The Teppanroom – a truly captivating teppanyaki experience at the Grand Hyatt, Hong Kong

My first ever teppanyaki experience was back in the US; if anything, it was more a form of entertainment than a dining experience – chefs juggling utensils, flipping food into their chef hats and arranging onion rings into towering volcanoes… Not exactly my idea of fine dining! So when Rach suggested we try the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong’s newest restaurant, The Teppanroom, I wasn’t exactly sure how the night would turn out!

It turns out a meal at The Teppanroom is completely different to my cheesy teppanyaki experience in the US. The Teppanroom only seats a cosy sixteen people, so you know you’re in for a real treat – each and every seat is front and centre for watching your food being prepared right before your eyes. And I promise, with the chefs just a few feet away from you throughout your meal, you’ll be absolutely mesmerised by their precision, skill and most of all, their cool and calm attitude!

We began with an amuse bouche – thinly sliced abalone lightly enriched by a savoury touch of the dashi sauce. Even Rach, who is no fan of abalone, had a slice!

Rach’s favourite dish of the entire meal was our first one – Nagano tomato cooked in pancetta with pine nuts and a honey sauce. The tomato was sweet, juicy and hit all the right notes; in each bite, you get a little taste of savoury, sweet, and sour… In other words, this dish is a true triple threat!

I will never say no to scallops, so the Hokkaido scallop with sweet shrimp was another hit with us! Chef Robert advised us to eat each scallop in one bite; layer by layer, the earthy, grassy flavour of the shiso leaf, followed by the fresh, sweet scallop resulted in one (big!) bite of heaven.

Next was the Teppanroom’s kabayaki eel. This thick, rich basting sauce is one of my favourite flavours in the world… if only the eel had stayed a little longer on the heat to get a crispier skin.

Abalone number two of the day was the giant South African abalone; I was already falling into a food coma at this point (I blame the scallops!), but I do remember the wonderful, silky tama-miso sauce (think miso mixed with runny egg) that gave the abalone a rich, velvety taste.

My highlight of our meal at The Teppanroom was the Wagyu tenderloin, which was extremely tender and oh-so-luscious. The phrase “melt-in-your-mouth good” should become married to Wagyu beef! The beef came with a side of grilled seasonal veggies, which paired wonderfully with a rich sesame dip. The veggies were caramelised and delicious, but by now we were already bursting at the seams!

Finally, the surf and turf fried rice closed our hefty meal. If you’re wondering about that green colour – it’s from a touch of green tea that gives the rice just a hint of bitterness. With delicious chunks of shrimp and beef studded throughout and a dainty little fried quail egg on top, this was an inspired take on your usual rice dish.

After a short (but much needed!) resting period, it was dessert time. Now whenever there’s no chocolate in our desserts, our hearts break a little… But in this case, the dessert at The Teppanroom mended our hearts with sweet soft pears and perfect pear sorbet! Taking a bite out of the caramelised pears and then mixing it with the light, refreshing pear sorbet and thick indulgent caramel sauce should be enough to fix any broken heart.

At $1850 (plus 10% service charge) for a sharing menu for two, The Teppanroom most definitely is not an everyday indulgence – but the ingredients were of premium quality, the number of dishes generous and the entire atmosphere, with the chef cooking right before our eyes, really made the meal. For a private spot to enjoy someone’s sweet company and a captivating foodie experience, The Teppanroom is truly a great place to mark those special occasions.

The Teppanroom  Mezzanine Floor, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road (Inside Kaetsu) Wan Chai
2584 7722  www.hongkong.grand.hyattrestaurants.com/…