Service with a Style By Paula E. Kirman

Chef Robert Wong Puts Performance on the Menu

Japanese Village is a familiar stop on the downtown dining scene. From business people on their lunch breaks to evening diners, for the past 32 years the restaurant has been attracting patrons with its selection of original sauces, fresh sushi, and especially teppan-yaki – meals that are cooked right in front of the customers.

In the Japanese language, teppan refers to the hot grill upon which the food is cooked, while yaki means cooking. Executive Chef Robert Wong is at the heart of Japanese Village’s continuing tradition of making presentation an integral part of the dining experience.

A native of Brunei (on the island of Borneo), Wong got his start in the food business through hard work and dedication. Shortly after he immigrated to Canada in the early 90s, he began his career with Japanese Village, performing various elementary duties before being trained in the art of teppan-yaki.

“New chefs that come in have to do preparation for a minimum of a month,” Wong explains. “They do dishes, all of the kitchen work like cleaning the grill, everything.” Once training begins, a healthy dose of patience is required as the most important aspect of teppan — cutting and knife use — involves much practice.

“The method of cutting the food in front of the customer is different from being in the kitchen,” says Wong as he makes cutting motions with his hands. “It takes time to practice that. You must have a style.”

The presentation of fresh ingredients is another distinguishing feature of the restaurant. Since appearance is so important, the food has to look good even before it is cooked.

“Everything has to be fresh and neat and tidy,” Wong says, adding a laugh. “I could not take out a black New York steak to cook in front of a customer!”

After the orders are placed, the food is brought to the table from the kitchen, and prepared then and there. Some of the most popular dishes include steak, shrimp, and chicken, most meals served with one of Japanese Village’s signature steak or ginger sauces.

The restaurant’s signature three-level layout is also popular with diners. The main floor is reserved for sushi and consists of a sushi bar, regular tables and traditional sushi rooms where patrons remove their shoes and sit on the floor, eating their meal off a low table kept private by dividing curtains. The second and third floors are strictly for teppan, with tables built around the large cooking surfaces.
While a typical day for Wong includes overseeing all of the preparation, making sure everything is in place, and of course, cooking, dealing directly with customers is the part of the job he enjoys the most.

“A teppan-yaki chef is not like being in other restaurants,” he said. “You get to deal with the customers. It’s different – that’s why I like it. We make the customers happy.”