Sakae Teppanyaki

The folks behind Sakae Sushi, widely credited for bringing affordable sushi to the masses, have also put fast food-style teppanyaki on the map with their wallet-friendly menus.

The four-course lunch sets with a choice of chicken, beef, venison or seafood are $10-$12, and five-course sets that include foie gras and scallops come to under $20; a similar meal at a fine-dining Japanese restaurant would cost double or triple that.

Even the most expensive seafood dinner set (tiger prawn, cuttlefish, bamboo clam, chicken and mixed vegetables), will not break the bank at $21.99.

What’s the catch? Well, we visited one of Sakae Teppanyaki’s ten outlets and dined in a packed food hall surrounded by retail outlets, where we munched on salad drenched in tomato ketchup instead of exquisite Japanese dressings. A small price to pay for the gourmet-quality main courses. Eve C