Saturday, August 11, 2007

RESTAURANT: Narita Teppanyaki

Type: Japanese/Teppanyaki
Location: 78-86 Harbour St, Sydney
Booking Required: Usually

Fuck, I went to this place so long ago. I can’t believe it has taken me so long to get around to typing up the review. I’ll be surprised if I remember it accurately. Actually, I won’t be that surprised because I HAVE THE MEMORY OF A CHAMP.

You enter this place that sits opposite the Entertainment Centre, walk up a flight of stairs and find a new world. A world of barbeques, of wood, of brick, of flying food. It was my first teppanyaki experience and I was transfixed.

A lot of the appeal of teppanyaki seems to lie in the spectacle. The only thing that separates you from the chef—YOUR chef—is a fiery hotplate. Our chef stood there that night and cook a variety of tasty treats on his hotplate, periodically throwing things at us, while we sat their, drank Japanese beer and watched.

The food isn’t outstanding. It really is just food cooked on a BBQ with basic seasoning. It’s not the place to come to find innovative cooking techniques, amazing flavour combinations or hidden sauces. It’s all there in front of you, cooking on the hotplate.

Service was patchy, but we still had fun. It’s strange to see people I’m dining with get behind the hotplate and cook things or throw eggs at me. Strange but fun. With a big crowd this place would go off.

Prices weren’t as high as I was expecting and portions not as small. For about $40 a head we were very well fed. Still, while the spectacle of it all was good, the food wasn’t great. I’d go back with a dozen or so mates for a fun night, but not with one or two people.

RATING: Okay, may go back

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