetizer, or zensai, is a way to prepare your taste buds for the culinary journey ahead.

It is typical for there to be a cold item served, like sashimi, carpaccio or a salad. In addition, you are likely to be offered soup.

While miso is a common choice, some places offer different options depending on the season.

Seafood

If you are a fan of shellfish, you are in luck as this is what is typically offered during this particular course.

Scallops and shrimp are the most common selections, but there are some upscale restaurants that have offerings like spiny lobster and abalone.

It is easy to overcook seafood, but the best teppanyaki chefs will grill everything perfectly and offer you the best possible dining experience.

Meat

In this day and age, it is possible to see many different types of meat on the menu at a teppanyaki restaurant. This is very different from the beginning.

As this type of dining was created as a variation of a steakhouse, beef has often been the star of the show.

When it comes to the beef you can expect to be served, low-grade cuts are not an option.

Things like fine marbled rib eye, Wagyu, and Kobe are the norm. In some cases, the meat is aged to give it an additional flavour boost.

If you need more flavour than what is offered in the beef itself, there are often condiments offered on the side.

These include fried garlic, ground pepper, wasabi and coarse salt.

Rice

Instead of serving diners plain rice as an accompaniment to the meat course, rice is considered a course in itself.

Depending on the restaurant where you are eating, you can expect to have risotto or fried rice. This is typically cooked on the grill with eggs.

Some places add vegetables, but that is not standard.

This is usually a way for a chef to show off some of the theatrics by maneuvering the egg around expertly while keeping them intact until they are ready to be cooked.

Dessert

After eating all of the other courses, many people find that they are too full to consider eating a dessert, but that does not mean that one will not be offered.

If you are prepared to indulge, it is typical for restaurants to offer a selection of sorbets, cakes and/or pastries to patrons.

If you are not interested in any of these and want to finish your meal on a non-sweet note, then coffee and tea are usually served.

You can skip the dessert and sip on a warm beverage at the end of your meal as an alternative.

Teppanyaki restaurants are popular globally, which means that more and more people are enjoying this type of food each day.

If you have yet to try it, you are definitely in for a welcome surprise.

Make sure that you arrive with an appetite for food and entertainment as a large dose of both is likely to be on the menu.

If you are in Melbourne and want to enjoy an authentic Japanese Restaurant in Doncaster, you simply can’t go past Kobe Teppanyaki.

For reservations please call us today on 03 9841 9889 or visit here for bookings and enquiries.