Sekishin-tei 石心亭 @ Tokyo (2025)

I am back to this wonderful teppanyaki restaurant five years later. The last time I was here, the world was on the brink of shutting down. Today, it seems that blip in history didn’t happen.

For an authentic taste of Japan, head to Sekishin-Tei in the luxury hotel’s garden. Housed in a Japanese-style cabin, this tiny teppanyaki 鉄板焼 spot overlooks the koi pond and serves exquisitely grilled beef and seafood selections, cooked to order.

The verdant 400-year-old Japanese garden at Hotel New Otani Tokyo is an enchanting oasis located in the centre of the metropolis. One may stroll through 10 acres of greenery, rocks and waterfalls; see the highly prized school of koi carp in the pond; and walk across the vibrant red Japanese bridges to find a quiet nook to sit and read.

And in spring, one can enjoy cherry blossoms right inside this oasis of peace. The hotel room rates would triple, and the restaurants would be overbooked too. But I digress….

Within this grand garden, you will find 3 teppanyaki pavilions, each offering a different view of the garden; Seisen-tei 清泉亭 offers the view the stream and koi pond, Momiji-tei もみじ亭 offers the view of the garden and is reserved for private party, and usually only Sekishin-tei 清心亭 is opened for teppanyaki.

A unique culinary experience in a very unique setting, Sekishin-tei is a relaxing counter-style seating restaurant nestled within the 400 year old Japanese Garden. A mixture of Japanese, Western and Chinese style cuisine is grilled right in front of you by expert chefs.

The teppanyaki meal is prepared over a gas-heated, flat iron griddle known as a teppan 鉄板. Then, aided by a startling array of cooking utensils, highly trained chefs conjure cuisine right in front of customers with a stylish and dramatic flair previously reserved only for bartenders.

Teppanyaki’s renowned mix of performance art and culinary expertise often comes at quite a price, but one well worth every yen, especially if fortunate enough to experience it together with kuroge wagyu beef, which we added a la carte to the value-for-money set lunch special.

ガーデンサラダ Garden Salad

A crisp, fresh mesclun salad with smoked salmon, boiled octopus and lightly poached sea bream served a house-blended Japanese soy sauce-based vinaigrette. Pour the amount you prefer, I poured the whole sauce boat into the salad.

帆立貝と有頭海老のバター焼き Scallop and Prawn Grilled in Butter

They specifically mention that the head of the prawn is still intact. Which makes one wonder what are they going to do with the prawn head.

The shrimps have been shelled beforehand, but the teppan chef managed to remove the carapace of the prawn head and grilled the legs and gills to crispy goodness.

The result was a delicious, teppanyaki prawn with crispy legs/gills and tail fan that one can eat. They are perfect with a cold beer.

We didn’t forget the scallops which was left rare in the middle but scotched on the surface. So you get the sweetness as well as the caramelised surface of the mollusc.

This course came with two condiments, one that tasted like tartar sauce but with ebiko in it, and one that tasted like regular Kewpie. With ingredients these good, there’s really no need for additional condiments.

季節の魚 Fish of the Season

The fish of the season was Japanese sea bream. Madai 真鯛 is a type of white fish that is prized for its flavour and is often served at special occasions in Japan.

Although it’s at the heart of many special occasions, sea bream’s versatility means it’s also a staple part of the Japanese diet. It has a firm and lean texture, with a neutral but slightly sweet, umami flavour, and it holds up well to most cooking methods

And when handed over to an expert chef like our teppan chef, the fish grilled on the teppan allows it to retain its natural sweetness and develop a subtle smokiness. 

While you can use the shellfish condiments, a dash of freshly squeezed lemon would suffice. I would even skip the lemon so that I can taste the crispiness of the skin. It was under seasoned so I did sprinkle a bit more salt on it.

本日の厳選お野菜 Selected Vegetables

Instead of grilled vegetables, we were treated to something special – vegetables served in a teapot. Konbu dashi was added to the nabe at the teppan grill, and the heat of the grill boiled the soup a little to bring it to the correct temperature.

Japanese vegetables are really tasty. A lot of care has been put into the agriculture process, including selection of the best crops. They are looking for quality and not quantity.

The soup was clear and refreshing.

~ A La Carte ~ 黒毛和牛フィレ Filet of Wagyū

Kobe, Ohmi, Matsuzaka and other highly coveted Japanese beef brands actually belong to a prized category known collectively as 黒毛和牛 kuroge wagyu, which all hold the highest possible A5 beef ranking. Today, we are enjoying A4 (top grade with level 4 marbling) filet. IMHO, A5 is a waste for teppanyaki as the fats would simply render away.

I always enjoyed the deep fried garlic served for teppanyaki. And instead preparing them in batch in the back kitchen, these are freshly fried on the grill. Well worth the supplement cost too.

Kuroge wagyu represents a mere 15-percent of all beef produced in Japan, it is extremely rare both in and outside of Japan. There were some pieces of wagyu that had been trimmed from the filet and then left aside, but we would come back to this later.

The filet was seasoned only with salt and pepper. It was then seared properly on all sides on the superheat teppanyaki grill, and yet it remained PERFECTLY medium rare inside.

This sweet-tasting, high-quality meat contains only the finest base ingredients, a peerless selection whose buttery texture requires absolutely no added sauce. 

And then there’s the crispy garlic flakes that you can eat with the beef filet to break the monotony. Seriously I could not believe the crispiness without deep frying the garlic flakes.

Condiments provided include a yuzu-radish dip, a ponzu sauce and a superior soy sauce specially provided to the restaurant. For me, I just need some salt.

ガーリックライス・香の物・味噌椀 Garlic Rice, Pickled Vegetables, Miso Soup

For a little supplement, you can “upgrade” the rice to garlic fried rice, and I strongly recommend you to do that. Not only you get to enjoy seeing the fried rice made in front of you, you will not waste the beef fats that were reserved earlier.

The garlic fried rice has that wokhei so sought after in open fire stir-fry in Cantonese cuisine using cast iron wok. I am surprised it is in this stainless steel griddle too. The wagyu beef bits are a touch of heaven, just like pork lard cracklings but better.

季節のフルーツと八丈島ジャージーミルクジェラートのクープ仕立て 吉野葛掛け “Coupe” Seasonal Fruit & Milk Gelato with Kudzu Sauce

Dessert and after meal tea/coffee are offered in a separate tei (pavilion) next door, in the annex Shogetsu-tei, again a unique experience. Guests can enjoy their dessert while viewing the greenery of the massive garden, which almost makes you forget that you are in the middle of Tokyo.

The fruit of the season is strawberry, and what better way to enjoy it than a strawberry shortcake.

Hachijojima 八丈島, an island in the Izu Islands chain south of Tokyo, is home to a herd of cows whose limpid brown eyes will make you melt. These Jersey cows produce a rich and creamy variety of milk served at the Jersey Café, and sold in markets and restaurants all over the island.

吉野葛掛け Yoshino Kudzu with kuromitsu is a traditional Japanese dessert that I really like because of its jelly-like texture. The syrup is made from black sugar and has a smokey flavour.

The lunch took 2+ hours and as is with most Japan fine dining, you need to allow the chef time to prepare and present his craft. The food and service were top notch. There’s nothing to fault except that the price is really steep. But for lunch, you get almost the same thing for 30-40% less.

Teppanayaki Sekishin-tei 鉄板焼 石心亭
Garden of Hotel New Otani, 4-1 Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8578, Japan
Tel : +81-3-3238-0024 (Reservations)

Visited Mar 2025