Pepper Lunch - Richmond

I don't know why it has taken us so long to get here. I remember being intrigued when the Japanese sizzling hot iron plate concept restaurant first hit town. Well, at least we didn't have to deal with the opening day line up.

Just to be certain, I called ahead and the hostess put my name down but we arrived early (noonish on a Sunday) and there were plenty of tables. This was despite the spacing ritual that we are all wisely sticking to at the moment. By the time we left, they had a pretty full house so making a reservation is maybe not a bad idea, despite the fact that this is somewhat of a fast-food restaurant.

They do basically one thing here and it involves sizzling hot iron plates. The pepper part almost certainly applies to the rice and corn which forms the centrepiece of most dishes. It was seriously peppery (in a good way) and as a bonus, the rice gets nice and crispy on the iron plate! We loved that!

Marie had the Wagyu Beef plate. It came with a couple of dipping sauces but frankly, the beef was very good just by itself. You need to get at it pretty quickly if you want to eat it on the rare side.

I had Curried Pork Katsu. I love Japanese curry which is fruitier and lighter than most other curries (it has apple and carrot in it generally which lends the sweetness). Of course, the pork came to the table cooked having been deep-fried but I still benefitted from the hot plate in that the crispy rice thing was still going on. This was a really tasty dish and we would order it again for sure.

A combo comes with the addition of miso soup and a fountain soft drink. They offer pasta instead of rice (why would you?) and a few vegetarian options.

Food 4 out of 5

Service 4 out of 5

Comfort 2 1/2 out of 5

Trying out a new rating system but I still seem to give everything 4 out of 5. I guess that's just my pleasant nature!