Wasabi Teppan-Yaki

How amazingly delicious is this place!!! And such a bargain on a lunchtime. Cheaper than me going to a café. Get down here for lunch now and order a bento box.
Sounds like a sponsored ad yeah? Well it was one of the tastiest lunches I’ve had!

Oh my word. I’m inclined to believe that the antics and frolics that this divine restaurant offer will never cease to impress me, let alone the quality of the food herein. If you’re after an evening out for dinner and delights, something of an occasion or simply to indulge, this restaurant is one that I shall always recommend.
I’ve said it all before, in terms of the meal deals and what to expect, so just as a round up of my latest visit I shall pen a brief overview. The décor is lovely, clean, and not overcrowded. Enough of a vibe to feel authentic, but not cluttered. Love the random pan-​pipe versions of popular classics, that act as your background music. Do not come along and expect a quiet atmosphere — whether you intend to be loud and proud or not, the performances from the chefs inspire whoops and cheers from even the most shy and bashful of customers. The aromas greet you long before you’ve entered, and deliver on the promise of excellence.
I took my Dad here recently, and almost thought that I’d made the wrong choice. He likes a quiet atmosphere, where conversation comes easily without the threat of noise pollution, and whilst we awaited our table the applause and cavorts from the dining area steadily increased in volume. I could see the frustration begin to brew, and wondered if he’d hate the whole thing — after performing gigs in a rock band for the better part of 30+ years, his hearing is marred and it’s difficult to make out voices over background buzz. (Wear earplugs, people. Really.)
Nevertheless, we’d made our choice, and were seated alongside two lovely couples. And without further ado, our chef began. Sadly, I found out later, Victor has retired and so it was a brand new chef that was serving us. Who’d have known? I certainly didn’t. It almost goes without saying that the quality of the food was exquisite, but it was his performance that stole the evening.
Never have I had a more wonderfully flamboyant experience! His style was rather camp, so to speak, as he repeatedly declared ‘ladies first’ when dishing out the egg fried rice to all the guys first (get it?!) and took a shine to one of the male diners at the table, with whom he joked about taking his number later. It was hilarious, especially when the lads at the table joined in the carry on. He also referred to the waiter as ‘sexy boy’, which for some reason had me in fits. (I think it’s mostly as the waiter was rather bewildered.) Of course, added in with this were the usual games of juggling, rice catching (thrown from afar to us diners to catch in our mouths) and other such banter. He topped up people’s drinks, ordered us new beers, and even made an animal shape on the hot plate out of the rice. I mean, it sounds ridiculous, outrageous even, on paper, but it was a fantastic experience.
The manager asked us about his performance afterwards and we couldn’t speak more highly of him –I sincerely hope he passed his trial! Most wonderful of all was the extent to which my Dad and his girlfriend enjoyed the whole thing. I was rather worried that they’d have preferred a quiet meal, but it turns out that they were utterly wowed by the food, ambience, and chef, and hugely impressed the choice of restaurant. You might come for the food, but you’ll return for the theatrics. This gourmand experience really is something else.

Housed in the cavernous underbelly of the dark arches, Wasabi Teppanyaki has to be one of the most sociable dining experiences in Leeds.
If I was rating them on the food alone I would probably award three stars as the menu, while perfectly nice, is fairly average for the prices charged.
Our group had the set menu which came in around £22 per head before any drinks were added. Miso soup and egg-​fried rice are both dishes that cost mere pence to make and so by having these as part of the set menu it would be easy to feel a little cheated.
However, by the time the egg has been tossed, flicked, caught in a chef’s hat and then catapulted into the mouth of one of your fellow diners you would have to be a pretty miserable individual not to see the appeal.
The chefs are all excellent at revelling in the theatre of teppanyaki, griddle plates erupt in flames and the atmosphere is punctuated with audible ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’.
It’s by no means the best Japanese food in Leeds, but if you want a lively and involving dinner that gets people talking, Wasabi Teppanyaki is hard to beat.

My wife and I thought that we deserved a treat for being the great couple that we are and the fact we havent really got to go out together in about 5 months so we splurged with this fantastic resturant. We had a place like this in the states where I am from and they have set the standard high so we were looking forward to the visit. We walked in and were greeted immediately given menus and then served our drinks. I got the asasi and my wife got a JD and coke. We read the menu and made our decision told the nice lady and we were wisked away to our seats. I ordered the house special which is a side salad miso soup (which i was not a fan of but it was one of the better miso soups that I have tasted.) 2 small apps, tiger prawn, salmon, beef, chicken. Now the prices reflect the service and standard of the food which is quite high complete with flames omelet tossing egg flipping and just pure entertainment. We were asked how we would like out beef and the cook got it spot on I had mine med rare wifey had hers rare which we litterally ate in about 5 fork fulls. Overall this is a great resturant for a celebration or if you have the money than a monthly thing. Our bill came to about 82 quid which was a but steep but hell it was worth it. Go here and enjoy yourself get stuck in with the cooks and just let yourself have fun cause I think that the purpose of cooking in front of you.
Side note:
If your one of those people that hate butter or oil and anything fattening then this isnt the place for you but I love some butter and when they roasted the garlic in the butter it just made me want to kiss the owner.

Decent enough place to grab a bite. I paid under five quid for a big bowl of tempura noodle soup. It was pretty tasty but it took quite awhile to come from the kitchen that otherwise didn’t have much else going on (I was the only diner there when I visited in the late afternoon).
The cavernous space was kinda soulless but Wasabi gets points for having several oil paintings of sumo wrestlers in various poses (great ‘bad’ art in my opinion but maybe not exactly what your average customers would want to see while eating?).
As it was pissing rain when I visited and this restaurant was right across from my hotel, I was glad it was there. I wouldn’t be against visiting again but would rather explore other nearby options first.
Not bad.

Just to get my bias out of the way, Wasabi Teppan Yaki is absolutely my most favourite restaurant in Leeds. Possibly the world! It is true to say it isn’t cheap, but we all need a treat now and again. It is always my number one choice for occasions, anniversairies, birthdays etc as you are guaranteed a special night.
There is a communal element, with a group of about ten to twelve of you sitting around the hot plate. You order your food before you sit, and once there is enough of you the chef will appear. Weeknights or weekends, I have always found it busy, so you won’t have long to wait. If you’ve chosen starters, these will come while you are watching the rest of the food cook, and periodically someone comes round to take more drinks orders etc. The chef usually does some juggling with eggs and will invite you to catch some in your mouth which is surprisingly difficult! The food is always delicious, and I have even found myself ordering things that I wouldn’t usually like without fear of disappointment.
Once the cooking is complete, I find the communal element fades naturally, meaning you can devote yourself to your dinner companion without feeling rude or alternatively compelled to continue a stilted conversation with your neighbours. There are puddings, if you can manage them, and the service is attentive without being overwhelming. Enjoy!

More of a theatrical performance than strictly a meal, Wasabi Teppan-​Yaki is always popular with groups of friends, parties and work nights out, and its easy to see why. Seated around a large hotplate, your food is cooked in front of you by a flamboyant chef who occasionally likes to throw bits of food for you to catch in your mouth; not ideal date territory, but great fun with your mates. It’s certainly not cheap, with mains anything from £12-£25, but for the full experience you want the teppan-​yaki special, an unforgettable eight course menu — available for a doable £18 a head if you dine between 6pm and 7.30pm. There are also themed teppan-​yaki menus, like Christmas or vegetarian (highly recommended) at different prices, and although bills can easily reach over £40 a head including drinks, it’s worth remembering that you’re paying for entertainment not just a meal, and the that the experience lasts a lot longer than your average dinner for two.

Good fun place to eat right from the minute you walk through the door. They like to serve you a few drinks first but once you get to your table the food is well worth waiting for but that’s just for the starters then you move onto the teppan-​yaki table where the food is cooked infront of you.
The chefs like to interact with the diners and one particular favourite is showing off the old ‘flipping an egg into the chef’s hat’ trick, after which they look for volunteers to have a go. Good laugh and makes for a great night out if in groups.
Not the cheapest but hey you’re paying for cabaret too!
Busy place so book ahead.