The story of Benihana started in 1948 when a Japanese family opened a coffee shop in Tokyo and named it “Benihana,” inspired by the red safflowers that lined the small shop’s entrance. Fifteen years later, Rocky Aoki, who was the owner of the coffee shop, opened his first restaurant in Manhattan and also named it Benihana as a tribute to his family.
Benihana now has more than 116 restaurants around the world, including its flagship Benihana Teppanyaki brand as well as the Haru (fusion cuisine) and RA Sushi restaurants.
The restaurant is located in the heart of one of Jeddah’s cosmopolitan streets, Tahliah. It is known for the best sushi, teriyaki and teppan-yaki that is prepared right in front of your eyes.
The Jeddah branch seats 120 diners and is perfect for families and women gatherings, for the family section is divided into small rooms with an authentic private teppan-yaki stove in every room. Unfortunately, the red walls and black chairs are very irritating and not welcoming. I thought a restaurant like this should use brighter colors, because the rooms were very dark and there were no windows in the family section.
The single’s section is brighter and more welcoming, as it is open, so people can see one another and there is a big window that shows the busy Tahliah Street.
The Benihana menu offers a lot for their diners, from beef and chicken to fresh fish and vegetables. It also offers noodles, rice and a huge variety of sushi.
For starters, the sushi menu has a big selection of sushi rolls, sashimi and regular sushi. I recommend the salmon skin rolls, which has crispy salmon with sweet sauce; the Mexican roll, which is crab, cucumber and rolled with rice and avocado and a spicy sauce; and the shrimp tempura roll, which comprises fried shrimps with tempura coating rolled in rice, seaweed and teriyaki sauce.
You should always ask the chef for your favorite sushi if you don’t find it on the menu, and he will manage to make it for you, of course adding his personal Benihana twist. Shrimp tempura is another good choice. It comes with deep-fried carrots and zucchini and is also coated with tempura.
As for the main dishes, the restaurant offers eight specialties. I recommend the Benihana Kingdom, which comes with fillet mignon, mushrooms and shrimps. The seafood combination is another smart choice for those who like seafood, as it comes with shrimps, lobster tail and scallops. All specialties come with cold appetizers, Benihana salad, Japanese onion soup, hibachi vegetables, homemade dipping sauces, meat of your choice, fried rice and green tea and ice cream.
The chef usually comes to your private room and starts cooking in front of you. This looks like a live cooking show, as he plays the role of a clown, chef and entertainer. He can surprise you with flipping eggshells from the stove to his pocket or even his hat.
For drinks, the restaurant offers a big variety of cocktails and fresh juices. My personal favorite is the piña colada, which is made with coconut, pineapple and milk.
If you love the teppan-yaki, teriyaki sauce and salad dressing, you can buy one before you leave the restaurant with the special chef’s twist added to it.
Opening hours: From 1:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m.
In summer 2012, Benihana will open in Riyadh.