A Taste of Japan

Many things excite me, but nothing excites me more than trying a new restaurant that comes highly recommended. Tonight's spot is "Daruma by Oskido" in Waterfall Corner, which was surprising because I have been to Waterfall Corner numerous times and had never seen this restaurant before. Then the fact that Oskido - a highly celebrated and much loved South African recording artist, DJ and producer - was the owner made it even more intriguing. Needless to say, I had high hopes for this dinner and I was ready to feast.

DARUMA BY OSKIDO: Located in Waterfall Corner, the sign stays true to the Asian-cuisine aesthetic we have all grown so accustomed to.

Daruma is a Teppan and Japanese Restaurant. Teppan is short for the term teppanyaki which is a post-World War II style of Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food. In Japan, teppanyaki refers to dishes using a teppan (a metal plate on which food is cooked) including steak, shrimp, lamb and more.

TWO SEATS PLEASE: The kitchen island with the built-in teppan stoves and where customers can enjoy their meals.

With that being said, the first thing you see when you step into the restaurant is this huge rectangular kitchen island with built-in teppan plates. Across the metal plates, there are the chairs for customers to sit, watch and enjoy their meal for the evening.

The wall was lined with chefs who I suppose were waiting to jump into their next meal, as each meal is prepared from scratch as customers place orders.

This part of the restaurant is perfect for a date or for a small group as you can only sit side by side. If you were to come with a larger number of people, there are normal tables and private rooms available too and your food will be prepared in the back kitchen.

FRESH FRESH: All the elements of the meal are there in front of you as the chef prepares the dish from scratch.

The décor of the restaurant is fairly simple, it stays close to the classic Asian restaurant aesthetic that isn't super embellished but has an air of elegance with its black tables and chairs. The restaurant is quite spacious and there are Japanese inspired art pieces strewn around the space, I guess to remind you where you are. There are also several music plaques as an ode to Oskido and his impact on the South African music industry which I thought was a nice touch.

Now to the good stuff! Seeing as the restaurant specialises in Teppanyaki, it was only proper that we tried that specialty. I had never had it before and just being able to watch the meal being prepared right in front of me was quite the experience. We got chicken, beef and lamb chops with egg fried rice and vegetable stir-fry cooked in chili sauce. Everything was cooked right in front of us from start to finish, bar the rice, and let me tell you: this style of cooking is a true skill! The use of the iron griddle to mince and fry all the ingredients was impressive to watch and it was done in record time as well.

The restaurant also offers seafood and sushi which was absolutely delicious, I tried their prawn tempura and fell in love!

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Above the teppan’s, there were these huge extractors that ensured the smells of the food didn't consume the restaurant and also allowed you to enjoy your meal without smelling the next person’s meal being prepared which I appreciated.

The only thing that was better than watching the process of the meal was the actual meal itself. The flavours were so rich, the meat was so tender and everything tasted so fresh - I was in heaven! The food was served on a large dish between four people and by the time we finished it, everyone was absolutely stuffed, so the portions were just right. I was a bit scared of the chili sauce because it was fresh chili's fried with some soy sauce but oh my goodness, it was definitely the cherry on top.

MESHIAGARE: Our teppanyaki was served with a delicious vegetable stir-fry.

THE PERFECT SIDE: The egg fried rice that served as our starch for the meal. So fresh and yummy!

Another thing that stood out was that every chef I saw was black and I loved that we were able to watch them in their element excelling at this Japanese cuisine, it isn’t something we get to see often so I felt quite privileged and proud to experience it.

SPICE IT UP: Our chef doing his thing whilst preparing the egg fried rice.

Everything about the restaurant was great, the waiters and the chef’s were friendly and engaging, we could ask questions about the meal as it was happening and the cocktails were quite delicious while we waited for the meal too!

I would recommend this restaurant a hundred times over, I think it's so underrated for the quality it delivers. From the cultural immersion to the culinary display, the delicious food and attentive service - there is really nothing I could fault them on. I will be going back over and over and over again!

Prices range between R30 - R360 per dish (bar the seafood platter).

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