Teppanyaki is a finely tuned art. Onion volcanoes, food flying through the air, flourishes of the hand – it’s an impressive show of culinary wizardry. TOAD went to Benihana to learn a few skills.
At Benihana, a long-standing member of the Abu Dhabi culinary scene, the tables are laid out around the hotplates, so you can watch the chefs cook up a storm.
TOAD met with teppanyaki chef Roy Matanguihan to learn about how the cooking technique is done, and to try a few tricks ourselves. Every chef that works at Benihana is required to take a six-month course to ensure they can handle their rice and fork, as well as keep the open flames under control.
The idea of this oh-so-entertaining dinner experience is a slight-of-hand style where the cooking is all part of the entertainment.
The grill, known as the teppanyaki table, is heated to around 350C – which is, as Chef Roy jokes to us, ‘rather hot’. He shows us a few of the battle wounds he has sustained in his 10 years at Benihana. He hasn’t burnt himself in the last few years, he says, but he does have some impressive scars from the early days.
‘We have our teppanyaki trolley with all the condiments we may need at the ready, because teppanyaki moves quickly,’ he explains.
It’s not a quick and simple meal, as Chef Roy demonstrates. ‘Generally for a small group – say two to four people – it will take around 30 minutes to cook the meal, but it’s more like 45 minutes when it’s a bigger group. We do gauge people’s reactions, too – we will do more tricks and entertainment if the group is more interactive and interested. We watch people. Once we see they aren’t looking or seem slightly hurried, we will focus more on cooking than performance.’
For Chef Roy’s next trick, he presents an egg, which he perches on his spatula. He begins tossing it up and down, higher and higher, without breaking the egg. He then rapidly flicks the spatula on its side and lets the egg crack over the utensil, then it spills on to the grill. It’s a high-energy atmosphere, with Chef Roy regularly cracking both jokes and eggs to entertain and enthrall.
‘We all have our own jokes that we make up ourselves. We have a great time and people love seeing the sleight of hand,’ he explains as he deftly flicks a prawn tail into his trademark Benihana red chef’s hat, and then pops one into his pocket with a cheeky grin.
‘We started practising by aiming for a bowl or plate, then we practised with each other – we still practise each day to develop our skills. Watch this!’ he says as he tosses a prawn tail up in the air and into our water glass unexpectedly.
Chef Roy says it’s a fun way to present food, and he really enjoys it. ‘It’s entertainment through food – the guests enjoy it because it’s interactive, they can see their meal being cooked, and they can have a conversation about dietary requirements and likes and dislikes. Of course our guests can request to have their food cooked quickly without the tricks if they prefer that, but most people come for the show.’
Open daily 6pm-11.30pm. Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi, Al Zahiyah, www.rotana.com (02 697 9000).
Lava fare
Chef Roy knows his onions. Here’s his quick guide to making the ‘onion volcano’
• Use a thick-cut piece of onion, approximately 15mm in depth
• Lightly cook the onion for 20-30 seconds on each side. This will loosen the layers of the onion
• Leave approximately four or five rings at the base, and stack the inside rings piece by piece upwards in an inverse position
• Drizzle more oil on the grill, and drag the onion on top of it
• Pour a spirit into the top of the volcano and then light it
• Shazam! An onion volcano before your very eyes
A new spot to try
Toot toot! All aboard the sushi train! The newly opened Samurai branch in Danet Tower B has done a full circle…of the sushi express!
Danet Tower B, behind Holiday Inn, 31st street (02 447 0070).
