Caravan

Caravan is a second generation teppanyaki restaurant that is consensus ranked number one amongst all teppanyaki restaurants in Japan. Chef Kawakami trained in Hotel Okura and Saga Beef Kiraku Ginza. A5 Saga beef is used and the feature of the courses. The meat is finely marbled with moderate fat and sweetness and aged to maximize flavours. The course starts with three appetizers. Rose flower sirloin is done in ‘Sara-Shabu’ style and heated on Karatsu ceramic from 14th generation Nakazato Taroemon, a kiln in operation for over 420 years. The chef determines the kind of beef you like the most based on your preference of the initial appetizers. Beef sushi is also served along with salad using Caravan’s original salad dressing. The main chateaubriand steak is cooked in low temperature in oven and seared on the hot iron plate. The beef is flavoured with white pepper and the taste is exquisite. There is also a fire show where he wards off bad spirits to guests and travellers. Add on options include the hamburger steak which is very juicy, packed with delicious beef fat and onion. French onion soup, curry beef on rice are also avaliable at times. Dessert includes crème brûlée with iced coffee. The chef is very hospitable and communicates with guests using voice translator if Japanese cannot be used. There is a good wine and sake selection as well with pairing option. Its cost performance is also outstanding as this would be double the price if it was in Tokyo.

The food is an experience. Not only because it tastes absolutely fantastic and is of exceptional quality, but above all because the chef truly tries to build a relationship with his guests. He even uses a translation app to personally address every single guest, overcoming any language barrier with warmth and care. As his last guests of the evening, he kindly offered us to drive us back to our hotel in his own car. And yet, it really is the meat that stands out. It is truly unique. We arrived without a reservation. After a short wait, we were warmly welcomed and served.

This place is amazing. There is a reason they have a Michelin Star. We had the top tier meat for tempenyaki, and it was delicisous. The experience can and will be for about 90-120 minutes. There were five of us so we were there longer. I recommend the sake pairing. Name your price and they will bring bottles of sake that will match the price and food. We choose 5,000 yen a person and got to have five different sakes. Please note cups were regular size and filled about half way, so five thousand is high, but it the quality of the sake your paying for. The beef we ordered of course was A-5 wagyu with a 9 out of 12 score. Very rich but not too fatty. The meat was sliced and cook to perfection. The chef knows folks are going to film him and he puts on a great little show. I won't spoil it for you. Everything that was cooked was eaten. Highly recommend going here. Very clean and even the bathrooms you will feel your in a high class restaurant, trust me go to the bathroom lol.