The group behind Yakikami, Niku Ou, and Wagyu Ya has added a new venue to its growing Melbourne portfolio.
Wagyu Ya Teppanyaki has opened in The Glen shopping district in Glen Waverley, with the 70-seat restaurant offering diners a taste of the iconic Japanese culinary experience.
“Identifying gaps in the Victorian dining market, our vision for the venue was to bring an authentic teppanyaki experience to the Melbourne dining scene,” says Roy Yu, director.
“From the interiors, to the ingredients, we wanted this to reflect what true teppanyaki dining is while still keeping our focus of Wagyu at the forefront.”
The restaurant has been split into four spaces covering counter seating at the grill, booth seating, a private dining room, and a sushi bar, with diners able to sample multiple menus.
Head Chef Jason Yong is running the teppan section alongside Saucier Hori Shinshuke, who has a 15-year-plus career specialising in Japanese, French, and Italian cookery.
Guests seated in front of the chef team can sample launch dishes including salt-baked abalone steamed in seaweed and served with seaweed butter sauce; Wagyu fried rice; and Wagyu A5 Kobe steak.
Those sitting inside private booths are offered an a la carte menu that features dishes with both Japanese and European elements such as Wagyu sukiyaki carbonara that’s prepared nabemono style and served tableside with udon noodles in a soy sukiyaki/carbonara base topped with sliced Wagyu chuck roe and an egg yolk.
Esteemed sushi chef Wataru Sato is running the 10-seat sushi bar and has prepared a menu of dishes from scallop carpaccio with sliced cucumber, ikura, and yuzu dashi to a selection of nigiri featuring the creme de la creme of seafood.
The venue is also offering a selection of rare sakes and wines for guests to try, which the group has been collecting over the years as well as beer and non-alcoholic options.
Wagyu Ya is open seven days from 11:30am for bookings and walk-ins.