Day 15: Tepanyaki Zensou at Crown Palais, Kobe

Previously:
Day 15: Kobe Haborland

As I mentioned in my previous blog that Kobe beef is one of the best and also most popular beef among Japan.  It is renown for its flavour and its well-marbled texture.  The meat is very juicy and tender, especially when it done in medium-rare.

We really like to savor this famous beef here while we were in Kobe.  So, we asked the lady in the information desk and she suggested this teppanyaki restaurant, Teppan Zensou, in one of the most luxury hotel in Kobe called Hotel Crown Palais.  Ehm.... why not, we already arrive here anyway far away from home.  As we are really willing to try this precious why don't we go for the best.

Here in Teppan Zensou, we have a private chef cook teppan right in front of us with the premium ingredients served also panoramic view from the huge glass window, what a truly extraordinary way to enjoying teppanyaki.

There are a few set courses available to choose and we went for the 15,000¥.  The menu consists of two seafood appetisers, salad, Teppanyaki of Kobe beef, garlic rice with miso soup and pickles, and finally dessert platter.

a glass of coke (drink is not included)

King Fish Carpaccio

The fish is ultra fresh and very flavoursome.  This dish is also nicely presented.  They really did pay attention in each elements to create such a lovely looking dish and taste-wise also well executed.

Salad

Scallops and Prawns

Hnother brilliant dish, look very simple and only 3 components in this dish crispy prawns, juicy scallop and crunchy asparagus with little bit of seasoning.  It was simply delicious.

Marvellous Kobe Beef

I love my medium rare meat and the chef cooked this piece of heave perfectly.  The meat was fatty and tender, as you can see from how many layers of marble in that Kobe beef.  It is even pleasant to enjoy it just as it is or with slightly touch of salt as their natural taste will shine.

Dipping sauce

Natural salt from different region in Japan

The chef use this fatty part of the beef to slightly charred and mix with those garlic rice.  What a great way to enjoy fried rice.  It totally bring that boring fried rice to a better level.

Rice set

Dessert Platter

I got a little disappointed with their dessert.  After a great and wonderful main course we had, their dessert is very ordinary compared to the rest of dishes that they served up earlier.  Their dessert platter consist of rose jelly, raspberry puree, small piece of not-so-good tiramisu, chocolate ice cream and pumpkin chips.

Sadly they didn't complete our night with a great dessert otherwise their food will get 10 out of 10 from me.  Well, overall it was a great and extraordinary experience in eating teppanyaki for us.

Teppanyaki Zensou

Level 17, Hotel Crown Palais, Kobe

Dinner time:

From 5pm - 9pm (last order 8pm)

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Japan:

Day 16: Universal Studio, Osaka

Day 15: Kobe Haborland

Previously:

Day 15: Hiroshima

Kobe is quite large city in size wise and also terms of complexity.  This place a very nice place to walking along the harbour and also in finding a good beef meal. The harbour just a stone throw away from the station, very easy to find and the view from there was amazing and eye-glazing with those lights.  In here, Kobe, is also renowned for their beef, especially when it comes to their teppanyaki dishes.  There are lots and lots of restaurant serve the beef dish in many version, for example, teppanyaki, steak, BBQ, as well as shabu shabu.  We had a chance to actually sample their beautiful piece of meat in the Crown Palais Hotel in a tappanyaki version. Stick with me, if you want to know more about how yummy that Kobe beef in my next blog.  Thanks for reading. Octie Appetie...

Kobe Eye's

Kobe Haborland

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Japan:
Day 15: Teppanyaki Zensou at Hotel Crown Palais, Kobe

Day 15: Hiroshima

Previously:
Day 14: Okonomiyaki, Osaka

Today we went visiting Hiroshima and planned to go to Miyajima as well.  However, the weather wasn't in our side, it was very cold and showering too.  So, we didn't make it to Miyajima, even in Hiroshima we only covered some part of Hiroshima.  By Shinkansen, it only takes less than two and half hour from Osaka.  Not forget to prepare ourself with some ekiben before boarding the train.  This time we picked pork katsu ekiben and steak ekiben.



Pork Katsu Ekiben 900 ¥

Steak Ekiben  1,500¥

Hiroshima Peace Park

First stop is Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.  It took us longer than we thought inside this museum.  So many things to see and learn from the atomic bombing history.  Very sad sad tragedy that ever happened to Japanese people.

It wasn't too enjoyable walking under the rain so we decided to just browsing inside the mall and had our lunch there.  We were feeling like some pasta today, a little bit detour from Japanese food.  Don't get us wrong, not because we bored of Japanese food though.  Japanese cuisine in here still number one in my list.  We just need some alternative here so easy pick we went for this Italian food again.

Hamburg kid set 900 ¥

Seafood Pasta 1,400 ¥

The food here was ok, just ok, not so bad not so great either.  Unlike the previous Italian restaurant that we went in Yodobashi dining, Kyoto, in here pasta was al dente and for flavourwise was alright.  The hamburg meal was average.

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Japan:

Day 15: Kobe Haborland

Day 14: Okonomiyaki, Osaka

Previously:
Day 14: Osaka Castle



Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street

Osaka, as you know it, is famous with their seem-like endless markets and of course always-packed pachinko shops.  Besides those things, for me personally, in here is one of the culinary capital in Japan. From street snacks to main meals, abundant everywhere in Osaka.

Pachinko

We walked a long the small alley that night, not far from Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street. We saw this shop, looked tiny from the outside but they have a bigger dining space inside.  Packed with locals, surely it would be yummy.  We then take a seat not far from this cool lady where she managed to handle a few yakisoba okonomiyaki on her hotplate before serve it to the customer. 

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients, mixed in a bowl then grilled on the hot flat pan.  Traditionally, the ingredients are mixed on the bowl and then grilled on the hot pan in front of you by yourself, then when it is done, you can put the toppings like okonomiyaki sauce, seaweed flakes, bonito flakes and mayonnaise as you please. The name Okonomiyaki is derived from the word "okonomi", meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked". There are many version of Okonomiyaki all over Japan.  In Osaka or Kansai region, where most people believe is where okonomiyaki is originated, they normally mix the raw ingredients in a bowl then grilled both sides like pancake.

As this is our first time having this do-it-yourself okonomiyaki, the waiters helps us around and nicely explain how and what is the proper way of having okonomiyaki.

Step 1: Raw ingredients mixed on a bowl



Step 2: Pour all onto a flat-hot pan



Step 3: Flip it, cook both side  until it is cooked through

Step 4: Smeared okonomiyaki sauce on top and sprinkles some more toppings over it such as bonito flakes, seaweed flakes and mayonaisse as you like

Special Okonomiyaki - Pork in between with mayo, mustard, tomato sauce and poppyseed on top 900¥

Okonomiyaki - mix of pork, shrimp and egg 900¥



Step 5: Cut it into 4 slices or more
and the last step (which what we most looking forward of) enjoy it

The two of us only order 2 okonomiyaki, as the portion is very huge.  Okonomiyaki here in Osaka is really earn their popularity right.  Their Okonomiyaki is very plump and juicy, not dry and floury at all.  Very flavoursome and those each ingredients shine in its own way.  Plus we scattered heaps of sauce and toppings, that's bring this dish to next level.

These layered ring type cake or otherwise is called Baumkuchen is pretty popular in Japan as I have seen people sell this cake in a few different places.  However, we ended up buying this brulee cheesecake from one of the cake shop in Namba station, it is more like my cup of tea.

The Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street
Starts around Tenjimbashi-suji Rokuchome Station on the Tanimachi and Sakaisuji Subway Lines,
runs south and passes by Osaka Tenmangu Shrine before ending around the Tenjinbashi Bridge


Stay tuned for the next blog still in Japan:
Day 15: Hiroshima