2023-04-26

ROBIN'S TEPPANYAKI - To Please Your Palate

Tasting all things Japanese and taking the premium cut of meat and proficient culinary skills to the next level, you are certainly in for a pleasant surprise at ROBIN’S TEPPANYAKI in Regent Taipei, not only for its theatrical elements, but also the freshest and haute quality seasonal produce bursting with colours offers that is one of the best teppanyaki dinings in Taipei by offering you the simple yet umani flavours.….second to none to please your palate. mylifestylenews writes.


While ROBIN’S TEPPANYAKI is named after a long-serving maître d’ and respectfully paying homage for an employee who contributed his excellent hospitality throughout the entire operation over the years, the rest is history. Splurging on a quality piece of meat is always a great indulgence as it rides a balanced wave between flavour and texture and is straight forward to cook on the grill of a Japanese teppanyaki. Tucked away on the 2nd floor at the very far end annex in one of Taipei’s most well known luxury hotels, the Regent Hotel Taipei, ROBIN’S TEPPANYAKI would have to be one of the most sought-after gourmet teppanyaki-grill restaurants amongst the locals, as it has a very enthusiastic following and if you don’t book well in advance, you will be struggling to get a reservation. Point taken!


Set in a darker tone decor in an unpretentious casual and relaxing ambience, the interior brings with it a sophisticated modern vibe to match the understated refined milieu. ROBIN’S TEPPANYAKI is known for its nouveau Fusion French-style premium teppanyaki but we don’t really buy the idea of such recognition by those connoisseurs who prefer such traditional Japanese culinary flair to that being “fusionized”. Here you’ll get to appreciate the top quality produce and ingredients being used, which leaves no doubt this gourmet teppanyaki delivers to a very high standard as well as its attentive, gracious and discreet service. The arrival experience was warm and welcoming and we were quickly escorted to our designated seats. As we came a bit later, many other guests were already into the throes of their set menu and finished well before we had hit our stride, but the atmosphere is convivial, whereby you can have pleasant conversations without having to be too quiet.


Sophie promptly guided us through the big menu as there is a lot to take in and making decision is difficult when everything looks so tempting. ROBIN’S TEPPANYAKI offers a-la-carte menu service as well as a semi buffet section near the entrance with a separate dining room as well as the teppanyaki grill sittings and private dining rooms further in.


Another focus of the evening is that it is all about seasonable vegetables, so the menu evolves according to what is in season. While seasonal fresh ingredients are the main objective of produce being used here, we were quite taken with a box of the most colourful and beautiful looking vegetables displayed along the communal teppanyaki settings and it is hard not to take your eyes off such an appealing presentation. With the highlight being enormous fresh and chunky asparagus spears – both white and green – and Sophie indicated that asparagus is right in season and flown in directly from France that was only just arrived in the morning.  How could we resist?!


While there is the impression of teppanyaki being all about show stopping tricks, what it is really about beyond the showmanship is expert cooking right in front of you and the culinary team excels at the best of this, but is not outshone by the perfectly cooked seafood, premium steaks from the U.S., or the Wagyu from Japan and Australia. Also, with such high quality ingredients, they let the natural flavours speak for themselves, with only a light seasoning of salt or pepper. Sauces are provided on the side should you wish to garnish, but in many cases they are not needed, as the flavour is already superb.
 

If you have dined here before you can request your preferred chef to cook for you. We instantly knew that we were in Chef’s good hands about what is right and proper to put on show and cook, so it is about representing the best produce and accompanying flavours. 
We were tempted by the set menu, but Sophie was quite keen to allow us to meander along a path of choice that took in our preferences and we ended up settling on about ten courses – this may sound ambitious, but each course is not necessarily about size, but more about ensuring quality and perfect execution on the grill as well as the umami flavour. We were ready to be amazed on all counts by starting with a bottle of bubbly Bollinger Champagne for the seafood front as well as an elegant bottle of 2007 Chateau Branaire–Ducru Saint–Julien from Bordeaux of its full bodied, bold, complex and a textural mouthfeel long finish to pair with the abundant meat flavours!.


<French Onion Soup Au Gratin & Lobster Bisque>
Out of the three choices of soup selections, we have let go of the Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup. Sophie assured us that it is a must try. Both soups were served on a large cup and saucer, the French Onion Soup au Gratin was so deliciously decadent in texture and flavour with lots of caramelized onions dominating the palate, quite similar to the French classic, served with two aromatic slices of garlic bread on the side. The quintessential Lobster Bisque was out-of-this-world with a certain consistency and focuses only on the umami palate from the sea, rich in flavour and every sip was simply a joy!


<French White Asparagus>
As mentioned earlier, we couldn’t help staring at the superb basket of vegetables sat atop the counter, with huge asparagus spears being the drawcard, so there really was only one way to execute such a beautiful vegetable which was the classic French way steamed and served with a bed of hollandaise sauce on the side. Because it is a teppan-grill, it is only steamed for a very short time, as the grill is very hot at 250c. The chef constantly checked the vegetable and ensured it was cooked to perfection. By adding hollandaise sauce for the pièce de résistance and garnished with thin slices of Iberico ham as an accompaniment. The thickness of the asparagus is 2.8 mm and was topped with Parisian Kaviori Caviar - such luxury and decadence. The asparagus had the perfect crunch and the saltiness of the ham and the subtlety of the caviar was a winning combination that will be etched in our memory. It was a perfect marriage with the Bollinger champagne and you could not have a more iconic combination of flavours with such a triumph in execution such as this course was. Simply sensational!


<Pacific King Prawns and Hokkaido Scallop with Honey Mustard Sauce>
While there was only two appetizers on the menu, we had one each. The fresh meaty pacific king prawns and large and firm Hokkaido scallops were artfully presented on a dark stoneware highlighting the colours with a large spear of green asparagus. So fresh in taste, so juicy and tender and just simply could not be ignored as the taste on the palate was heavenly!


<Pingtung Tilefish and Donggang Mullet Roe with White Wine Clam Sauce>
Locally sourced seafood with the fish being cooked together with the scale side down to create a really crispy texture and is absolutely stunning on all counts together with clams laying on top a long asparagus and sprinkled with the fragrant mullet roe which was another component we loved. As it provided a foil to the richness of all the other components, without question, each ingredient and flavour was in total harmony. It was utterly delicious and so en pointe without being overpowering in taste.


<Tainan Zucchini & Ginseng Root & Local Cacciocavallo with Wasabi Leaf>
A taste breaker before we ventured to the entrée. This chef’s special salad was like an elevation from the Ratatouille style and had one other special addition of a stretched-curd Caciocavallo cheese lightly seared to get the burnt effect which somehow was the “cream on the top” and had our palates salivating over such distinct and beautiful flavours.


<Surf & Turf - U.S. Prime Filet Mignon Steak with Freshly Caught Penghu Lobster>
The half lobster from Penghu bay was grilled with rosemary and thyme which was a highlight and served first separately before the steak - a very sensible sequence so that you can enjoy each part of the dish at the right temperature. Even though the herbs are disposed of before finishing cooking, the lobster meat still had the flavour, which is a distinct difference from the usual presentation in most restaurants and we were completely sold on this piquancy.


<U.S. Prime Filet Mignon Steak>
After such a highlight, it just gets better with the filet mignon that was so rich in flavour and tender. It was absolutely to die for and had us salivating at the very thought of the next course, as it was quite clear at this point that we were in culinary heaven by now! Another unbelievably fabulous steak specimen in all regards, the U.S. Prime Rib Eye Steak with juicy meat, tender bites and perfectly judged seasoned flavours that showed the reverence of the chef in how he ensures that the superb quality meat is left to speak for itself with very little intervention. Absolutely perfect!


<Signature Fried Rice>
Fried rice can seriously taste so good especially when you have your share in here. You are presented with finely shiny grains of rice with so much flavour and the perfect texture. How long does it take to master for a bowl of the most satisfying fried rice that words can’t really describe but to have it dance in your mouth to be able to have your best judge on it. This is truly a gastronomic treat from the skilfully trained chefs here! We weren’t going to have dessert, but Sophie insisted we sample the Fried Banana Ice Cream as there is a reason they only have one dessert and all we can say is wow, wow, wow! Ripe bananas are chosen and pan grilled to get the crispiness on the outside served with homemade vanilla ice cream. It was harmonious in texture and flavour. Simply sensational!


After such a stunning culinary journey we were lost for words. There was not one moment that we felt the food wasn’t hitting five stars, as every ingredient, every dish and every gesture was just palate and picture perfect in all ways. Our serving chef was engaging and his expertise with every ingredient that hit the teppan-grill was undeniably among the best. We were in awe of every plated dish that was put in front of us and this would rate as one of our most memorable dining experiences we have ever had and easily surpasses some Michelin restaurants we have enjoyed. From the care and attention to detail and carefully sourced superb international and local ingredients, treating them with simple reverence and respect ensured that the flavours are true. Pleasure is the ultimate outcome of all effort being put in from the entire culinary and the front of the house team will not be easily forgotten. There are many options in Taipei to enjoy a good steak and seafood night out, but we cannot imagine a place more special than ROBIN’S TEPPANYAKI at the Regent Taipei that will please your palate and can leave such a lasting impression. They certainly have made its mark and gotten the tick on all counts. We felt so blessed for such a wonderful and memorable indulgence.
 
Tried & Tested:
Location: 5/5
Design & Decor: 5/5
Food & Beverage: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Value For Money: 5/5
Experience: 5/5

2F, 3, Lane 39, 
Section 2, Zhongshan North Road,
Taipei, Taiwan
Tel: +856 2 2521 5000 ext 3930

Reviews are based on actual day of visit and experience. mylifestylenews reserves the right of final decision in case of any disputes. All images are photographed by mylifestylenews team without any photoshop enhancement and are the property owned by mylifestylenews unless otherwise stated. 

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