While it’s fun to sit down at the blackjack table or catch a great show, Las Vegas is also known for its extensive selection of great food created by some of the world’s most well-known chefs. Diversity is a key to Las Vegas’ food scene, with fine dining options stemming from pretty much every cuisine type imaginable. Latin American? Si. French? Mais oui. Sushi and Japanese fare? Absolutely. Las Vegas is home to some of the best sushi options this side of the Pacific, and one of those is Kusa Nori located in Resorts World Las Vegas.
This modern Japanese bistro offers both sushi and classic teppanyaki grill service, which can be paired with an extensive selection of sake. Diners can enjoy menu options including specialty sushi rolls, robata meats, oysters, yakitori, and foods grilled on an EVO EVent teppanyaki grill that doesn’t require an obstructive, noisy ventilation system that impacts the dining experience.
The Art of Teppanyaki vs. Habachi
Perhaps the most iconic of all theater cooking styles, the teppanyaki should not be confused with a hibachi. Though some chains have led us to use this phrasing in the wrong ways hibachi actually means ‘fire bowl’ and is an old, family-style of cooking that dates back hundreds of years using, yes, a bowl.
Teppanyaki, on the other hand, literally refers to ‘teppan,’ which is the iron plate on which food is cooked, and ‘yaki,’ which translates to grilled, broiled, or pan-fried. Like the Spanish plancha, the basic translation of teppanyaki is ‘grilling that takes place on an iron plate.’ According to history, it’s a newer form of cooking that began after World War II in a Japanese restaurant chain called Misono. Finding that it held more favor with foreigners, it made its way across the Pacific.
The Challenges of Teppanyaki Service
While wildly popular, teppanyaki service also comes with challenges. As with any type of indoor cooking, ventilation is required to remove harmful grease and gas away from the cooking surface, and because hoods are traditionally located above cooking surfaces, the direction those exhaust fumes travel is up.
This creates the first challenge. Because the allure of teppanyaki cooking is the theatrics, when steam and smoke travel up, it impacts the visibility between diners and the chef. Hoods are also noisy, and they’re expensive to install. From the cost of installation to fire suppression to expensive make-up air needed with traditional HVAC, many operators can be quickly priced out of teppanyaki service because all of this is needed for EACH table.
Ventless Teppanyaki Cooking Tables: There’s a Better Way
The innovative designs of EVO’s EVent Teppanyaki Cooking Tables eliminate many of the challenges associated with teppan cooking. With a ventilation system integrated right into the cooktop, exhaust is pulled across the cooking surface and into a series of filters that remove smoke and grease. Clean air is put right back into the room.
Here’s the EVent Teppanyaki in action:
