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Drama and delight in every bite...
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Experiencing the teppanyaki style of Japanese cuisine, SUMITRA SENAPATY is reminded that food service is a form of theatre. As onion volcanoes emit flames, ingredients fly and utensils clang. There is an element of unpredictability in every take... .
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Chef Koji Kanega.
WHEN TK's hit the city in the form of the first Oriental restaurant, the teppanyaki style of Japanese cuisine was presented as an ancient art shrouded in the mists of antiquity. Today, visiting chef Koji Kanega from the Grand Hyatt Fukuoka, Japan, tells us when and where teppanyaki began.
According to Kanega, the art of teppanyaki cooking has a 200-year history. "Traditionally, these meals were prepared on a small grill by families, now it has developed into a highly refined and beautiful form of expression, characterised by an intricate combination of presentation and knife skills." A fast-heating grill top, called a teppan, acts like a flat wok, quickly searing whatever meat or vegetable hits its surface. The chef performer demonstrates that knife artistry with a few other surprises, even as your meal gets a quick sauté before your eyes. The teppanyaki style is perfect
when you want to break away from the two-litres-of-cream-blended-with-500g-of-melted-butter style of food. Though when one mentions Japanese cuisine, thoughts automatically turn to sushi and raw fish.
To set the record straight, all teppanyaki preparations are cooked at high temperatures, so there is no chance of anything raw being consumed. Since most of us strive to be health conscious, it is nice to eat at this Hyatt restaurant, which features food of a different sort, everything is raw! The chefs bring a selection of meat, fish, vegetables and other ingredients to cook at the guest tables on a gas-lit flat grill. The meats are thinly sliced, and as you are balancing it with lots of vegetables and tofu, there are no guilt pangs! Yes, it is definitely healthy.
Here's how it works: You're seated at a large table with a griddle in its centre and an exhaust hood above. As the griddle heats, you narrow your choice: chicken, thin-cut lamb, salmon, shrimp, scallops or prawns. It can even be vegetarian with Chinese cabbage, broccoli, leeks, mushrooms, baby corn and avocado and asparagus. Within minutes raw foods get cooked to perfection and are served piping hot with a choice of sauces. After a simple, delicious serving of miso soup and a salad with a lively dollop of ginger-based dressing, our tableside chef brings his wares to the
teppan.
The routine that typically follows begins with the tools: fork, knife and spatula, drummed and clanged together, tossed and flipped. Next, an array of jumbo prawns is trimmed while quickly sizzling, tails tossed into unexpected places. Usually there's a volcano of flame created in a small mountain of onion rings. It can be argued that food service always has been a form of theatre,
which underscores the need for this kind of show to stay fresh. But our chef seems to be just going through the motions. Skilled motions, of course, but without the slightly wild edge of exuberance. The limitation on exuberance is the special Japanese influence, unlike the Western chefs. The biggest draw is that the food is cooked right at your table. Whilst in other restaurants, you wait for your food to arrive, and chat amongst yourselves, in this place your eyes are glued on the chef as he begins his act whilst freshly cooking your food. He or she wows you with chopping skills and cooking techniques, and if you have never experienced it before, you will be truly amazed at how fast and spectacular this all looks. The atmosphere is great. If you want to try something different or impress your partner, friends or business clients, then this would be ideal.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
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