Ueno Teppan-Yaki Restaurant     上野鐵板燒專門店  

why best value set lunch with 7 items, $65!
why casual booth or grill table seating, for comfy eating or cooking show!
it was friday lunch time, the restaurant was packed, and all 3 grill chefs were on duty.

the menu has lots of choices, but it was easy to pick the best value ones.

I chose the "bamboo" teppan yaki lunch set, $65 (yes, it was $58 last july).
1. vegetable salad, mainly lettuce, small but nice appetizer.
2. grilled sake scallop 3. grilled chicken steak with garlic 4. stir fried veggies (bean sprouts, zucchini) all on one plate.
the scallop was fresh & tasty, especially when the orange-colored roes were included. the chicken (already cut into many pieces) was half-cooked inside, although the outside was browned from the grill. since we were seated at the grill table, i just asked the chef to recook it, and he obliged with apology. the result was tender yummy chicken pieces, forgive & forgotten.
5. bowl of soft white rice
6. black coffee (did not pick miso soup or tea)
7. bowl of cold dessert, tasted like almond pudding, japanese style.

she picked the "pine" set, $65.
two items were different from the bamboo set: 2. grilled salmon 3. grilled beef (thin slices rolled up in a long roll, cut into 4 pieces). both meats were cooked 70% (just right for her), tasted tender & full of flavors.

why did we like our lunch here the food was fresh, cooked in front of us and brought to us right away. that was very much like home cooking. the seasoning was minimal, the food was cooked fast on the grill with little to none manipulation, and that's healthy cooking.

if you want to spend a little more money for more exotic seafood or otherwise, you come to the right place too. how about french foie gras (goose liver), japanese oyster, scotland razor clam, french tiger prawn, or even kobe beef the prices are from $58 to 138, except the last one at $1800!

the secret is, ueno could be the poor man's wa sa mai (和三昧 causeway bay) la!

Came here for dinner yesterday with the She Who Must be Obeyed, our little princess and our maid after the school concert of my little princess. I came in later and my wife had placed orders already. The price of the food in the menu ranged from cheap 串燒 to very expensive seafood tappanyaki. Some people were just having bowls of noodles.

We have ordered 炒烏冬 and 炒飯. The quality was good. They were not oily. The fried rice was espcially impressive. The portion was small, however.

Also ordered 生鍋, which had a lot of vegetable, and a few osyters. The osyters were a bit overcooked but they were fresh. The soup was white but miso, but I am not sure.

Also ordered 燒雞軟骨， something my little princess must order in any Japanese restaurant. Nicely done, much better than others in Olympian City.

Ordered also 2 軍艦壽司. Freshly made as the 紫菜 was still crispy when served.

order sake again, but the price is much more expensive than other Japanese restaurants in the same area.

The service was good, but obviously the waitresses are not experienced enough. Yet, they were courteous.

I ended up paying something like $560. Considered fair in the area. Compared with 金谷, which I tried a couple of weeks ago, this place is even better and the food served is fresher.