For those who do not know what teppanyaki is, it is a style of Japanese cuisine which uses an iron griddle to cook food. It is usually in the open and customers gather around an iron griddle to watch the chef cook. At times, the chef is not only a chef but a performer. He is there to entertain the guests. My family is a huge fan of teppanyaki. My wife likes it because she feels that witnessing her meal being constructed before her very eyes gives her the assurance that her food is fresh and clean. For me, I like that everyone on the table is focused on the meal. Such are the times where we are all glued to our mobile phones even when we are having a meal with friends and family.
My family’s favourite teppanyaki haunt is Tatsu at CHIJMES. While you do get to sit around the iron griddle to witness the chef cook your food, the chefs at Tatsu do not entertain and interact with the guests. This is unlike our experience at Teppanyaki on Royal Caribbean cruises.
So what is the setting at The Straits Teppanyaki? Well for starters, there is only one iron griddle and there are limited seats around the iron griddle. Second, it is located in an unassuming shophouse along Bussorah Street.
Therefore, it is unlikely that you would want to sit around the iron griddle. It is too cramped and the chefs are using that griddle to cook for all the patrons in the restaurant. Therefore, even after your meal has been cooked, you will still need to endure the fumes from the cooking as there are other restaurant guests with meals that need to be cooked.
The restaurant is not very spacious. However, the ambience is very pleasant.
This is the iron griddle area. It’s just constant cooking. I would advise against sitting here unless you are the only guest in the restaurant. Otherwise, be prepared to really smell like a multitude of flavours after your visit.
In conclusion, do not sit around the solitary iron griddle.
The Straits Teppanyaki makes up for its lack of setting and entertainment in the quality and uniqueness of its food. I dare say that this is perhaps a better option in terms of food quality and taste than Tatsu.
I love how they offer sauces to cater to the local palette. The Sambal Kiccap and Green Belado options are very good. However, they are spicy. It’s a good thing that they serve free-flow ice water… Trust me, in today’s day and age that is a huge plus as restaurants start to charge for water.
The mains came with sides. I believe the egg fried rice would be the common choice for most. The soup of the day was miso soup. I failed to see what other options there could be in a Japanese restaurant.
The appetisers were very good. I had the nachos and fried mushrooms. I believe the sauces are what made them good. The salsa and guacamole were so different. They were chunky and tangy.
This is the tenderloin steak with the green balado sauce. Every main comes with bean sprouts. The other two beef options were sold out.
There was only one serving of scallops left for the day. I think this should be a popular option.
The king prawns were huge!
While the plating and setting are not the most premium, this does not take away the fact that this is perhaps the tastiest teppanyaki my family and I have had.
The downside of The Straits Teppanyaki was that there were no other vegetable options. My family takes meat but I do not. Therefore my only options were beansprouts and fried rice.
Oh, and a very huge plus for The Straits Teppanyaki… it is a halal establishment!
The Straits Teppanyaki is a definite must-try for teppanyaki fans. While there are limited teppanyaki options in Singapore, this should be one of the best. This is the best option to me at least.
Yours sincerely,
Daryl
The Straits Teppanyaki
16 Bussorah Street
Singapore 199437
Opening hours:
Monday: 11:30 am to 11 pm
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday: 12 pm to 11 pm
Friday and Saturday: 12 pm to 11:30 pm
Tel: 87703439
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