Yesterday I went to the Sakura Teppanyaki (鉄板焼き) Restaurant in Durham with a group of friends, and it was by far the most interesting meal I have ever had. In a teppanyaki restaurant the chef prepares the food on a large, flat heated stainless steel surface in the middle of the diners’ table, in an utterly fascinating performance. It started with a ceiling-high plume of fire, and our chef looked like he was having fun, deftly juggling eggs and cooking implements, and even using them to play little tunes on the cooking surface!
The food was really good, served up as soon as it was cooked. I had the “house special” menu which contained a range of different foods; I particularly liked the salmon and the teriyaki chicken. All in all, it wasn’t cheap — twice as expensive as the next most expensive meal I’d ever had — but well worth it for the whole experience.