Momo Teppan-Yaki
15 Wharf St Tauranga
Ph (07) 579 9473
Fresh, healthy food is always a winner and when it's cooked right in front of you by a skilled and entertaining Japanese chef, you've got a recipe for success.
When I heard that Momo Teppan-Yaki had opened on Wharf St I couldn't wait to try it out. What I like most about Teppan-Yaki, besides that you can see the quality and freshness of what you are about to eat, is that it's a very social way of dining. It's perfect for groups but as you share a table with others, it also makes eating out on your own more fun.
My son and I popped in for Sunday lunch and we were greeted by the lovely Michelle. She invited us to sit at a table with other diners, where chef Tony was already cooking juicy tiger prawns and generous portions of snapper. My 8-year-old was instantly captivated by Tony's cooking skills. There were plenty of interesting choices on the menu, lots of seafood and vegetable options as well as pork belly, chicken and beef, but we were keen to try a bit of everything so we ordered the Momo Set ($32 pp).
Our lunch started with miso soup, an excellent winter warmer. While enjoying this flavoursome traditional Japanese broth, we watched Tony cook our tiger prawns with yum-yum sauce. My son can be a fussy eater but I managed to convince him to try the prawns and he agreed that yum-yum was an appropriate name. I couldn't talk him into trying the Japanese scallops that followed but that was okay because it meant I got to enjoy a double portion. Tony continued to show his skills on the iron griddle in front of us and served steak with a pepper sauce, which was a hit with both of us. The egg fried rice, mixed vegetables and the chicken chop and bacon with garlic sauce served next were also delicious.
