Kobe Sizzlers

Rest:Kobe Sizzlers
Meal : Dinner
Loc : Near Chowpatty

The Indian interpretation of Teppanyaki has been popularized by restaurants such as Yokos, Fountain Sizzler and almost a lot of other restaurants have a sizzler or two on their menu. Kobe Sizzlers or Kobe's as we call it, has been around forever, i remember going there as a kid eons ago. Although the name conjures up images of Kobe steaks, its really not that ambitious a place. Not much has changed in and around the restaurant, getting a parking around there is still as difficult as it used to be.

Rocky Aoki (father of Sin City star Devon Aoki) is largely credited with bringing Teppanyaki cooking to the masses in the US through his Benihana change. At Benihana the chef cooks the meal at a large iron 'teppanyaki' table, the chefs would put on a little show, playing with knives, talking fast, the accent was on entertainment and showmanship rather than just the food.

In India, the show is brought to your table, the food is cooked and set up on a wooden platter which is in turn placed on a piping hot iron skillet. Noise and steam permeate as the food is brought out. Almost always all eyes are on the dish and they follow it to the respective table.


Kobe has long been known as the original although plenty of options have arrived, Kobe's has also been aggressive in franchising and now have locations nationwide. The present location, the first one as far as i can remember has not changed much in two decades. tightly packed tables sit across a split level setting. The decor seems like it hasnt changed much since 1987 and its a fairly casual place.

While they are known for their sizzlers, they also offer a wide selection of sides and breakfast like dishes. Their beans on toast were possibly the best i have ever had anywhere. A pity the server said the chilli cheese toast (one of my fav things to nosh on) would take atleast 20 mins.

The sizzler itself is a completely vanilla dish and can be customized to fit into any particular cuisine if required. Add noodles and a Chinese sauce and its Chinese, throw in some spaghetti and meatballs and voila its Italian. Each restaurant does their own quirky combo, Kobe's has a bunch, the basics are grilled veggis, fries or mashed potato, you chose a protein or mushrooms or paneer (cottage cheese) then you a pick a sauce. All of this is slapped together and presented.

Honestly, i dont think i have ever had a really good sizzler, its always a bit of a cluster **** with way too much thrown in to give it heft, sauces are never tasty and there is a rush in the whole thing because it needs to be cooked quick and then eaten quick. There is nothing worse than a cold sizzler.

Overall, service was quick but the ambiance was stale. The food was way below average although i would go back in a heartbeat for the beans on toast.

A sizzler roughly costs between 300-400 and is def not value for money.

Food : 5/10
Service : 6/10
Damage : 1500