Clareto Monsorate, Dubai

When Minato opened its doors in Dubai in the year 1993, it was the first Japanese restaurant to introduce teppanyaki.

Now, almost 30 years down the line, teppanyaki, which is cooked in front of guests, continues to attract food connoisseurs at Minato.

Teppanyaki, also known in some countries as Hibachi (‘fire bowl’), is a post–World War II style of Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food.

The word teppanyaki is derived from teppan, which is a metal plate on which it is cooked on and yaki, which means grilled, broiled, or pan-fried.

That’s where chef Mohamed Elsayed comes into the picture and ensures that the guests at Minato are enthralled with his skilled manoeuvres on the metal plate.

Minato is located in Radisson Blu Hotel Deira Creek. Once you walk in the warm interiors and minimalistic traditional décor sets an inviting tone to its visitors.

Although it was a week day all the tables were booked with people from different nationalities.

The staff at Minato is very courteous and ever willing to help, while Ben Suarez Hipolito, Assistant Food & Beverage Manager, went out of his way to make me feel at ease.

Minato has an extensive a la carte menu featuring the famous takoyaki, edamame, yakitori, sushi rolls, sashimi platters and the famous menrui’s like yaki soba and miso ramen.

Apart from the teppanyaki stations, Minato also has two traditional tatami dining rooms and another private area called Sato which easily fits small groups of up to 15 guests.

Minato is open from 6 pm to 11 pm daily, while over the weekends (Fridays and Saturdays) its open for lunch from 12 pm to 4 pm.

“We have a good mix of nationalities coming here,” said Ben.

“The clientele is very diverse, yet most dominant are Arabs from various GCC countries and Asian businessmen particularly from China, Taiwan, Philippines and Japan,” he added.

“Minato is also frequented by Emirati families who love teppanyaki live cooking since Minato is one of the few hibachi restaurants with an Arabic /teppanyaki chef (Mohamed Elsayed).”

Going into minute details, Ben said, “Most spices are imported from Japan and perishable ingredients are sustainably sourced only through Dubai Municipality approved suppliers.”

With all Covid-19 measures being strictly followed by Minato, the restaurant is the ideal place for a nice quiet dinner with the family.