Situated on the N340 just before the Cancelada turn off when traveling west bound is one of the Costa del Sol's best kept secrets; Sapporo. A secret however which is spreading like wild fire throughout all lovers of good Japanese food. If you haven't heard of this fabulous restaurant, believe me you will, as everyone who eats here raves about it for a long time after the event! For those who have never ventured into the exotic realms of Japanese food, let me dispel a popular myth - it consists of more than raw fish!

Opened in March of this year, Sapporo is owned by Mr. Woo who like manageress Jessie heralds originally from China. He has worked with Japanese cuisine however for 15 years. The restaurant, located on the upper floor of the Costa Sol commercial centre with seating outside and in specializes in Teppan Yaki, where food is cooked on a hot plate right in front of you. There are two Teppan Yaki tables at Sapporo, one outside on the terrace and the other inside the main restaurant and both seat 8 people. I would definitely recommend reserving seats at the Teppan Yaki table as the show is spectacular. More about that though later on. The décor of the restaurant is traditional Japanese with screens, fans and Sho Gun swords decorating the walls, hanging lanterns and a really nice touch, kimonos for guests to wear whilst they dine. Another traditional Japanese custom is to give diners oshiburi, hot / cold towels when you sit down, a refreshing welcome.

We started our meal with a selection of sushi and sashimi. Sushi consists of raw fish atop a ball of rice usually with the eye watering wasabi in between. Wasabi is like a strong horseradish but green in colour and smooth in texture and be warned is hot, hot, hot. Sashimi is just fish which like the sushi is dipped into soy sauce and eaten with wasabi and pickled ginger. On our platter we were treated to salmon, tuna, octopus, red clam served in its shell, sea bass and brill. We also tried some of Sapporo's maki sushi; fish and / or vegetables rolled in rice and covered in pressed seaweed. The fish for sushi and sashimi is always from the best cuts and Sapporo's was no exception with succulent cuts which simply melted in the mouth.

Next up came plates of prawn and vegetable tempura. Like all the dishes served in Sapporo, the presentation was exquisite. Wasabi molded into leaf shapes, noodles deep fried in the light tempura batter to create "noodle trees" and all displayed beautifully on traditional Japanese crockery. The tempura batter was fluffy and light, the prawns perfect and the selection of vegetables including broccoli, red and green peppers, aubergine and pumpkin, crunchy and tasty. A special tempura dipping sauce was served with this course and on Jessie's advice we dumped our ginger puree into it to enhance the overall taste. Not a crumb was left on our plates, just a few drops of sauce dripped on route from bowl to mouth with our non too experienced chopstick handling!

For the main part of our meal we were treated to the Teppan Yaki show. Japanese chefs train a minimum of three years; learning how to select and cut fish for sushi and sashimi is no easy feat and cooking Teppan Yaki is an art form in itself. Jessie told me that they have a chef in training at Sapporo but despite learning for a year and a half, he is not allowed to man one of the Teppan Yaki tables in the restaurant. Our chef had clocked up eight years and his experience was evident in his confident manner. Firstly he prepared the fried rice, breaking eggs straight onto the griddle whilst mixing the rice with vegetables. When ready, the rice was pushed to a corner and the now prepared thin omelet was sliced so that the bits literally flew to meet the pile of waiting rice.

Bartenders the world over would have been in awe as our man span sauce bottles and flipped a heavy knife around whilst preparing the steak, salmon, chicken and sea bass in front of our eyes. Each dish was placed on a plate with a vegetable garnish and served with delicate bowls of the rice and two dipping sauces, one for the fish dishes, the other for the meat. Everything was delicious, the steak rare and tender, the fish succulent and just cooked through. The mix of spices and secret sauces, used when cooking the food, blended to create the special Teppan Yaki taste and had one of my guests already booking a table for another occasion!

The drink to quaff whilst munching on sushi and sashimi is definitely Japanese Sake - a strong liquor made from rice and drunk warm from little cups. At Sapporo they have several to try. In addition to regular sake, there is sweet sake and chouchui which at 40% volume is not for the faint hearted! Sapporo beer is also for sale which is a light beer and accompanies most dishes superbly. The restaurant also has a full wine list. A good idea when visiting Sapporo is to try one of their set menus. This way you get to try a little of everything and there are menus to fit every pocket. Sapporo is not expensive and represents excellent value for money, as the food is so good. The secret is out however so book early if you want to partake of this little piece of Japan and its fantastic cuisine. Until the next time, Sayonara!