DINING OUT

Mary Furr

The enticing entrance to the Matsu Japanese Restaurant on Beach Boulevard

and Talbert Avenue in Huntington Beach, with its tile roof and colorful

columns, can’t be missed. In the apex of a strip mall, it’s your entrance

to the adventure of teppan dining.

The reception area, with the soothing sounds of a fountain, opens on the

left to a dining room lit by fat moon lanterns and another with art deco

paintings of vogue fashions, but the right is our destination.

Pass by the sushi bar and through an arch guarded by a pair of lions to

enter the teppan room, where 14 chairs surround each of two U-shaped

teppan tables with their large hot plates.

A pot of green tea and ceramic tumblers come with the menu -- a selection

of soup or salad and an entree of chicken combined with either shrimp,

beef/steak or scallops (lunch $4.50, dinner $14.50).

Misoshiru (miso), a cloudy soup with bites of tofu (fermented soybean

paste) at the bottom, is excellent, with more body than some. Sunomona,

the tart vinegary salad of sliced cucumbers -- more appetizers than salad

-- is topped with three miniature shrimp.

Now enters the star, Chef Sang, pushing a cart with the meats and

vegetables to the center of the teppan table. Whipping out a bottle of

cooking oil, he scrolls a face on the hot plate, breaks two eggs and

slices an onion to mix with bits of red and green bell pepper. With a

spatula and butcher knife, he nudges and chops the vegetables. A mound of

steamed rice Chef Sang has piled on the hot plate is combined with the

chopped eggs and vegetables, magically coming to your plate as a pile of

great-tasting, moist fried rice.

Next, forming onion slices into a pyramid, Chef Sang pours a liquid,

which erupts into a volcano of fire -- sudden and dramatic, one of the

diners screams. Eating teppan can be exciting stuff orchestrated by a

talented chef with the skill of a conductor.

Now come the entrees of big deboned chicken breast, trimmed tender

sirloin and large gray shrimp, which turn a rosy pink as they cook. The

chef hones his knife and quickly turns and chops the food into tempting

entrees, adding broiled carrots, zucchini and onion to the teppan.

Chicken cubes are flipped to a diner’s plate and piled with crunchy bean

sprouts. A narrow divided plate given to each diner holds three mild

aromatic sauces. One is an elusive ginger combination, another a

glaze-like sauce that hints of Worcestershire, the other a mustard-based

combo -- all adding to the flavor of the meats.

If you desire a sweet, there are traditional ice creams ($1.50) -- green

tea, ginger and bean, a sugared paste of red azuki beans legend says will

ward off evil spirits. A banana with sweet cream wrapped in a tissue-thin

crepe ($3.50) is a wonderful combination of flavors that melts in your

mouth.

If you’re looking for an adventurous way to dine out, Matsu Japanese

Restaurant will provide it -- no extra charge for all the fun of teppan

dining.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have comments or

suggestions, call her at (562) 493-5062.

FYI

MATSU JAPANESE RESTAURANT

WHERE: 10835 Beach Blvd.

HOURS: Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday; dinner 5:30 to

10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, till 10:30 p.m. Friday, and 5 to 9:30

p.m. Sunday.

MISCELLANEOUS: Reservations requested for teppan room. Credit Cards

accepted.

PHONE: 848-4404