Tuesday, September 2, 2008

The Rocks Teppanyaki by Kobe Jones - The Rocks, Sydney

Sometimes you need to spoil yourself with a expensive and luxurious dinner and one of the places I used to visit is the house-turned-restaurant Teppanyaki on the Rocks but this is only my second visit back here since it was taken over by Kobe Jones.

There have been a few changes that I have observed since the change in ownership, the main ones being the the slight increase in price and some slight reductions in food portions (especially my favourite garlic rice >_<) but another noticeable change is the decor to a lush red theme because Kobe Jones has a red theme I guess.

The rooms are kept as the small cozy rooms they were but the wallpaper are now a deep burgundy colour.

A nice additional touch were these mats to boost presentation. The food here is still of top quality and always entertaining in ways of smells and visuals. I opted for the Wagyu (Black Angus Steer) Deluxe set and it was well worth it. The sauces are (from left to right) BBQ sauce, seasame sauce and soy vinegar sauce.

Appetiser: Oyster, scallop and beef tataki
The appetisers were light and a good start to the meal.

Sashimi and Seasonal Salad
For my set you had the choice of sashimi or tempura so I decided to try and stay a bit healthier and go for the sashimi. I was quite disappointed by this as you could tell straight away tat it has been pre-prepared and then refridgerated. The fish were fresh but probably not up to standard for a place like this in my opinion. The salad on the other hand was refreshing with a nice sweet and sour sauce.

Our chef (Yuma-san?) working hard on our order. She was the only fully trained Japanese chef left there I think.

King prawn, scallop and salmon
Absolutely delicious as they add a lot of butter mmmmm. The scallops were very soft with each bite bursting with flavour and my favourite in this dish.

The vegetables....

The MEATTT!!

Whhheeeee felt the flames flicker out at us and coat the meat in flamey goodness.

Looks like a little fire devil running across the teppan hee hee.

These bean sprouts were fantastic but I guess due to the extremely hot teppan even the simpler things would taste better than normal.

Added some extra shiitake mushrooms. Very buttery goodness they were.

Wagyu steak with grilled vegetables
The meat was done perfectly to a medium rare as I asked and the taste is simply amazing. The meat is not as fatty as other places but the flavour and juices of the meat make it divine.

Stir frying the garlic rice and naturally we ordered extra garlic ^^! Spot the plate of grilled-to-perfection fat on the left.

Crunchy Prawn Heads
Grilled to a crisp, these are another highlight to the meal. Some people may be afraid of eating a prawn head but believe me you are missing out if you do not at least give it a try.

Garlic Rice
A much smaller serve than it used to be but such a pretty bowl. We asked the fat to be included into it but normally they just put it in the separate plate and serve as is. The garlic rice is always a crowd pleaser with its rich garlicy flavour and wonderful textures.

After we have filled our bellies with their hot food we waddled downstairs to their lounge area for some dessert and tea. The atmosphere/lighting and decor is wonderful! The desserts took a little bit of time to come so I had a play around with my camera.

But when the Mango Sorbet finally arrived my camera got tossed aside until I ate up my fill...

The Rocks Teppanyaki by Kobe Jones
176 Cumberland St (Cnr Essex and Cumberland)
The Rocks, Sydney

LUNCH
Monday to Thursday 12pm to 2:30pm
Friday 12pm to 3pm
Saturday & Sunday Functions only

DINNER
Monday to Wednesday 6pm to 9:30pm
Thursday to Saturday 6pm to 10:30pm
Sunday 6pm to 9.30pm

Please note a 10% surcharge applies on weekends and public holidays

FFichiban

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't it funny that the other Kobe Jones ion King St Wharf reduced their portion size too. This looks nice though, I like the setting and have walked past a few times but it's always looked closed? I love crunchy prawn heads too :)

D said...

I love it how they can make the more simple dishes such as the garlic rice so delicious and enjoyable.

Anonymous said...

NQN - Ahh realllyy? I havent been to KJ in a while but that is quite sad to hear :( Now I crave their No.1 special haha

D - Go teppan power!