Food Review: Sapporo Japanese Teppanyaki in Manchester*

We love Asian food, especially if its Korean, Japanese, India, Chinese or Malaysian, so an invite to review Sapporo Japanese Restaurant which specialises in Teppanyaki style cooking was something we were really looking forward to. Sapporo Japanese Restaurant is located on the busy area of central Manchester on Liverpool Road, just walking distance from the Science and Industry Museum which is situated in the popular shopping area of Deansgate. Sapporo opened its doors in November 2003 and currently has three branches, Liverpool, Glasgow and Manchester.

Walking into the restaurant, we could immediately sense the vast space and how relaxed the place was.  The restaurant could easily fit 160 customers at any one time, but don’t expect it to be this empty in the evenings or on weekends.  We were told that there is a two week’s waiting list for evening reservations or weekends.  So if you are heading there, we would recommend you to make prior reservations to avoid disappointment.

The restaurant is the perfect location to host huge office parties or even small private party if you wanted a quiet spot at the back.  What’s unique about the restaurant is that it serves authentic Japanese dishes but with a modern twist, some of the dishes include sushi, noodles, starters, soups and teppanyaki.   Do keep on scrolling to see what we sampled on the day.

We decided to try some starters and orders the Miso Tofu soup which is made with miso paste and also had some wakame seaweed added to it. The soup was subtle in flavour and just lovely. A great light starter especially on a cold day. The soup is labelled as a vegetarian dish and costs £4.50.

We next ordered the Soft Shell Crab Picante, which was truly delicious. The soft shell crab was fried in a tempura batter and it just melted in the mouth!  We thought this was even better when it was served on a bed of spicy mayonaise which was so moreish.  Priced at £8.50, this was one of the highlights of the starter menu and we happily licked the plate clean.

We love our vegetables and ordered the Green Bean Tempura as our next starter. Labelled as Vegan, the beans were lightly battered in tempura flour and fried. This was served with a garlic mayonnaise sauce which was delicious and complimentary to the dish which costs £7. This was not our most favourite dish as we felt the beans should have been crunchier and the garlic mayonnaise sauce did not do it justice, nevertheless it is a great way to get kids to eat their beans.

Our final starter was steamed green soybeans also known as Edamame Beans which was tossed in chilli salt (£3) as well as a bowl of wasabi infused popcorn (£2). Now the edamame beans are a favourite in our household but we have not had it with chilli salt before. The chilli salt just gave it a light hint of spice and it was not too spicy. While the wasabi popcorn was intriguing. The more we got the hint of wasabi as we ate the popcorns, the more we kept eating it..something about wasabi is so addictive! Now these starters came in small bowls, perfect for sharing with your partner or order a few selection if you are in a group.

Meet our Chef – San The Man – who was quite the character! Now without giving too many spoilers…he was such a performer!…Yes the whole experience felt more like a performance with lots of laughs, oohs and aahs with the chef being more of a performer and entertainer instead of just a mere cook.  Now, for our mains, we ordered Teppanyaki, if you are wondering what Teppanyaki is….it is a style of Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food.  The word
teppanyaki is derived from teppan, which means iron plate, and yaki, which means grilled, broiled or pan-fried. And the food is cooked right in front of us by our Chef San The Man.

We have tried teppanyaki many times before in Asia but could clearly see that the Sapporo has tried to make the teppanyaki dish more fusion and suited to the Western palate, as they have served us sauteed potatoes (which you would not get in Asia).  The potatoes were delicious, and perfect eaten warm and if you are heading there with kids as they would love it. With so much to choose from, we decided to order the 8oz Wagyu Beef Eye and Seafood combination of king prawns, salmon, scallops and sea bass. The Beef Teppanyaki platter costs £40 while the Seafood combination Teppanyaki costs £28.  Before you say how expensive this is, let us add that, each of the selection could easily feed two as they are also served with a generous amount of sauteed potato, stir fry vegetables and egg fried rice. Each of the ingredients was prepared separately (right in front of us) and served on to our plate one at a time and you are to eat it immediately.  The beef, fish as well as the vegetables were cooked with the chef’s homemade garlic & soy sauce (if you prefer something a little different, you can choose teriyaki, mint, fresh garlic & chilli or peppercorn sauce).

The beef, which was wagyu beef was so tender and delicious, you can ask the chef to cook it medium rare or well done to your preference, while each of the seafood ingredients tasted really fresh. Although just cooked with simple ingredients, each dish somehow stood out strikingly, we only felt it was slightly salty (do ask the chef to reduce the soy sauce if you prefer less salt).  We totally loved the egg fried rice and the vegetables as well. The portion size was ample and so generous so if you are heading there, go with an empty stomach.  We totally loved the experience as we had the chance to chit chat, watch the chef and eat the dish as they came along…it is a fabulous place to head to for an office party gathering (with some sake of course) or a girls night out meal if you want something different.  Now, this style of dining takes a while, so if you are in a rush then teppanyaki is not for you. Another thing worth mentioning is that each hot grill / table where the chef cooks has about 8 chairs. So the chef will cook the dish for everyone on that table at the same time, so sometime you might need to wait if the other party has orders lots of starters or is slightly late.  We personally had a great time and can’t wait to head there again,  this time with our kids in tow. It is a great way to get little ones to eat Japanese food.

What are their opening hours?

Monday to Thursday & Sunday – 12pm until 12am

Friday & Saturday – 12pm until 1am

Where is Sapporo’s in Manchester?

91-93 Liverpool Rd
Manchester
M3 4JN
Phone: 0161 831 9888

About Sapporo Teppanyaki

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* We were provided with free meals in return for a review. All opinions are our own.