“Teppan” is the iron plate, “yaki” is grilled. The style was born in Kobe, Japan in the mid-20th century: food cooked in front of guests on a hot steel plate, and the chef becomes the host — flipping spatulas, flashing knives, oil blooming into flame.
Ibuki brings that ritual inside New World Saigon Hotel: a U-shaped steel counter, guests seated on three sides of the teppan, watching every slice change color. No tables far from the kitchen — here, the kitchen is the dining room.
When food leaves the steel, it goes onto black slate — sashimi, seared fish, rare pink wagyu cubes, steamed custard. The black stone makes the colors pop, the way a dark stage makes an actor stand out.
Fire is the full stop of every dish — and the exclamation mark. At Ibuki, flambé is not added theatre; it is how the meat cooks, how the fish skin crisps, how the evening gets its rhythm.