Rating: ★★★★★

Address: 1/F, 11 Stanley Street, Central 中環士丹利街11號一樓

Telephone: 3460 2285

I get cravings for teppanyaki once in a while. My trusted options in Hong Kong are Hana Sakazuki in Causeway Bay and Matsubishi in Wanchai, but I am very glad to discover a new option in Central called Sanka, which is very close to my office too! 

Sanka is a teppanyaki restaurant opened by some of the same guys behind Sushi Kuu. The decor is luxurious in tones of gold and black, and has an impressive curved teppan bar in the middle of the restaurant. Apart from the main dining room, there are private rooms that a seat around 6-10 people. The restaurant is helmed by Chef Yasunobu Yamashita, who previously worked at Ukai Tei, a Michelin one-starred teppanyaki restaurant in Tokyo, and is known for his French-influenced Japanese cuisine.

There are 2 set dinner options – a Sanka Course at $1,480, and a Sanka Special Course at $1,680. The prices sound steep at first, but considering that dining is definitely not cheap in Hong Kong these days, I would not consider them insane. We decide to order both menus and share the dishes so we can try everything.

(1) The amuse-bouche is a Japanese steamed egg with black truffle, and I am starting to get a feeling that the meal is going to be pretty awesome. The egg is velvety smooth, and the truffle paste adds a bit of flair.

(2) The Sanka Style Sashimi is breathtakingly beautiful, and utterly delectable. The scallop is fresh, the tuna is fabulously flavourful, and the beef is soft and tender with an enticing hint of yuzu.

(3) The Homard lobster is flavourful and generous in portion. We also soak up all the lobster sauce with the restaurant’s homemade bread.

(4) We note that the Hokkaido Taraba crab is frozen crab meat and not fresh, but this is excusable as the outcome is still tasty, with the garlic sauce accentuating the dish’s flavour. 

(5) The sole meunière is not exactly the same as the classic French version, but we absolutely adore it. The fish is remarkably crispy on the surface and the clear broth is simple but completely complementary.

(6) The Aomori abalone is Chef Yamashita’s signature dish and it is definitely not to be missed!

The abalone is first covered in salt and baked on the teppan, then grilled and presented in a unique homemade sauce. The abalone’s texture is smooth and beyond reproach, and this French-influenced sauce, which is buttery yet mixed with a brown yuzu sauce, strikes the perfect balance. Bravo!

(7) We are very full by this stage but we can hear the Premium Kuroge Wagyu Sirloin Steak calling!

The sirloin steak is cut into bite-sized cubes and each piece instantly melts in the mouth. Oh, the garlic chips – do not forget about the garlic chips!

(8) Unlike the usual teppanyaki fried rice with eggs and other ingredients, this garlic fried rice looks very plain but turns out to be a surprise for our palate – soaking up the fat from the Wagyu beef and cooked with garlic until slightly burnt, each mouthful is an explosion of deliciousness!

(9) Since the preceding dishes are so impressive, I am not expecting any more surprises but it turns out that the cooked strawberries are going to delight me even more.

Freshly cooked in a pan in front of us, the strawberries are utterly delectable, but it is the ice cream – startlingly creamy and milky – which completely steals the show. We end up asking Chef Yamashita for more ice cream!

(10) The chiffon cake is not as airy as we would like, so we end up mainly eating just the caramel ice cream, which has a slightly burnt taste and is very delicious.

The price tag may be steep at Sanka but I have enjoyed every single dish of this French-influenced teppanyaki menu. I am very tempted to come back next week to check out their lunch menu!