Kobe Asian Bistro
Manchester
July 26, 2024
Is it still hibachi if there’s no show involved?
I pondered that question when I arrived at Kobe Asian Bistro.
A last-minute craving for hibachi diverted me from my original destination to the restaurant, located in a plaza near Buckland Hills mall. I’d arrived too late for the chefs to put on their performance, and on a whim asked if it was still possible to get hibachi-style food. The waitress said yes to my surprise.
I always thought that hibachi was a word that describes the style in which food is prepared, particularly the acrobatic way in which hibachi chefs perform for customers. In fact, hibachi refers to a heating device used for hundreds of years in Japan. While known as hibachi in the United States, the hot-plate style cooking device used by chefs is called a teppan. The restaurants are named for it and referred to as teppanyaki.
The meal started with the Out of Control sushi roll, which consisted of shrimp tempura and avocado, rolled up with mixed spicy crabmeat and served with chef’s special sauce. The crunchiness of the tempura mixed well with the cool creaminess of the avocado. The special sauce blended a sweet, soy-like taste with a bite of chili pepper for an added kick.
The hibachi combination of steak and chicken also came with soup and salad. The latter arrived shortly after the sushi. I was looking forward to the soup the most out of the meal, and it didn’t disappoint. It was a simple clear mushroom soup, but the broth was flavorful and the heat felt good as it went down. The salad was good too, a mix of greens with dressing on top.
Finally the hibachi combination arrived, piled high on top of the plate. All of the staples were there: fried rice, noodles, broccoli, even two extra shrimp in addition to the heaping helpings of chicken and steak. The dish came with spicy mayo, yum yum sauce and dumpling sauce to add flavor.
The steak turned out to be the star of the dish. It was cooked with a slight char outside that didn’t toughen the tender juiciness of the meat internally. Becoming comfortable with eating steak “medium well” was a struggle for me, but the steak from Kobe epitomized the exact texture and flavor I want when food is cooked medium well. The rice was coated in soy sauce and mixed with the chicken. The broccoli was crisp and fresh. Everything was delicious. I discerned no difference between the food being prepared in the kitchen instead of live.
I want to stress how great the service was. Many of us have worked in a service industry job where we sat for the last half hour, staring at the clock until the moment we could lock the door and get ready to go. I called Kobe at 9:18 p.m. to ask if they were still seating customers for a 9:30 closing time. Not only did they seat me, but the wait staff was as friendly and responsive as if I’d arrived during the lunch rush.
I was happy that I made the last-minute decision to go to Kobe. The treatment I received despite my late arrival has made it my new go-to hibachi restaurant.
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Kobe Asian Bistro is open seven days a week.
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