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Sapporo Teppanyaki – Japanese Cuisine

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Perrie

On a Friday afternoon and finished work for the week I wanted to try something different. I’d previously visited Sapporo Teppanyaki once in Ayia Napa during my teenage holiday and once in Glasgow. It had been a few years and after it had won awards for its authentic Japanese cuisine and I thought it would be a good idea to go back. Sapporo Teppanyaki is pretty much food, drink and entertainment all rolled into one. It’s not party food or cheap wine either. It’s good quality Asian produce and has a good range of authentic options. Naturally, I chose to start with a Japanese Mojito cocktail! It tasted really fresh and non boozy which meant I could’ve easily sat and drank a few more. The dining experience certainly differs from others. As we were a party of 2 we did feel slightly out of place surrounded by a surprise 30^th birthday and a work party. Seated around a large hot plate (‘Teppan’ meaning iron plate and ‘yaki’ meaning pan-fried meat) 2 chefs back to back prepare the food in front of you performing tricks as they go. Tricks include catching the potato in your mouth, setting the pan on fire etc etc… All ideal entertainment if you’re within a large party. That’s not to say it’s not accommodating for couples just be expected to have a stranger at your other side. On to the food …. You don’t have to be a sushi lover to enjoy Sapporo, there’s a huge selection of different dishes. There was a pre-theatre menu we opted for that was very reasonable at £ 16.95 a head. The choice wasn’t limited in a way pre-theatre menus can be. Yes, you can have sushi but there were spring rolls and salads available also. The starter portion of a chicken spring roll was huge and perhaps a tad greasy. Alex’s salad seemed nice though and he pretty much wolfed it down – being a Friday night and we had just finished work. It was Ok he said but nothing special. It was certainly an elaborate menu for choice of main course. I ordered sirloin steak in garlic sauce (with of course the £2 supplement) but I really like red meat barbecued in this way. If you’re not familiar with Asian dining then you may be put off by the system of delivery. Shall we say – don’t expect your food out all at once – it comes out as and when each part is ready. Experiencing this in Thailand whilst on holiday last year we were certainly prepared. The chef cooks potatoes on the hot plate and serves them early. A huge portion no less and they were undoubtedly finished by the time the next part was ready– well either way they would’ve been cold. And who likes cold potatoes? The noodles were served next which were also delicious but how exciting do noodles get? Then the rice was served which was very light and tasty. Finally the chef went on to cook our mains. The steak was cooked to perfection and really was delicious. However it wasn’t garlic sauce it was served with but more like a crushed garlic paste which was nothing less than potent! Be careful with this especially if you’re heading out afterwards, I could still taste it the next day! However I couldn’t have asked for a better steak – very tender. As were Alex’s scallops soft and juicy the way they should be. We also had a bottle of red wine with the food which was a good quality Chilean wine which complimented the food well. No issues there either. However we did have to shout the waitress a couple of times to order another bottle. She started off Ok topping our glasses up but I think she forgot about us slightly. A bit disappointing when the chef who was busy with his performance stopped what he was doing to help us catch her attention. A desert was available as part of the set menu. OK, but could there not have been a 2 course option? Anyway, it was a choice of vanilla, chocolate or strawberry ice-cream – boring. If you’re paying for desert should there not be more of an option? Ice cream is not really my first choice of desert but I chose chocolate anyway. It was a really good quality ice-cream and didn’t taste cheap or synthetic it was beautifully presented with cream and fruit. Alex agreed and it would definitely make me opt for an ice-cream dessert in the future. As for service what can I say? It wasn’t bad in any shape or form. Just a bit non-attentive. Overall, dining at Sapporo is an enjoyable experience. The drinks are good and so is the food. I wouldn’t suggest it for a quiet or ‘couples’ night. But sure – have a party here. If you’re in a group of friends, or with work colleagues it’s ideal!! Food: 3/5 – Fine cuisine. Service: 2/5 – Reasonable, started off well but nothing spectacular. Value for money: 3/5 – Pre-theatre ok, but could have had a 2 course option available. Décor: 3/5 – Fine, interesting with the chefs cooking on the hot plate but everything else resembled a hotel chain restaurant. Total: 11/20 – Good fun! Suitable for: parties, birthdays. Going out after work within a large group