Sweden’s only Teppanyaki restaurant at Yasuragi was recently re-opened after the whole spa received a facelift. In addition to new hot springs and refurbished hotel rooms, the spa and conference centre has a new food and beverage manager, Daniel Pettersson, who has previously worked at some of Stockholm’s leading Asian restaurants such as Esperanto and East. At Yasuragi’s Teppanyaki, he’s putting the focus on the special experience of eating around a large community table and watching the chef prepare the food at the table. “I want our guests to reconnect with the experience of eating together, while also learning about food and getting inspiration,” Pettersson says.

Teppanyaki is a style of Japanese cooking that uses a hot iron plate to prepare the food. Each table has its own chef, who works in front of the guests. The best ones are able to put on quite a show, dazzling guests with their masterful use of knives and flames as well as their knowledge of food and cooking techniques. At Yasuragi, the menu features for instance duck breast with vegetables or salmon with tomato, ginger, shiso and lobster aioli.

“It’s about simple, clean flavours and elegant cooking,” says head chef Christer Ekelund.