Tea Party Diva - Life & Craft

If your mother told you never to play with your food, don’t tell her about the Arirang Hibachi Restaurant. It’s all about fun, and these chefs just love to play and entertain.

Arirang Hibachi Restaurant - Staten Island
The Arirang Hibachi is not just another Japanese restaurant. It is an experience to be remembered. There are branches in Staten Island, Brooklyn and New Jersey.

Our visit was to the Staten Island Arirang Restaurant on a very crowded Friday night. We arrived with friends, and were a little early, so went upstairs to the bar. It was very noisy, but not an issue, as the whole place had a real buzz and air of expectation to it.

At the Table
After about 20 minutes, we were ushered to our table. This was a communal table which our party of 4, shared with a family. Their pre teen son was celebrating a birthday, and we said our hellos.

Conversation with them was fairly limited as it was a long table, and the noise made it hard to be heard. Yet in some ways, we did not feel separate from them, as we were all involved in the fun to follow. After choosing from the menu with our friends’ guidance, we began to get a glimpse of what was in store by the action at the other tables.

The Hibachi Chef
Each table is assigned a chef who cooks the meal on the hibachi grill plate set into each table. If your mother told you never to play with your food, don’t tell her about the Arirang Hibachi Restaurant. It’s all about fun, and these chefs just love to play and entertain.

The chef introduces himself and asks the guests’ names, and then he is away. Food is expertly cut, sliced and diced, and tossed into the air. At one stage, our chef was even flipping pieces of carrot into people’s open mouths.

This is about showmaniship, and the Arirang chefs are as handy with a corny joke and repartee, as they are with the slice and dice.

They involve everyone, without making you feel ill at ease, and you can’t help but be caught up in the devil may care atmosphere of the whole event. The meal is expertly slid onto the plates, amid a lot of banter and quick wrist action.

The Atmosphere
Yes, it is an event, and this little tableau is playing out at all the tables around you as well, so there’s lots of laughing and fun, and the whole atmosphere is contagious. If you’re celebrating a birthday or anniversary, let them know, and you’ll get a special
cake for dessert.

Best of all, they sing some sort of happy dance song. They stand behind you holding your arms in the air, and waving them around while a polaroid photo is taken for you to take home.

It is a real hoot, even for the normally reserved diner. Let your hair down. This is about getting into the spirit of it all.

The Verdict
The Arirang Hibachibi Restaurant would make a great restaurant for a group of colleagues or friends wanting to let their hair down. It will not suit anyone who needs to have a serious discussion or business metting.

As I told our friends, it was the most fun we’d ever had at a restaurant. It’s the perfect place to unwind after a hard week. I can highly recommend the Arirang for an unusual night out in Staten Island.

Check out the Arirang Hibachi Restaurant website. Video snippets give you a glimpse of the experience. A la carte and a sushi bar are also available in a separate area of the restaurant. Corporate tables and preferred dining cards are other options.

If You Go
Arirang Hibachi Steakhouse
23A Nelson Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10308
(718) 966-9600

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