Following the success of his steak houses A-Cut and N°168, chef Danny Teng (鄧有癸) has established himself as one of the movers and shakers of Taiwan’s culinary establishment, and a master of all things to do with steak. With his new venture, Danny and Company, which opened last month, he has returned to his roots in teppanyaki, though this time he has morphed this Taiwanese staple into what he describes as “teppan cuisine.”
Teng, who founded Ben Teppanyaki, said that in his early days as a teppanyaki chef, such restaurants were a popular place to discuss business.
“Many of those customers are now successful businessmen,” Teng said, “and it’s good to keep the tradition going, but at a higher level.”
At Danny and Company, the teppanyaki theme is muted, but according to Ray Yen (顏宏叡), the restaurant’s maitre d’, many menu items cross the teppanyaki grill, even if they are finished in other ways.
Teng said that with this new venture, the emphasis has shifted toward seafood, which will allow him to use more local produce.
The ingredients for the day boat fish (NT$1,350 for lunch set) are delivered daily from Nanfangau (南方澳) in Yilan County. Other dishes, such as Gillardeau oysters and seared sashimi grade scallops, emphasize teppanyaki’s lightening quick cooking process.
Teppan-style preparation is ideal for getting the most out of fresh seafood, but Teng has also used his wide experience of preparing beef to create a mouth-wateringly soft teppan-grilled garlic steak (NT$980 for lunch set) that is presented simply and served with a choice of three condiments — sea salt, mustard and a homemade chili and cumin sauce of great subtlety.
The lunch set features an appetizer, a soup or salad, a main course and a dessert. A three-wine pairing menu is offered for an additional NT$880, which draws on the restaurant’s large cellar of nearly 150 labels that was built up by Yen, who also serves as the restaurant’s sommelier.
On the meat menu, Danny and Company offers a wide range of choices from Australian Wagyu rib eye to American Kobe steak, and the intricacy of preparation is highlighted by a rack of lamb cooked sous vide and finished on the teppan grill.
Danny and Company has its own pastry chef, and the three-chocolate taster that was on offer the day I visited was a chocoholic’s delight, taking in a wide range of textures and flavors, from light mousse through to sticky fudge. The same attention to detail and quality is also evident in other parts of the menu. A salad of baby green leaves, with its bold mix of sorrel, chervil and mache and delicate vinaigrette, was particularly vibrant.
The ambiance at Danny and Company, with its mix of polished wood teppanyaki counter (seating here is by reservation only) and its expensively simple dining room, is equally suited for a business lunch or an indulgent dinner.
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