Teppan Okochi: Overpriced Small Plates of Grilled Goodness

GRILLED UNAGI KABAYAKI (P880)

I always appreciate menus that come with photos, but Teppan Okochi takes this up a notch further by making sure that each and every menu item comes accompanied with a droolworthy photo. Menu items can get a bit steep especially if you’d be opting for the quality seafood and signature meats served by Teppan Okochi. Its serving sizes are mostly good enough for ‘pica-pica’, so if you’d be dining as a group, expect to order a battalion of small dishes for a filling meal.

EDAMAME (P180)

For starters, we had the well-seasoned Edamame which doubles as an appetizer and as a reasonably-priced filling side dish. We also ordered the Asazuke (P180), marinated Chinese Cabbage that acts as a perfect palate cleanser. It hurts a bit to have to pay for this side dish, especially since it usually comes as a complimentary side dish in Kimpura.

SALMON (P380)

Although it’s primarily a teppanyaki restaurant, its Salmon Sashimi is to die for. Its freshness is evident from the vivid hue of the salmon and the clean taste you’re left with once it magically melts in your mouth. Ogawa usually sets the standard for me when it comes to sashimi, but I would have to say that based on this salmon sashimi dish alone, Teppan Okochi can give it a run for its money.

CHEF OKOCHI’S HANDMADE GYOZA (P280)

Another must-order would be Chef Okochi’s Handmade Gyoza, which can easily be compared to the wonderfully juicy potstickers from Mendokoro Ramenba.

SIZZLING BACON (P680)

Its Sizzling Bacon tasted and looked amazing; it’s not shy to flaunt its near-perfect thick bacon cuts and its honey-cured taste. Unfortunately, it comes in bite size pieces that would have you in tears because of how much you shelled out for it. Another tearjerker would be its Sizzling Sausage Grilled on Iron Plate (P680). I personally would never opt for this, especially since you can get premium sausages from Santi’s for way less, but since it was dad’s special request, we had to order it. It featured a nice selection of sausages, each perfectly cooked, and priced way more than they should be.

CODFISH TERIYAKI (P980)

Another heartbreaker was the Codfish Teriyaki, which featured a depressed-looking fillet of cod, lazily drizzled with teriyaki sauce. There was nothing spectacular about its taste that warranted such a hefty price. It’s better to just double your order of its Grilled Unagi Kabayaki (P880), especially if you’re dining as a group. Its Unagi came in a reasonable serving size, although again, its quality isn’t exceptionally different from what you can get in trusty Japanese haunts such as Kimpura and Ogawa.

YAKISOBA (P480)

The dish that won us over would be its Yakisoba, which came with pork, shrimp, and squid and was served on a sizzling skillet. It was considerably simple as it came topped with just a single piece of fried egg, but its earnest robust flavor was enough for us to order a second serving.

Teppan Okochi

U149 R1, Powerplant Mall, Lopez Drive, Rockwell, Makati City

Date of Visit: July 14, 2019 with Wilson Chua, Lily Chua, Jared Chua and Jem Chua