Akatonbo Teppanyaki Restaurant — Restaurant in Batam City

The chef meticulously cut the hissing beef on the steel griddle. He flipped the knife in a flash and continued with dividing the meat. He called out to the audience, “Ready for the fire?” They moved their back against the chairs. The chef poured liquid onto the metal surface. BOOM! He barely caught the flame. The audience gasped with exhilaration. Soon after, Chef Dixon handed each of them their freshly cooked order.

Akatonbo Teppanyaki is a small outdoor restaurant nestled in the middle of the pool area at Holiday Inn Resort Batam. During the day, the place looks inconspicuous and slightly deserted. Most nights are when it comes alive.

The front seats for the live cooking performance only caters to ten people. Being a hotel guest does not confer you a privilege. Booking is compulsory, because this place is popular amongst the locals. Otherwise, you can seat at the periphery. (I sat on both sections and I thought that being up close to the action was half the enjoyment of the dining experience.)

The restaurant has a small selection of a la carte and set menu. It is slightly more expensive. The priciest set menu will set you back around IDR 1,000,000, but you’d get a premium variety of meat (beef, chicken, prawn / lobster) in return. For those on a budget but still want to partake in the lively feast, you can opt for stir fry udon, rice, or vegetables.

Generally, I am not a fan of stir fry dishes but the udon and fried rice I ordered tasted so much better. I think it’s partly due to the cooking surface used in teppanyaki: a flat steel plate, which may distribute and retain heat quicker. The additional flame (called ‘flambé’) added towards the end of the process infuses smoky flavours to the food. Yum!

Small setting inevitably induces intimacy. Though I didn’t know most of my fellow front seat diners, we exchanged eye contacts when we’re amazed by Chef Dixon’s showmanship, we made comments on the other’s food, and we chatted with the chef in the cool breeze of the night. I had to wonder where else can one experience this ephemeral...

We had dinner at this Restaurant last night, a nice experience to see live cooking with Teppanyaki style, delicious food by Chef Dickson and team, We choose an Akatonbo Zen 1 Set Menu with lobstee, Beef, and Salmon course, complete with appetizer, soup, and dessert....

Tonight we had a super delicious meal. The food was prepared very carrefully in front of our eyes, we enjoyed it a lot! You should definitely try this restaurant, located in the...