As you already know, I love all food and always enjoy learning about any etiquette involved when it comes to local eating customs. Teppanyaki is one of my favourite dining experiences! There’s something for everyone to enjoy and it also involves some light entertainment so it’s a mini show to enjoy whilst dining.
I recently enjoyed Teppanyaki again and it has been a long time since doing so. My friend invited me for dinner and forgot to book a restaurant but was lucky enough to find a spot at an amazing restaurant at the last minute. We entered with some trepidation but left with gratification!
If you have read any of my previous posts you’ll know that when using chopsticks they come with a ‘side’ of rules. The usual do’s and don’ts will always apply but there’s no need to worry about communal chopsticks when it comes to teppanyaki because each dish is served individually to each guest. This post isn’t talking about chopstick etiquette, you can find out more about chopsticks in previous articles. This is all about Teppanyaki!
So what is teppanyaki for the novice? It’s simply a style of Japanese cuisine, and is derived from the words ‘teppan’ which means an iron plate and ‘yaki’ which means grilled or pan-fried. It literally means ‘grilling on an iron plate’.
The teppanyaki experience involves diners in the preparation of the meal. You have the prime seat to observe every move that your personal chef makes while preparing your meal. Your chef prepares your chosen menu directly in front of you meanwhile you sip your wine or sake and watch the show in wonder!
Guests are typically seated shoulder-to-shoulder around the teppan grill directly in front of the chef. Typically for the occasion, the chef will display the finest of ingredients and demonstrate some dynamic cooking techniques… flambeeing, flipping, carving and serving with style. It’s not only about the fresh ingredients, it’s also about showmanship and theatrics. The chef will flip the prawns onto plates, slice vegetables with great and swift precision and serve each dish to look like a fine painting or work of art.
A typical menus begins with a ‘zensai’ or appetiser, followed by soup, salad, seafood, meat, rice and dessert. The main course of meat is expected to be the star of the meal but I personally disagree, each course deserves an individual star!! It’s a great occasion to interact with your own personal chef while watching the preparation of garlic chips, exquisite meat, seafood and vegetables and plating them all with artistic precision.
So meanwhile my mouth waters remembering my recent weekend experience, here are a few Teppanyaki etiquette tips.
Rice dishes can be lifted from the table and brought to close to your mouth for ease of eating. This is custom in Asian cultures, in western cultures we wouldn’t lift any plate or bowl from the table.
Miso styles soups may be sipped directly from the bowl – crab claws although full of meat are only really for decoration so don’t try to bite them or dig the meat out with chopsticks… trust me on this, it doesn’t work! Any other solid foods in the soup can be eaten with the chopsticks.
Some small foods can be eaten with one’s fingers – too slippery to attempt with chopsticks as I discovered!
You will more than likely be offered a ‘bib’ to be placed around your neck, just like a baby, this is normal! There may or may not be an additional napkin but there will be a wet cloth for wiping ones fingers.
Listen to the chef’s recommendations about how to eat and enjoy the variety of foods. There may be many dipping sauces to enhance the taste buds.
Light hearted conversation is acceptable with surrounding diners but use caution and try not to be obtrusive. It’s an unusual seating arrangement as guests are facing forward toward the chef instead of each other, so you may find yourself with a friend to one side and a stranger to the other side.
This is one occasion where you can take your phone out and get snap happy, in fact many chefs encourage it! Whether it’s the food, the chopping skills, the flambé or the plating, snap away!!
Luckily for me in Japan as well as China, it’s considered rude to finish your plate entirely because it suggests that you didn’t receive enough food. I couldn’t finish my last courses and I believe the Chef was secretly delighted that he had satisfied my hunger. Unfortunately for me I didn’t ask for a ‘doggy bag’ because it didn’t seem appropriate. I did however manage to finish my wine!
Julia Esteve Boyd
The Etiquette Consultant