An established Japanese restaurant, Nami Teppanyaki Steakhouse needs no introduction. Situated in JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok, Nami is known for serving up superior quality meat and its top-notch service. Here, you’ll be served the highest grade A5 wagyu beef and you can rest assured it will be cooked to perfection.
We recently stopped by Nami to check out the newly revamped signature set menu curated by Japanese head chef Yukio Takeda, who previously worked at some of the world’s most established kitchens, from the Nakasu Mita restaurant in Tokyo, Hyatt Regency in Dubai, to two-Michelin-starred Umu Japanese restaurant in London.
Using the finest ingredients air-flown from Japan and combining traditional Japanese with futuristic Asian fusion, the repertoire is filled with flavours that are at once familiar and new.
Ambience
Elegant and modern, the dining room at Nami is characterised by the long, wooden art pieces that resemble a wave, commanding attention across the room. The restaurant offers counter-style seats set around the swanky teppanyaki grill table, where diners can get in on all the action with Nami’s interactive dining experience.
Food
Our meal began at the teppanyaki counter in front of our chef, Peak, who showcased his knife skills, tricks and flicks with speed and precision right before our eyes. We started off the 7-course set menu with Prawn, Corn Wrap, Avocado-Lime onion (THB 380++). Chef Peak delicately pan-fried the eye-catching, Vietnamese rice paper roll-like wraps on the teppan iron hot plate before serving it on the plate and adding the avocado sauce and coral-shaped crisp as decoration. Crunchy on the outside and bursted with flavours of fresh prawn, avocado and sweet corn, the dish made for a refreshing start to our teppanyaki experience.
Next up is Baked Tuna salad with sweet onion dressing (THB 530++). In our opinion, the magic of this dish comes from the sauce, which is made from egg yolk and onion — a combination that may not sound very appetising but turned out to complement the tuna sashimi perfectly. Topped off with spring onions, this simple yet balanced appetiser had our tastebuds dancing with joy from the freshness and sweetness of the ingredients used.
The star item of the evening was undoubtedly the A5 Miyazaki sirloin slice Usuyaki style (100g) with wagyu sauce (THB 1,800++). When chef Peak showed us the usuyaki (thinly sliced) A5-grade Miyazaki sirloin rolls before grilling them on the hot iron griddle, we knew we were in for a real treat. Grilled usuyaki beef, which refers to beef rolls filled with spring onions and garlic, is probably the most difficult dish to prepare from the menu. Thankfully, our teppanyaki master was skilled enough to avoid overcooking the meat, making sure the rolls were sturdy enough to hold the stuffing inside the roll. Best enjoyed with the special homemade wagyu sauce, it was certainly the highlight of the set menu.
Another winner was Japanese Wagyu Spice curry fried rice (THB 420++), a flavourful combination of prime wagyu beef, curry paste, eggs and garlic. While wagyu beef fried rice may sound ordinary, the fact that it was masterfully prepared on the iron griddle gave the dish a nice, smoky flavour, rather than a burnt one that could come from stir-fried rice.
Stuffed, we managed to squeeze in the Homemade Yomogi Mochi (THB 200++) — a traditional Japanese dessert that simply can’t go wrong, especially when slightly pan-fried and stuffed with mashed red beans.
Verdict
Bangkok has no lack of teppankayi restaurants and there is no doubt that Nami Teppanyaki Steakhouse is in that league. There’s a quiet confidence, and a restrained elegance in its food that makes its new signature menu almost affordable for the quality one might get. If it’s respect for the provenance of the ingredients and good honest food you’re after, then Nami will tick all the right boxes.
Besides, the fact that you can interact with the chef while your meal is being cooked tableside is quite an experience on its own. The teppanyaki chefs here are incredibly friendly and entertaining. Of course, Nami is also ideal for business lunch or an intimate dinner with close friends and family, in which case the chefs will not disturb and remain respectful.
Nami Teppanyaki Steakhouse, JW Marriot Bangkok, +662 656 7700
Opening Hours: Mon–Sun, 11:30am–10:30pm.
Recommended Dishes: A5 Miyazaki sirloin slice Usuyaki style (100g) with wagyu sauce, Japanese Wagyu Spice curry fried rice.
Price: THB 2,705 nett.
Noise Level: Moderate.
Service: Respectful and engaging.
Pearl Yan
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