July 11, 2024

Fresh off the hotplate of Teppan Maru-Take

Teppan Maru-Take is located deep, deep inside Seibu department store in TRX KL. In fact, I had no idea there were so many Japanese eateries inside, including a small omakase dining corner.

It makes sense that Teppan Maru-Take, an offshoot of Okonomi in Pavilion KL, offers some 11 variations of okonomiyaki. You can also watch Chef Takeshi Wada in action as he cooks up Osaka-style teppan through the window to the kitchen. Shy but amiable, burly Takeshi looks like he strolled off a Hollywood set rather than your average clean-shaven Japanese chef, and if he’s not busy cooking, he’d surely share some Osaka stories with you.

We chose the Kimuchi Okonomiyaki (RM30) which had pickled cabbage, sweet corn kernels and loads of toppings such as okonomiyaki and Japanese mayonnaise sauces, bonito shavings and aonori (dried green laver). Different from normal okonomiyaki, this packed a lot more flavour and texture, and was large enough for a full meal by itself, if not easily shared among three.

Choosing from the new promotion menu, the Special Harami Steak Set had teppan grilled skirt meat while Angus Slice Yakiniku Don Set came with grilled Angus slices. The beef was juicy, done just right and what was different was the balsamic, apple and ponzu sauces served on the side which gave an added dimension to the dishes. The sets came with rice, salad, some croquette and other side dishes, including a scoop of ice cream for RM38.

I really liked the Salmon Katsu (RM37), crisp on the outside, and tender and rare inside. The boneless Teriyaki Chicken (RM36) was also impressive, so crispy outside and juicy inside. Noodle options such as Yakiudon Set (RM25) was teppan-fried chicken, with veggies and shimeji mushrooms – satisfying, and reminded me of Hokkien Mee, Penang style.