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Taes Teppanyaki, a closer look
Aloha!
6/6/09 - I love a good success story! I love when people work hard, commit themselves to a cause, and give it their all, 100%! This is America, after all, where the American dream is alive and well to those who are not afraid to step up to the plate, and not only to dream, but also to discipline themselves in taking the challenging steps needed every single day to fulfill those dreams and turn them into reality! Nothing, and I mean nothing but ourselves alone hold us back from succeeding in whatever we truly have a passion for.
Take a look at Tae's Teppanyaki, a successful little shop right across from the Palama Market, which is itself right across the street from the always-bustling Don Quijote on Kaheka and Makaloa st.'s. Why, they were just a single, tiny-little lunchwagon parked right in the parking lot of Daiei (now Don Quijote!), but became so popular that their legions of loyal fans followed them right to the brick-and-mortar location they built just a short walk away. It's nothing fancy, the store itself being very much similiar in atmosphere and design to a plate lunch house, but hey, compared to a lunchwagon, it may as well be a home on Portlock Pt. or Waialae Iki!
In several ways, Tae's is in a bit of a tough location, as the only parking available is from a three-space lot (one of them handicapped!) just to the right of the store, and also the few slots of street parking directly fronting the store to the left, but be careful to park there only during non-peak hours, or you just may see a healthy fine pasted under your wipers. Remember to read the street signs, allright?
Moreover, to your right, all the way to Kapiolani St. and the Convention Center, sits Kalauokalani Way, a tiny street infamous for some seedy-looking strip clubs and hostess bars. It's not so bad during the day, where a creepy-looking guy or two may be nervously pacing up and down the street or suspiciously hanging out on a street corner, but are generally harmless and don't bother anyone, unless you're looking really vulnerable and an easy target! After dark, however, if you happen to be a woman without companion, please don't walk down this lane, or you're looking for trouble. It was on this street that a young woman from Japan was abducted by a gang of barbaric idiots a few years back, and I won't even tell you what followed after that. Too bad we're not as tough on crime as Singapore, as these cowards should be publicly castrated and then partially buried alive in the center of an army ant colony, that's all I can say...
But don't worry - just be aware, is all. Though a crime could happen just about anywhere if you're not careful, even in the seemingly safest of places, there isn't a single address on the island that's nearly as scary as the mean-streets of a typical major city in the Mainland. And the front of Tae's faces Makaloa St., which is a busy, safe thoroughfare, so there's really little to worry about, despite the perhaps overly dramatic picture I may have painted.
Once inside the store, you'll find a simple, one-page menu, but even this is much more than they offered in the past! Despite the new additions, though, my guess is that the vast majority of customers still order the half-handful of tried-and-true dishes that have been around since the very beginning, which were the real reasons Tae's Teppanyaki grew to be so successful. Everything else? Aaah, frosting on the cake!
One thing's for sure, though - I'm sure glad about the frosting's, as one of those extra's comes in the form of a 6 oz. ($8) or 12 oz. ($14) New York steak!
Unlike regular plate lunch houses, they do not carry any mac salad at all, but instead provide a simple green salad, along with a scoop each of brown and white rice. I'm sure you could request one or the other exclusively, but I didn't even think to ask.
For $8, this plate was a steal! Moist and grilled perfectly, it turned-out super-juicy and was seasoned lightly with salt and some coarse-ground pepper, while the extra teriyaki sauce, which was also very light and thin, acted as an extra kick of flavor, just as an option. The kind owner/counter person explained that they always cook the steak medium rare, but it was actually more like straight-medium, which I actually prefer better, anyway. Too much red, and I find the meat a bit too chewy; pink like you see below, and it's perfectly soft and tender, without the raw touch and feel. These? Well, picture-perfect, no?
There's also a small family of bowls here, coming with either beef/onion, beef/sunny-side-up egg, pork/onion, or pork/sunny-side-up egg, and all with a large bottom layer of rice. Haven't tried these yet, and don't know if I ever will, as it's difficult staying away from the only two dishes on the entire menu that haven't been mentioned yet - the original steak roll and pork roll. These two, if absolutely nothing, sure do deserve credit for being original, just like the name says!
Original because, to begin with, their spicy-green wasabi sauce, which is mellowed just a bit but still zippy-enough to clear the passages above your nose. This and the fried garlic chips also shown above, along with teriyaki sauce, spicy red sauce (Sriracha), and simple salt 'n peppah, are the five types of toppings that come with either steak or pork rolls, out of which you may choose one. You see two above because it was from an earlier visit, when two toppings were allowed - found it kinda interesting, however, that when I did come back after the rules were changed, they offered to give half-half on two toppings instead, which was basically almost the same thing - you'll see...
Hate to spend so much time on just sauces and toppings, but I gottsta mention one more thing you may wanna know - out of all five available, I recommend getting either wasabi or garlic chips, or both if you can twist the counter-person's arm, as these are the only two that are not left sitting right there on the service counter as self-serve condiments! What? Go figure...
The 6 oz. layers of ribeye steak are almost paper-thin, with a light charring on the outside and a tender set of layers on the inside that are so soft, they fall-apart under the delicate persuasion of your chopsticks, alone!
The real surprise, however, is found hidden from view, nestled comfortably within their protective covering:
Daikon? Rice noodles? Nope. Try simple shreds of super-thin-cut potatoes! A simplistic stroke of genius, if you ask me, but only because, well... it works! There's nothing fancy about them - just potatoes that barely cook inside of the wrap, forming a semi-crunchy filling that soaks-up some of the meaty juices as well as the also-simple, but surprisingly good ponzu (another sauce?!) that's included with each roll, whether requested or not.
Don't know exactly how, nor exactly why, but the triple combination of thin-sliced, grilled beef, thin-cut potatoes, and special sauces and toppings all make for a great and really satisfying meal. And the funny thing is, that while meat and potatoes are normally the very embodiment of a robust, heavy meal, these steak rolls don't weigh you down one bit! Don't know if that's because of all the air between the layers and cuts, but this meal could well-qualify for an office-lady-type favorite, the portions just enough to happily tie you over until dinner. The fact that there is no mac salad, and that brown rice and veggie salads are used, is also a healthy plus.
The pork rolls look almost exactly like the steak rolls, only the meat is perhaps even a bit softer, albeit a tad on the dryer side, comparatively speaking. It's still waaay delicious, though, so no worries!
As you can see, the topping's are given half-half - same thing as the steak almost, no?
And here's another vantage point:
At $7 per roll plate, these meals are plate-lunch-cheap, and are definitely worthy of a look. My fellow Yelpster's have given the place mostly rave reviews, except for the few who've read the glowing commentary and walk-in thinking they're gonna get Alan Wong's. My goodness - let's keep things in perspective, shall we?
Like I said, ladies (yeah, yeah - guy's, too), please do check this place out. They are a great success story, and think of it - they have couple of dishes not available anywhere else on the island! Can you think of any other restaurant/eatery that can say the same?
In parting, here's a shot of the casual dining room, with simple, self-serve seating and a flat-screen to keep you company. Over in that Pepsi-clad machine is where you pick-up your cans or bottles - no fountain drinks, in keeping with the simple tendencies here.
Hope you're all having a great and wonderful week, and trying out a few new places instead of the same ol', same ol'!!!
Take care and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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