Dinner at Sapporo Teppanyaki is as much an evening of entertainment, as it is an evening of eating. Located on Deansgate’s Liverpool Road, along with Akbars, Sapporo Teppanyaki is popular with large groups and it certainly caters for that crowd.
‘Sapporo’ is a Japanese city, whilst ‘Teppanyaki’ is a form of Japanese cooking done on a large iron griddle. It is this large griddle that we are seated around, and here diners are invited to spectate as the chefs prepare, light and cook at their stations. They remain here throughout the duration of the meal, performing tricks with knifes and fire, and even potato throwing at one point – we’ll get to that later.
There are a number of menu options available from single dishes to full, set menus. We select a set meal from the A La Carte menu. It’s called the ‘Geisha’ menu, £35.00, and it comprises of several elements, some made in the kitchen and some prepared and cooked in front of us.
Starters arrive from the kitchen: Namasu Salad, a crunchy assortment of fresh, pickled vegetables, and a Miso Wakame Soup that gets its vitality from chopped spring onions. Next is our second starter: Duck Rolls and Chicken Gyoza. The duck is rolled in thick pancakes and comes with a sweet dip. The Gyoza are full of flavour and juicy and I wish I had more.
There’s a little wait for the mains, but the chefs begin to prepare their stations and after an elaborate utensil dance, a generous slug of oil on the griddle creates a burst of flames, which almost sets my hair on fire but wows the large group around the table, and the chefs begin to cook.
First up, sautéed potatoes (the ones I mentioned earlier). Just for fun, I imagine, these are sliced up and casually thrown at diners, some more game than others, who must catch them in their mouth. Now, potato throwing isn’t something I have ever, ever, experienced in a restaurant before, but… I caught it! So, who cares. Right?
After the sautéed potatoes, our main course arrives as it is cooked: first, a full portion of sautéed potatoes, then stir fried vegetables, followed by egg fried rice, and then rolled chicken fillet with asparagus and garlic, as well as big, juicy scallops with ginger and garlic. Portions are more than generous and keep on coming as we eat them.
To drink, there’s a good range of impressive looking cocktails to sample and a few beers on tap as well as bottles, and there’s also Japanese tea.
Finally, to round the night off, we try the coconut ice cream and a vanilla cheesecake. Both are sweet and creamy and we want to finish but we don’t quite manage it.
Sapporo Teppanyaki isn’t somewhere you’d want to bring a first date, or catch-up with an old friend, but it is crowd-pleasing, lively and fun and if it’s entertainment and generous portions you’re after, it definitely fits the bill.
91-93 Liverpool Road
0161 979 0576
www.sapporo.co.uk
