Hokkaido Teppanyaki Restaurant

Outstanding Teppanyaki: Entertaining Chefs, Remarkable Ambiance

Hokkaido is a glittering marvel tucked away amidst the rather unassuming surroundings of Station Road. I half expected to find platters clattered by more mystery than magic in such a suburb, but my cynical heart was warmed like wagyu beef over a roaring teppan grill. Plunged into a clean, intimate setting with a chef purposefully strutting like a culinary conductor orchestrating the freshest ingredients, it’s clear this restaurant does not subscribe to false modesty. Our liver in denim chef flaired flames and knives with entertaining finesse, turning mere sustenance into a performance that holds patrons captive in that shared conspiracy of boundless gastronomic delight.

Such wizardry aside, Hokkaido impresses not merely because the aforementioned wagyu (behold its faint marbling glory!) melted like early morning mist upon the tongue, nor due to the impeccable timing of dish deliveries just as conversations began to lag. Rather, it highlights how restauranteering can be when lovingly-manicured hospitality joins forces with top-quality, devilishly fresh produce. Of course, one or two murmurs of neglect—such as forgotten dietary whispers—gently hum beneath the boldly positive sycophony. A heads-up for herbivores: the heftier triumph ring-trumps such trifling a minor, like a note overlooked in a sublime guitar riff. It is no surprise that every dinner ended echoes: plans for return visits pondered just as finishing sake was welcomed with warm smiles. — Penelope Savory