INAKAYA @ ROPPONGI

It was 1983 and we had no clue what Robatayaki was when we walked into Inakaya in Roppongi, a family style 'garden restuarant' as it was billed in the tourist brochure. The uniqueness was the paddle, as shown on the door. Diners gathered around a huge U-shape facing the chefs who sat crossed leg at the end, with everything and anything you will ever need for a grilled dinner. They have small pits with charcoal fires and quite amazingly, deliver finished items (including bottles of beer) to your face on a paddle with a long handle. It takes strength and lots of practice, and it is of course a big part of Inakaya's genre. What impressed us the most was the service team and the atmosphere that resembled a family dining around a table, it was magic and 30 years hence I can still remember that first exposure vividly. I popped my head in, satisfied that Inakaya is obviously alive and well. There are a couple in Hong Kong, the one we go infrequently is at the Hyatt in Whampoa. They tried hard but it is not the same as the wooded staff lack the fanfare, and the venue lack the feel of bon vivant.

Dora and I made little $ then, we saved diligently so we can make our annual, and only, overseas pilgrimage to Tokyo. It was always Tokyo and mostly for eating as we could ill afford to shop then. We did not have kids problems because we had none, no people issues at the office as being at the bottom we had no one to manage, no helper problems at home because we needed no help.  Life was not as comfortable as now but it was more memorable and we treasured every moment of it, a life style that will shock the living daylight out of our next generation ... a life of Self Reliance.