Teppan on Ulsoor road in Bangalore has been on my hit list of restaurants since a long long time. So recently I was very excited to be invited to Teppan to check out their specialties. I’m a big fan of Sushi and I loved some of their Sushi like Tamago also known as Japanese omelette, Ebi also known as Prawn, Suzuki also known as sea bass and Shake Maki which is spiced fresh salmon rolled with sushi vinegared rice, nori and cucumber.
One of my other favorite Sushi items were Kani Kama Maki which is soft shell crab tempura, rolled with sushi vinegared rice, tempura crunch and sesame seeds. I was happy to try this special Sushi which was so yummy that it filled my senses with great joy!
Then the highlight of the evening started. Chef June from Vietnam introduced himself and said about how he learnt Japanese cooking from the masters themselves when they came down for knowledge transition. June explained that the wide spread of menu includes starters like Sakana Furai (Crumbed salmon, tuna and mushroom stuffed with sautéed vegetables skewered fried and served with homemade tongatsu mayo), Sake chizu Furai (Thinly sliced salmon layered with nori and rolled inside with blanched carrot, asparagus and cheese crumb fried and served with homemade tongatsu mayo and teriyaki sauce).
For main course, Chef June made Tamago Yakimeshi which is egg fried rice. I loved the way he dealt swiftly with his instruments specially the knives and other kitchen instruments. He did a lot of tricks like putting an egg in his chef cap without it falling down.
Chef June was very jovial and friendly and made us comfortable while trying out some rare Japanese Cuisine. He would tease the singles in our group about when they will meet their Significant Other. For the married folks he was making some harmless jokes too! Really enjoyed the experience.
Chef June talked about ‘Sake and Maguro Show’ at their restaurant which went on till the 6th of July, 2014. As the name suggests, the festival recreated the marine magic with a wide spread of Salmon, Tuna based exotic recipes, prepared in typical Japanese style to take you through an unforgettable, underwater culinary voyage.
Main course included delicacies like Salmon tuna Batera Maki (Delicately spiced tuna, salmon spring onions, Japanese mayo, layered with tanoki and topped with mango), Kani maguro maki (Crazily spiced crabsticks rolled inside with avocado, carrot, cucumber and topped with tuna and tempura crunch), Tuna batterayaki (Tuna fried with tempura batter and grilled with chef special plum teriyaki sauce), Teriyaki salmon (Steak of salmon marinated in ginger sauce, placed on bed of vegetables foiled, grilled and served with chef special plum teriyaki sauce).
At the end the desserts were really amazing and provided a perfect ending to a gastronomical adventure. Chef June kept us in high spirits throughout with amazing jokes and card tricks too. I would suggest that you should go to Teppan if you want to experience the warmth of a Japanese home.
Note – Oriental Cuisines Private Limited (OCPL) was originally founded by foodie, professor, restaurateur & entrepreneur M. Mahadevan in May 1994, under the name of Chaitanya Gourmet Splendour Private Limited. It was later renamed Oriental Cuisines Private Limited in March 1997. While the name might indicate a leaning towards all things Asian, their global cuisine brings the finest flavours of the world to connoisseurs. Oriental Cuisines’ brands include The French Loaf, Le Chocolatier, Tapas Bar, Benjarong, Teppan, Ente Keralam, Wangs Kitchen, China Town and Planet Yumm