Teppanyaki in Germany.

When recently friends visited Germany, they decided to treat themselves and their friends to a wonderful meal in a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant.

It is clear that these days more people eat more ethnic food, or food that came from well beyond the shores of the lands the people grew up in. 

On this occasion the friends visited a beautiful teppanyaki restaurant. Needless to say, it was a bit expensive and a little exclusive to go to such a restaurant in Europe, but times are changing and Japanese cuisine is recognised as being exquisite and healthy and entertaining. Just enjoy the photos.

Just hold the sticks towards the end… and then you…

I hope you don’t mind, if I use a fork…?! Of course not. Enjoy!

いただきます

No restaurant in Germany – Japanese or not – will survive if the menu doesn’t have sausages somewhere on the menu. And here they are!

So… chicken to the left… salad to the right… flip the vegetables… add the carrots… hang on… your creation looks different from mine?!

So very Japanese: Well done! Well done! It is the effort that matters.

Could it be any more different from traditional German cooking? Absolutely!

Sea food on a platter.

Pow! Pow!

Would you believe it?! They loved it! Notice that the other table also has a range of fire engines ready to entertain. We should all dash out and buy a set of fire engines, shouldn’t we?!

Now it is your turn! Yeah!

Boys with their toys! Who would have thought that a fire engine could be so much fun in a restaurant!

Bang!

He got squirted! Oh, what fun! He’ll be able to tell his grandchildren all about it!

When I was young, we used to…

Baked cheesecake. おいしそうですよ！

ごちそうさまでした！

Here is a little added knowledge:

An easy way to remember the kanji 焼 やき: it is all about fire and the fire is used by the cook to fry on a BBQ. The clogs imply work/skill.

Typical combinations:

(Amusing to think that sunset is a fried evening! LOL)

 Teppanyaki

MANYO

Teppanyaki 鉄板焼き てっぱんやき

This is what the preparation method is called: iron-plate-fry, or teppanyaki. It is hugely popular, because it is so entertaining for any customers coming to a restaurant to watch.

This very large calligraphy display shows the name of the restaurant and the style of food preparation.

The cooking island consists largely of a steel plate on a bench with stools around it. Customers can lean over and enjoy the preparation process. Above all they have the opportunity to check the quality of the food and the outcome.

The glad-wrap keeps the cooking plate clean while it is not in use.

These are large おさけ‘o-sake’ vats. Shirayuki is a very popular brand. 白雪 しらゆき shirayuki means literally White Snow, although the main character in the fairy tale is also called  しらゆき shirayuki Snow-White. One often sees these vats at temples; they were given as a means of payment/gift/donation. These vats are most valuable and preserve おさけ‘o-sake’ for a very long time.

The sauce on the left was a little spicy, while the one on the right was ginger-based.

Some flavour is added while cooking the food.

The lid helps the chicken to cook just a little more thoroughly.

Mixed vegetables with onions for flavour and smell.

Amazing fish (hoki).

Teriyaki Chicken.

Yakitamago: Fried eggs as only the Japanese seem to be able to do it.

Let the entertainment and the noise begin!

 Teppanyaki

Other “yaki” combinations:

An easy way to remember the kanji 焼 やき: the fire next to the cook behind the BBQ.

With gratitude to Fumiko, Keiko, and Yuri

Yen 円 えん Money おかね

for

bigger amounts

Restaurant レストラン

Going to a restaurant in Japan is a pleasant experience.

There are thousands of restaurants to choose from; different types of food and also different prices – from relatively yummy and cheap to stunningly beautifully presented and delivered food at extraordinary prices. Something for everyone. It also depends on the type of restaurant as to what formality is used by the waiter or the waitress.

Just assuming you are visiting a restaurant that fits somewhere in the middle, friendly, but not over the top.

Your friend at the table might ask you:

nani ni shimasu ka?

What are you going to have?

and you would say:

(whatever) ni shimasu.

I’m going to have (whatever).

Very useful phrases. Another fairly common, but more polite phrase you may hear is:

(whatever) wa ikaga desu ka?

Would you care for some (whatever)?

Then you could answer with:

(whatever) o itadakimasu.

I would like some (whatever).

Another way of asking someone about like and dislike would be:

tabetai desu

I want to eat

and

nomitai desu

I want to drink

These two phrases can both be made into a question:

~ ですか。

The Japanese waiter/waitress always repeats the order and then you reply at the end:

onegaishimasu

would you do that for me, please

Now we come to the more difficult part: how to change the direction of the request? For instance: you have had enough, it wasn’t quite what you expected, you didn’t like it all that much… How to do that without offending your hosts: 

If you didn’t like it all that much:

chotto

It is a little …

If you thought it was difficult to eat…:

anmari…

It’s a little bit…

If you would like some more:

mo sukoshi kudasai

a little bit more, please.