Putting the chic in charcoal grills

TETSU, THE MODERN Japanese restaurant on the fifth floor of Central Embassy, is all set to delight meat eaters by offering a wide selection of Omi Wagyu beef in its premium yakiniku menu.

The eatery is run by Chittapon Vivaddhanakasem, a veteran of the yakiniku business, who now operates an impressive 14 branches of popular grilled-meat chain AKA.

The upmarket Tetsu takes its cue from its name – it means steel in Japanese – with an elegant industrial decor enhanced by latticework partitions.

State-of-the-art technology from Japan removes the smoke from the charcoal grills, ensuring the odour of grilled meat and seafood doesn’t impregnate the clothes and hair, while imported ceramic tableware adds to the sense of Japanese chic. 

“Central Embassy invited our team to open a Japanese restaurant focusing on a la carte premium yakiniku. We’ve pulled out all the stops to comfortable and sophisticated,” Chittapon says during A Burst of Tempting Flavor Experience Workshop, organised by Central Credit Crad.

One of the marbled beefs produced in Japan, the melt-in-the-mouth Omi Wagyu comes in a variety of cuts including sirloin, sparerib, short rib, tenderloin, prime rib and chuck roast. 

“Omi beef has a beautiful texture and a superb flavour. We offer both premium grade and marbling grade 4 beef. Omi Waygu is not very well known in Thailand but we are hoping to change that,” Chittapon says.

In addition to the charcoal BBQs, the restaurant offers a seven-course set lunch for Bt2,000, inclusive of sake. It starts with spicy soybean blended with Korean chilli powder and is served with a small basket of Japanese Burdock chips with sea salt, which are said to reduce fat and boost energy levels. 

Next up is Kaiso, a salad made with Japanese seaweed, avocado and baby lettuce with a white sesame dressing and Hotate Tartare, a wood smoked Hokkaido scallop in shoyu sauce topped with salmon roe and garnished with gold leaf. It’s paired with Tedorigawa shukon ginjo sake, which brings out the flavour of the fish.

The main course is Aburi Wagyu Sushi, tender torched sirloin beef served on a stone plate with ginger, chopped spring onion and cayenne togarashi with teriyaki sauce. The strong flavour proves a perfect match for the accompanying Ozeki taruzake sake with its woody aroma. 

The set also includes two crispy Shrimp Tempuras – one piece is soft, the other wrapped in shiso leaf and served with sliced lemon and salt. They are paired with the subtly fragrant Kirinsan Junmai Green Bottle sake while the Gindara Miso Yaki – marinated Gindara fish in miso confit is served with rice and miso soup as well as shot of Masumi Junmai Ginjo Karaguchi Kiipon sake.

The seven-course feast ends with home-made Yuzu Sorbet ice cream made from orange rind and served with a glass of Choya Umeshu. 

Highlights of the a la carte menu include Mixed Japanese Omi Wagyu Platter of strip loin, Jo Rousu and Rousu, Sweet Tangy Roll – Foie Gras, Unagi, Ripened Mango and Avocado in Teriyaki Sauce and the Tetsu Bomb Sushi that combines fresh Bluefin tuna, ikura, uni, hotate, ginger, shoyu and wasabi.

 

 

TENDER AT TETSU

>>Tetsu is located on the fifth floor of Central Embassy. It’s daily open from 11am to 10pm. Call (02) 160 5722 or visit Facebook.com/Tetsu.Embassy