Food for Thought, Entry 4: Tonbei

I'm going to do my Japanese food review early this month as I have some special posts planned for the end of April. Two days ago, I went with my friend Yuiko to my very first teppanyaki restaurant, the most excellent Tonbei (豚兵衛)! Teppanyaki is a Japanese style of cooking on an iron griddle. According to dear Wikipedia, Teppan (鉄板) means iron plate while yaki (焼き) means "grilled, broiled, or pan-fried." The exciting part of teppanyaki cuisine is that all the grilling is done right in front of the customers!

We had the option of sitting at tables or at the bar. We chose the bar, which was super sugoi (awesome) because we had first row seats to watch the chefs cooking on a giant iron griddle that spanned the length of the bar. They were extremely fast and efficient with all their movements, turning even the tossing of an egg shell into an art.

photo provided by splendiferous Yuiko

For my meal, I chose a type of cabbage pancake slathered in a creamy avocado cheese shrimp sauce and crowned with tiny tomatoes. It came sizzling with green melted goodness on its own personal mini griddle! The dish was so scrumptious that I didn't even leave a single scrid behind.

The person who brought me my food also kindly cut it into four portions, which I was very grateful for as my chopstick skills are . . . let's go with "still evolving." The restaurant staff were extremely attentive to all their customers' needs and always had a jug of refreshingly chilled ice water ready to fill my glass before I even realized it had gotten low.

One cool feature of Tonbei are the bright copper kettles that line the walls: they show the restaurant's menu! (Notice the smiling piggy for pork)

This restaurant is located in Hakata Station in Fukuoka. If you ever get the chance, stop by Tonbei for a uniquely mouth-watering culinary experience!