On my recent trip to Taipei, I chanced upon this fantastic Japanese restaurant serving great Teppanyaki sets. An anchor Japanese restaurant in the Okura Hotels across the world, you can find Yamazato Restaurant in Tokyo, Bangkok, Taipei, Manila, Shanghai, Macau, Amsterdam and more
Visting Yamazato was not part of my trip plan and was more like a surprise gift. If you are not yet aware, the Taiwanese government is giving away vouchers to all visitors for use in hotels and shopping. We were fortunate as both of us won in the lucky draw but the drawback was that I selected hotel accommodation vouchers when I pre-registered for the lucky draw and they can only be used at the hotel for payment. My hotel was booked through Agoda and payment was deducted through my card before I arrived in Taiwan. Therefore, to use those vouchers, I searched for a good restaurant within a hotel and found Yamazato
When I booked my reservations via the hotel site, I had to indicate my timing so when I arrived early, the staff took some time to prepare the seating area. I took the opportunity to walk around the restaurant and found that they were split into 4 main areas; the Washoku area, the Teppanyaki area, the Tempura area and the Sushi area. There are only 10 seats per session at the Teppanyaki/Sushi and Tempura counter. There are also private rooms decorated like traditional Japanese rooms with tatami for booking in advance. The toilet is also decorated in the same light wood and paperwork style
When the staff was ready, they led us to the Teppanyaki area which was limited to 10 seats per time. The staff nicely offered to take all my shopping bags and store them at the side so that we have a spacious area to eat comfortably. When we came in, there were only 3 other diners and our seat was also arranged and cutlery placed nicely and ready for us
In terms of menu, they do have 3 different sets for dinner; NT3,600, NT5,500 and NT 6,000. The main difference between the sets lies in the choice of meat and cuts of meat. The more premium cuts will be on the higher-priced sets
We started the set with soup and garlic bread. We have a choice of soup between seafood soup, mushroom soup and onion soup. The soup was creamy and thick with a strong flavourful and earthy flavour. The cream foam added an additional milky layer of flavour which was quite delicious. The garlic bread had just enough punch from the spice of the garlic and the savoury taste of the butter. At this point, the chef also set up some dipping sauce for each guest to enjoy the meal later. There were pickled chopped onions, radish in soy sauce and creamy garlic mayonnaise for the meat later on in the meal
We were also served a starter of 3 kinds and were advised to start with the ones on the right for lighter flavours. There was a slice of tomato with apple, beancurd skin in light dashi sauce and crabmeat with seaweed in the top cup. Overall, all 3 starters were refreshing and light giving a good start to the meal
The next course served was the mixed salad with nuts, lightly drizzled with a citrusy dressing. The portion was nice to whet the appetite for dishes in the course. The vegetables were crunchy and fresh while the nuts added a great earthy flavour
The next dish was a funny story. We were given 2 choices; half coral lobster and king prawn with firefly squid. I went with the king prawn as I figured the meat would be limited for the half lobster. While cooking, the chef realised he cooked an extra lobster and asked if any of us wanted it. I quickly said yes thinking it was an add-on since the mistake was on them and not me. With excitement, I gobbled up the lobster which was perfectly done and very delicious and forgot to take a picture. What surprised me with the service was they offered to take the head of the lobster process the remaining meat ( as you see on this plate) and top it up with Ikura. Subsequently, the lobster was a replacement for my prawn as they did not give me another plate of prawn
Next was the Hokkaido oyster which was lightly grilled and served with a succulent leaf. The oyster had a nice charred flavour but retained the juiciness of the fresh oyster. There was no fishy taste or smell as the charred fragrance and light spicy soy sauce complemented the oyster well
The next dish was the abalone with Akkeshi which was cooked in a creamy broth and topped with cabbage, dried shrimp and bits of ice plant. The abalone was crunchy but surprisingly not overly tough even though the chef started cooking it while preparing 2nd course. The dried shrimp added a nice umami flavour to the dish while the ice plant gave the needed crunch and texture to the dish to elevate the experience
The next course was the highlight of the meal for me. I chose the Spanish Iberico Bellota pork and Yilan Cherry duck breast. I was entitled to 2 meats as I did not eat beef. For beef customers, they had the prime rib and Waygu beef short loin roll. The meats were served with 2 grilled button mushrooms as well as 2 different dips. The far left was like a mustard sauce, the centre charcoal salt and lastly a pepper salt. I started with the duck first and it blew my mind away, the texture and flavour were astonishing. The meat melting in your mouth was the cream on the cake. It was one of the best ducks I had eaten. The pork was gorgeous as well with perfectly grilled sides and a tender and succulent centre but the duck did steal the thunder in this meal
We were served seasonal grilled vegetables next which might look plain and boring but it is in fact wonderfully seasoned and grilled. The slight crunch in the zucchini was maintained while the charred surface gave it a smokey flavour. The rest of the vegetables were a great welcome to balance off the meat-heavy meal
One of the final dishes was the fried rice which again was bursting with flavour and wok hei from the teppanyaki hot plate. Each rice grain was visibly fried and seasoned well with a mouthful of garlic flavours. The chef was asking if we wanted a refill but we turned it down as we were visiting the night market for more food. If this was our last itinerary, I would have opted for a refill as the rice was really good
Last but not least, for desserts we were served French crepes, creme brulee and fresh fruits in a separate side room and we were also offered either tea or coffee to enjoy our desserts. The environment was more relaxing compared to sitting at the counter and the crepe was brought to us warm as the Chef cooked it on the Teppanyaki plate. I was so full by this time, I could hardly stomach more food. I did have a try for the crepe which was warm and crispy with warm yam fillings while the creme brulee was smooth and not too sweet
Overall, the meal I had at Yamazato was more than fantastic and had me craving it even after months of returning to Singapore. What made the meal even better was the use of the vouchers from the Taiwanese tourism board. For those looking for an authentic Teppanyaki meal and have money to spare, I would recommend Yamazato
Address: 10491, Taiwan, Taipei City, Zhongshan District, Section 1, Nanjing E Rd, 9號5F
Operating hours: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm and 6 pm to 9.30 pm
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