Sizzle Sizzle

Aka Teppan

1^st Markham Place – 3235 Highway 7 East, Markham
Japanese Cuisine | $8-$30 Price Range

This place has been the talk of 1^st Markham since it opened early last year. I first knew of it last year when my sister took me to lunch after one successful job interview. I faintly remember the experience as I was too excited to talk about my interview.

Forward to a year later, one of my friends who works with me, suggested we go there for our Friday lunches. She was in Japan earlier this year and noticed that the food served at Aka Teppan is considered fast food there. Interesting. We were all very curious and thought we would try it out.

If you’ve ever been to 1^st Markham, you know that parking is a nightmare around lunch time. Luckily, we rolled in just before 12pm, found a parking spot nearby and were quickly seated. The restaurant was fairly empty with maybe 2 tables occupied.

Having choosing what to eat was a no-brainer. Their specialty dish, The Supreme Beef ($8.99), comes on a hot plate sizzling with rice, gravy and your choice of meat (in this case, beef). Any toppings like cheese, egg, or mushrooms  cost an extra of $0.99 each and garlic bits, corn and scallions are $0.49 each.

The waitress came around with tea and took our order. In 10 minutes, the first dish arrived. Within the span of 10 minutes, six dishes came out inefficiently. By the time the last dish came, the first dish was already lukewarm. Mind you though, there were six of us and two tables of four.

Photo Credit: AC.C from yelp.ca

Now this is where the fun begins! Since the beef arrives at your table uncooked, you have to stir up the beef, rice and gravy together so that it cooks on the sizzling plate. We really liked the idea of customizing your food. You can cook the beef however rare or well done you like it; you can throw in some mushrooms if you like and you can get down and play with your food!

Although The Supreme Beef can be fun, I opted to go with one of the lunch specials, Japanese Curry with Sanuki Udon Beef and a side of 3 Wafu Pork Dumplings ($8.50). I’m a sucker for udon noodles and curry.

If you have ever tried Japanese curry in comparison to, let’s just say, Indian curries, you’ll find that there is a stark difference. This Japanese curry had a creamy texture but less bold in spices and flavour. In fact, I find it a little more sweeter than Indian curries which is a plus for anyone who’s not a fan of spices or spicy foods in general.

The dumplings that came with the lunch special were good but nothing to rave about. My first-time-to-the-restaurant coworker felt as though you could buy these dumplings as m&m’s. It comes as good value as it essentially comes free, a part of the lunch special.

By the time our plates were empty, we were so full. My bill came up to $9.65. Not bad considering the service had no major hiccups and the food is unique. All in all, my coworkers and I put this place on our list of returning favourites.

Do you know any other restaurants that specialize in unique DIY dishes like this one? Share your experiences here!