After realising that having Teppanyaki can be an awesome experience due to the real-time preparation of food and how delicious the food can be, if prepared the perfect way, I go on a search for authentic Teppanyaki restaurants, and I found Teppan Works. And what a good find this is, where I get to enjoy good food, some with unique twists, at a good price and have a good time interacting with the Japanese chefs and staff. Another important thing: I still smell great after a meal here despite sitting right in front of the cooking area.
The trio of seafood impressively served is of the more premium seafood: scallop, oyster and prawn. The scallop is briny and very creamy in taste. I can dab the seafood with a bit of ponzu sauce with grated radish or their special tartar sauce for extra kick in the taste.
Talking about the special tartar sauce, it has nuanced flavours and vegetable bits in there for the extra bite, making this probably my favourite tartar sauce.
The lightly grilled oyster is very creamy too, smooth, succulent and has light taste of iodine with umami. The prawn completes the lovely creamy dream by being creamy and sweet while being firm in texture for a good bite. The very light layer of char elevates the taste of the prawn to be oh-so-good and totally satisfying.
I get to choose one obanzai, aka starter dish, from an array of them nicely presented on a huge wooden tray. All looks so good! It's hard to choose. And they are not usually seen at other restaurants, so I want to try them all.
After much deliberation, I choose smoked duck, and I'm so happy with my choice after the first bite of this. Velvety smooth in texture, easy to bite, this gamey meat has a rich smokey flavour that tastes even better when eating it with the accompanying onion shreds for the pungent kick.
I opt for Dashimaki, the plain omelette, and what I get is a new gastronomic experience of savouring the silkiest, smoothest, paper-thin omelette, paired with the most unlikely sauce: Yuzu Chilli Sauce. The omelette is very good on its own, and when eaten with the refreshing, yet slightly spicy and tangy yuzu chilli sauce, it becomes amazingly good. This is a must-try when at this restaurant.
I add Pari Pari Avocado with Melty Cheese to my order due to curiosity. This is very flavourful, especially when Tasbasco sauce is added, at the recommendation of the chef. The soft avocado is served in one big chuck so that I can fully enjoy its veggie creaminess in big bites. I like it.
The seemingly old-school chawamushi here also surprises me since it is served cold instead. When eaten with pops of the umami laden caviar, the flavours work beautifully together. The custard actually feels smoother when served cold, and the coldness preserves the taste and texture of the caviar. An awesome surprise.
The accompanying asparagus of the pork steak is crunchy and the tomato is juicy. The fried almond slices, my favourite yuzu chilli sauce and sea salt makes the pork a flavourful treat. The browned parts of the pork is very nice.
And I have one of the best okonomiyaki here. Lots of quality cabbages is packed within the thin layer of dough, which is exactly the ratio of cabbage to dough in a good okonomiyaki. What makes this even better is that the cabbage is very finely chopped, yet not mashed, to fully release the sweetness of the vegetable while retaining its crunchiness. I have no problem finishing this by myself despite its pretty big size.
The place looks like an izakaya with a unique brick wall on one side to give that rustic feel, making it a great place to just relax and enjoy some good food. The chef and service staff are super friendly and engaging. Lots of interactions ensured. I have a good time chatting with them while savouring the great food. It is so easy to feel at ease here. If you are up for a good chat, this is a good place (at the counter seats) to consider.
I definitely look forward to coming back here and recommend this place to my family and friends. And there are lots of other unique dishes that I like to try.
Thoughts: The perfect place to go for for good Teppanyaki with unique twists.
