Wharf Teppanyaki – King St Wharf, Sydney

Thursday, 6 Jan 11

Flambe? I grinned and aimed my camera in anticipation. Oh yes please.

The Flexitarian and Winebuff were early, the Short and Tall Ones were late, and Tim and I had taken the long route there (who knew you could walk straight from Wynyard down to King St Wharf?), but eventually we all made it, eagerly anticipating a night of flames, flamboyance and f–very good food ;)

We were here for the Lobster and Wagyu set, and already drooling at the thought of it.

After some e-wrangling at the front counter in order to send the half price voucher to the appropriate email address so it could be redeemed, and some more wrangling to get seats at a corner so we could converse more freely, we were seated, drink orders taken and the food ambled out. Mind you, at this stage, we weren’t entirely impressed by the attitude of the waiter, who looked rather taken back when I asked if it was okay if I took photos and later made a rather derisive noise when I wanted ‘just’ water to drink.

The food put us more at ease. Above, a deliciously marbled beef tataki melted on our tongues, whilst the seafood salad, served on a Chinese soup spoon with wakame seaweed and sprouts was refreshing.

The teppanyaki chef was busy preparing what is said to be the largest teppanyaki table in Australia, but came around to ladle out cauliflower soup from a copper pot that had been warming on the plate. Creamy, savoury and warming, we all held the cute little cups grinnng at each other, allowing the entrancing aroma to waft over us. And grinned even wider when he offered us seconds.

I have to say I’m absolutely loving the 50mm f1.8 lens!

Drinks arrived (eventually), and this mocktail was a swirl of pretty colours, mango, orange and strawberry. Tim did mention that it probably should have been served colder however, perhaps a little more ice?

There were no such problems with the sashimi, served in a martini glass. Fresh scallops, kingfish, snapper, salmon served on ice, with ginger and wasabi and soysauce on the side. Simple and fresh.

The chef then skillfully prepared lobsters for us. 3 lobsters were halved, and beheaded, the tail meat removed with just a deft flick of the knife and cooked with butter and garlic, and the rest being allowed to cook until slightly smokey but not tough. Then, with a burst of flame (*grin*) it was served.

I rarely have lobster without some sort of sauce, but this was pure and simple and very quickly scoffed down.

The two chefs working the grill

Nicotine, cheapest cialis the substance in cigarette, contracts the vessels making healthy blood flow a quite complicated process. These tablets relax the blood vessels in the genitals is the cause of ED while no blood supply is the cause of twomeyautoworks.com best soft cialis male impotence. Most discount cialis reputable studios structure a program around a 12-month schedule, with twice-weekly appointments, and scalp-rejuvenating oils, ointments and massages are part of that program. Exercise daily which will definitely help you to twomeyautoworks.com viagra 25 mg stay physically healthy.

Palate cleanser

Wait, dessert already? Some at our table asked. No, it was a lovely lemon sorbet to clean the palate and prepare it for the wagyu ahead. I suspected a little vanilla syrup lay at the bottom of the glass, but other people didn’t notice.

Each of us was allocated a chunk of wagyu beef, spinach and 2 mushrooms, but when a few of us (myself included) spoke up and said we didn’t like shitake mushrooms, the chef was happy to bring out some sweet potato instead. Nice!

The beef was cooked to order (medium-rare for most of us) and the spinach sauteed with lots of butter and garlic (Tim was nodding very approvingly at this point). Then again, the chef paused, and nodded at my camera. Again?

The wagyu beef (grade 5, if I’m not mistaken) was melt in the mouth tender, to the point that even after only the first bite, I was struggling to contemplate how I would finish the rest. At this point, alarm bells were already signalling a code yellow “getting full!”.

But there was more. Garlic fried rice, pressed down on the teppan so it gets crunchy. And over in the corner, a few pieces of discarded beef fat? We looked inquiringly at the chef. Had he forgotten it?

Ah, this is beef crackling, he announced proudly. We exchanged glances at each other. Seriously? =D

The so-called crackling wasn’t quite as crisp as pork crackling is, but the rendered fat lent itself to a crunch, before rewarding the tastebuds with its fatty bounty. But even the best of us were struggling to finish the garlic rice and miso soup at this point, even though it tasted great, there was just so much food.

There was still dessert to come. A copper pot of chocolate sat warming on the grill (We wondered why it didn’t burn the chocolate?)

Deftly, the chef sliced bananas, allowing them to grill and caramelise, before rolling them in crisp crepes, smothered with orange sauce and flambeed. Vanilla icecream and chocolate sauce garnished the crepes suzette. And 1 bite in, I admitted defeat. It’s so good…but I was so full. *white flag*

All in all, we enjoyed the food at Wharf Teppanyaki, which meant it was probably a very good thing no food was thrown at us, as might be the case in other teppanyaki restaurants. With all the flames there was no lack of entertainment. I don’t know that it would have been worth the full $180 for the set, given the service, but at half price, we definitely weren’t complaining, and we definitely tipped the chef ;)

More flambe? Oh alright, one more for the ride.

Wharf Teppanyaki

21 Lime Street (Cnr of Erskine & Lime)
King Street Wharf, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: +61 (0) 2 9299 5290
Fax: +61 (0) 2 9299 5929

6 Comments

1. Boo for uppity waitstaff but yay for flames and Wagyu!

   Comment by mademoiselle délicieuse — January 6, 2011 @ 2:34 pm

2. Amazing pictures you got there! They look absolutely perfect! I love the final picture… with the giant ball of flame. I could almost feel the heat and taste the food. Everything looks yummy! Don’t worry about stuck-up waitstaff… I usually ‘accidentally’ dump something on my table after I paid to get back at them. hehehe!

   Comment by eatmarvin — January 6, 2011 @ 11:37 pm

3. Love the bokeh in your photos. And fire! Always fun to have a bit of drama with your meal!

   Comment by Helen (grabyourfork) — January 7, 2011 @ 2:49 am

4. Love the flambe! There’s something so primal about it.

   50mm is an awesome lens, huh? It’s no surprise that it’s one of the popular lenses for food bloggers,

   Looks like you had an awesome time.

   Comment by Simon @ the heart of food — January 10, 2011 @ 2:41 pm

5. wow you have gorgeous photos!! i was salivating looking at them. the wagyu beef looks tender and juicy.

   Comment by Melissa — January 16, 2011 @ 12:18 pm

6. Yum! This looks delicious. I’ve been meaning to try this place out but it is a little expensive! Next special occasion! :D

   Comment by gummi baby — January 27, 2011 @ 8:49 pm

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

.