My family and I dined here at Keyaki not too long ago and because my dad loved the teppanyaki wagyu beef so much, he wanted to come back for more! Previously, we sat at the main dining area but this time, we made a reservation specifically for seats at the teppanyaki counter so we could catch the chef in action. Every guest seated at this counter is required to order a set each (no sharing allowed) and once again, a refundable deposit of $50 per person was needed to secure the reservation. I went ahead to procure $1000 worth of dining vouchers at a 25% discount to hopefully offset the impending bomb of a bill after our meal 😛
- Our order:
- Teppanyaki Set Ten ($210++ per person)
- Teppanyaki Set Kaze ($165++ per person)
- Omakase sashimi ($280++)
- Spent: SGD$759.62 + $1000 in Pan Pacific dining vouchers
When we first arrived, we were initially seated towards the back of the teppanyaki section, which was quite a distance from where all the cooking action was happening. As such, my dad and brother asked if we could change our seats to the ones further in front and the staff kindly obliged. We had the privilege of having Chef Eamon Chan that evening who, in addition to being a skillful cook, had a flair for performance (more on that later)!
There were three teppanyaki sets to choose from, with the key differences being the meat main and the dessert. Set Kaze ($165++) came with US beef sirloin or fillet, a seafood platter of prawns, scallops and salmon, and a lime sherbet dessert while Set Ten ($210++) came with wagyu beef sirloin, lobster and a fruit bowl consisting of a slice of musk melon for dessert. Set Hana ($185++) was more suited to non-beef eaters as it comprised mainly seafood items (including lobster) and a lime sherbet dessert. All five of us went for Set Ten while my husband selected Set Kaze since he doesn’t prefer shellfish.
Our first course was a Mizuna salad – a pretty standard salad with some tangy dressing. This was followed by a “Kobachi” (small bowl) appetizer of tofu. The tofu for Set Ten was softer and silkier than the one for Set Kaze, but both were light and delicate with a tinge of saltiness.
Up next was the choice of sashimi or tempura. My husband and I requested for only salmon sashimi while the rest got the regular sashimi variety. Only my dad ordered the tempura (prawns and vegetables in a light batter). The sashimi was so fresh! It tasted even better when my brother egged me on to try it with the legit wasabi served here.
Having tried the raw lobster from the omakase sashimi platter on a previous occasion, my brother ordered it again as he wanted my dad to have a taste. My dad totally enjoyed it (:
Now, onto the mains! Chef Eamon was able to replace the prawns and scallops with a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth cod for my husband’s seafood platter as he doesn’t take shellfish. Both the salmon and cod were gloriously smooth and perfectly seasoned. We also got to see Chef Eamon’s masterful deboning of the cod fillet on the spot.
For the rest of us, it was lobster time. One of the staff explained that they initially started out with Indonesian lobsters, serving them whole presumably because of its smaller size. Currently, they use larger Australian lobsters so the serving size has been halved (it did appear rather massive). The process of watching them being cooked was little disconcerting as they were twitching away while on the teppanyaki grill. Nevertheless, they were cooked very nicely with a jaw-friendly texture and bits of char, super yummy!
After the seafood course came the star of the show: the beef! We were all looking forward to mouth-watering, tender, juicy pieces of beef and Chef Eamon certainly did not disappoint. Even the US beef fillet that my husband had was incredibly moist and flavourful already (I would’ve been perfectly satisfied with this dish). Of course, the wagyu sirloin took it to another epic level with its creamier, fattier taste but personally, I thought it got a bit too rich and gluggy after a while.
When Chef Eamon was cooking the first round of beef, he suddenly instructed me to prepare my phone to take a slow-mo video. He then lit the flames and boom (check out how cool that turned out here)! He went for it a second time and then jokingly said “no more” after that because his hair had been burnt off, lol.
We then moved on to the garlic and egg fried rice, miso soup and vegetables. Before whipping up the fried rice, Chef Eamon did a little flourish with the eggs, where he spun, balanced and cracked them with his spatula to draw a heart shape on the teppanyaki grill for the fun of it. It was really entertaining and attracted involuntary shouts and claps from the floor 😀
Once we got down to the food, it was evident that these “side” dishes were equally sensational. The firm, plump Japanese rice together with the fragrant garlic was oh so good. They also took our lobster shells and boiled them to add flavour to our miso soup (except for my husband’s). For the vegetables, I especially loved the crunch and doneness of the beansprouts.
To round up the meal, dessert was served. This was the exact same fruit platter we had on our previous visit. My husband’s lime sherbet was okay, though a tad too sour for my liking.
Just before Chef Eamon made his exit, he pulled off one last formidable feat by writing the word “thank you” upside down with salt. We applauded for him as he graciously took a bow, what a way to end the night!
My overall rating of the experience: 5 out of 5 stars. The rating that I gave for our last visit here was 4 stars but Chef Eamon’s skills and showmanship really took it up a notch! My family had such an enjoyable time as it was so much more than just a regular dinner, it was an entire dining and entertainment experience. The use of premium quality ingredients coupled with finessed execution made for tasty and memorable dishes too. As the teppanyaki area was cosy and sectioned off from the main area, it felt like our own private dining space, which was nice. Note that this rating probably applies specifically to when Chef Eamon is on duty as when we had a different chef on two other occasions, the food didn’t turn out quite as impressive. Glad we got to experience Chef Eamon’s prowess that evening!
If this post helped you in some way and you’d like to buy me a coffee, I’d be incredibly grateful (:
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