Casual Teppanyaki

This trip was truly spontaneous. Without much of a planned itinerary, I woke up craving teppanyaki and decided to find a place in the mall next to the hotel. JR Hakata City offers a wide variety of dining options, from sushi and sashimi to mentaiko, eel rice, and sukiyaki. You name it, they have it. We ended up at a teppanyaki restaurant called Ten. We didn't make a reservation, so the teppanyaki seats were full. We couldn't watch the chef's performance up close, but sitting in the main hall was fine too. Judging by the menu, it wasn't a top-tier teppanyaki place. However, eating locally, it shouldn't be too bad, I guessed. I ordered a lunch set. The salad portion was quite large, but the presentation was average, and the vegetables weren't particularly fresh. It was just okay. Next came the beef, served in a portion that would fill you up. The heat control was decent; the texture wasn't tough but didn't melt in your mouth either. With a bit of rock salt and garlic slices, it was good but not exceptional. The staff brought out a dessert cart, which might have been the highlight of the meal. Various cakes, macarons, and puffs were available for you to choose from, letting you indulge to your heart's content. Since traveling is all about eating around, I only picked a strawberry cake and a macaron to taste. There's no denying that Japanese strawberries are sweet, making the otherwise ordinary-looking cake surprisingly delicious. The macaron was just average. After that, everyone got a piece of brownie with ice cream and a cup of rich coffee to end the lunch. Alright! Let's go somewhere else for afternoon tea later!