Since its establishment in 1970, Michelin-star Japanese restaurant Inakaya in Tokyo has lured everyone from former US presidents to movie stars with its centuries-old cooking practice, robatayaki, where fresh food on skewers is slow-grilled over hot charcoal.
After opening several branch restaurants around the world in metropolises like New York and Hong Kong, Inakaya has finally brought its treasured fireside cooking to Guangzhou, setting up shop in IGC mall last November.
Located on the fifth floor of the luxury shopping center, Inakaya invites patrons past a wooden Japanese-style facade towards an interior that boasts eight private dining rooms, a killer view of downtown Guangzhou and a second story for parties of up to 150 people.
In a separate room where “expenditure is usually higher than RMB1,000 because ingredients are either garden-fresh or imported,” guests are seated around a grill while two chefs kneel behind a counter, baskets of vegetables and fish resting on ice before them. What follows is a ceremonious meal – one of the freshest you’ll ever eat – led by top local chefs or visiting Japanese chefs from the Hong Kong branch.
The price of a spread at Inakaya, not surprisingly, is spectacularly high – well, at least for the majority of China’s laobaixing. “This is imported from Japan – it’s 88 kuai,” we’re told of a sweet potato.
A prix-fixe menu is offered, but ordering a la carte is undoubtedly more appealing. The seasonal recommendation is especially popular, which sees winter vegetables simmered with the freshest of seafood (RMB380).
Though brutal on the wallet, the teppanyaki course (RMB680 for one person) is well worth the splurge and includes an appetizer, salad, seasonal seafood (scallop in our case), roasted king prawn, beef tenderloin chops, fried rice with beef, seasonal vegetables, miso soup and fruit. The scallop in white wine sauce outdoes the traditional Cantonese approach (prepared with garlic and vermicelli) and has a plush texture almost like a marshmallow from the ocean. The beef tenderloin is as succulent as ever, and the king prawn served with basil sauce is worth every penny.
Avoid ordering the teppanyaki fried udon with pork (RMB188) – it tastes too sour and greasy, while the pork pieces are overdone. You’d find the same for RMB30 at an average dim sum restaurant.
For those who think Japanese cuisine means sushi and sashimi, Inakaya has those too. If it’s a familiar taste you want, get the California roll (RMB130 for sushi roll, RMB68 for hand roll), which is fresher and finer in presentation than your average budget sushi.
The service here is attentive, with waitresses and busboys swapping out shell-filled plates and dropping off clean towels before you noticed your sticky fingers. Of course, at 10 percent of your bill, such attentiveness should be expected.
All in all, our first experience at this upscale eatery was a positive one – we just wish we’d come armed with a few courteous greetings in Japanese.
Price: RMB700
Who’s going: the well-off, foodies following Inakaya’s fame
Good for: teppanyaki dishes, sweeping your date off their feet
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