Overview
The Wagyu Ya Group celebrates all things wagyu across each of its Melbourne restaurants, with Yakikami even serving up a decadent wagyu beef degustation. This spot is also home to one of the very best steaks in Melbourne, a cut of meat that we can't stop raving about.
But the team's success isn't stopping there. The group's latest venture is tackling the world of teppanyaki, discovering a whole new way to hero top cuts of wagyu beef.
Fine-diner Wagyu Ya Teppanyaki, curiously located within The Glen shopping centre, is split into four distinct areas — a 12-seat teppanyaki counter, a main dining room with booth seating, a separate ten-seat sushi bar and a private dining room.
At the teppanyaki counter, guests get a proper show. The teppan chefs are cooking up flame-grilled feasts, but unlike some of the more kitsch teppanyaki diners in Melbourne, Wagyu Ya's version is far less theatrical. Yeah, the chefs will put on a bit of a show, but they won't be tossing diners bits of food or being overly playful.
Wagyu Ya Teppanyaki is pitched as a more authentic kind of Japanese dining experience. It might be helpful to think of it as a grilled version of omakase.
High-quality ingredients are championed in refined dishes made right in front of you. And the team really is only using the best produce. After all, the Wagyu Ya Group's restaurants are the only places in Victoria where you will find Kobe A5 wagyu beef — one of the highest-grade and most expensive cuts of wagyu in the world.
But you're not only going to fill up on meat here. The teppanyaki team is also slinging a luxe salt-baked abalone that's been steamed in seaweed leaves and topped with a buttery seaweed sauce, plus plenty of Hokkaido scallops and lobsters.
Then you have Chef Waturo Satu (Nobu) at the sushi bar. He's slinging a heap of maki, nigiri and sashimi — with the sea urchin being a particularly special option. And diners ordering off the extensive a la carte menu can even dabble in a cheeky hot pot experience. This 70-seat Glen Waverley restaurant is clearly working hard.
As with all of the Wagyu Ya Group restaurants, this is a fairly fancy affair. You're going to pay handsomely for your lunch or dinner., but with top-quality produce being at the forefront of everything, it'll be worth it.
You'll find Wagyu Ya Teppanyaki at Level 1, 235 Springvale Road, Glen Waverley. It's open seven days a week, from 11.30am–9.30pm. For more deets, check out the venue's website.