Teppan Grilled Chicken Chop One stall that we have been coming across whilst going around the various Food Republic food courts all across the island would be that of Teppan Lunch. The brand does seem to be quite a new entrant into the local F&B scene — that being said, they do seem to have more then one location operating around the island as of the time of writing; apart from the outlet that we have visited at the Food Republic location at the basement of Suntec City Mall, we have are also aware of a second location that is within the Food Republic food court at Wisma Atria as well. The outlet situated in the Food Republic food court at Suntec City Mall is relatively easy to find; the stall of which it occupies is the shop unit right beside the one occupied by Sing HK Kitchen. Whilst most food court / coffeeshop stalls that specialises in their Teppan offerings seem to have a focus on rice dishes seemingly similar to the tune of what is being served at Pepper Rice locations, Teppan Lunch differs in the way that they do serve up western-style hotplate dishes which features quite a number of different meat and side options to choose from. Types of meats that are listed on the menu at Teppan Lunch will include the likes of grilled beef cubes, Yakiniku steak, Sirloin Steak, grilled fish and chicken chop; options of fried meat / fish are also being offered, which includes that of the Golden Crispy Fish and Golden Crispy Chicken Leg.
What seemingly drew our attention to wanting to give Teppan Lunch a go was actually the availability of pasta as a side. Teppan Lunch actually serve up their items much in the style that one would expect from modern western cuisine stalls situated in food courts, coffeeshops and hawker centres all around — patrons would first choose their desired meat option before making their choice or two (2) side dishes and one (1) sauce that are being listed in the menu. Choices of sides include that of the butter corn, French Fries, mixed vegetables, fried rice etc., while there are three (3) different sauces to choose from — namely the Signature Teppan Sauce, Classic Steak Sauce and the Black Pepper Sauce. For our order of the Teppan Grilled Chicken Chop, our choice of sides would be the Pasta and Egg, while our choice of sauce was the Signature Teppan Sauce. On first look, the combination of the sides and meats for our order does seem to closely resemble that of the Taiwanese hotplate western cuisine that had recently taken off in the local F&B scene. One thing we really liked here is how these folks did serve up the items on the hotplate with the hotplate being hot — not simply using the hotplate as dining ware as some other establishments might have done so. With all the items sizzling on the hotplate; the grilled chicken chop itself was a hit for us considering how it was still juicy and tender — came with a savoury note that suggested that it had been marinated / brined before hitting the grill. We also liked how it also had some crispness for a good contrast of textures as well. The Signature Teppan Sauce definitely worked well here — not only does it provide a light note of savouriness typically found in the usual brown sauce, but it also came buttery enough for an additional dimension of flavour without being particularly jelak.
That being said, considering how it is being served on a hotplate, the sauce does get a little saltier once it has been reduced whilst still bubbling on the hotplate. The sauce not only went well with the meat, but also with the pasta as well; one thing we liked is that they seemed to have gotten a good control of the temperature of the hotplate and the various elements here. We found the noodles still being of a good consistency without having been overdone; there are some parts cooked a slightly chewy and slightly crusted texture, but this was kept to a minimum and also does add a good contrast to the dish as well — something that we quite liked. We were initially worried that the undersides of the sunny-side egg would have been totally overdone given how everything was bubbling and sizzling on the hotplate when we were collecting our order; our fears were unfounded however with the undersides being of a shade of light brown and came off the hotplate rather easily. The egg white still remained fluffy, while the egg yolk is kept to a runny consistency here. Considering how our first experience with Teppan Lunch is like, we must say that we left feeling pretty satisfied with what we have had. With prices of its non-beef dishes priced at $8.90 (the beef dishes are priced between $9.90 to $11.90, with the exception of the Signature Teppan Tomahawk Steak priced at $49.90), Teppan Lunch does seem to be an establishment serving up some reasonably-priced western fare served on hotplates in the heart of town; also a stall which we would most certainly think about dining from when visiting the Food Republic food courts at Wisma Atria and Suntec City Mall in Singapore.
