05 Jul 2023

A Taste of Tradition

Irrespective of our geographical abode, a pervasive craving for the exquisite flavours of Japanese cuisine happens to all of us. While sushi and ramen may immediately come to mind, especially in Western culture, Japanese gastronomy encompasses a vast array of delicacies beyond these popular dishes.

What makes Japanese cuisine captivating is that it speaks for itself – it offers a well-rounded and memorable experience with food. Its inherent aesthetic appeal leaves no room for doubt, while the enticing aroma entices you. With each bite, you can truly appreciate how all the elements harmonise to create a delightful explosion of flavours in your mouth.

Japanese classics are becoming a global sensation because of the richness and balance of flavours and textures. It is truly amazing how simple and complex these dishes can be.

Pepper Lunch is a DIY casual dining concept with a modern and fun twist on Japanese classics. It guarantees all the aromas, flavours, and textures you're looking for but on a sizzling teppan or what Kunio Ichinose, founder of Pepper Lunch describes as a "magic plate." This way, food arrives on your table very hot and you get to take part in cooking your own meal.

Read on to get the rundown on Japanese classics you have grown to love and how Pepper Lunch strives to honour tradition while being innovative and affordable.

Traditional Japanese Cuisine

Traditional Japanese cuisine can be deemed an art form in itself. Just think about the mastery required to serve such compelling dishes, high-quality and seasonal ingredients are sourced, intricately prepared, cooked with precision, and plated in a way that draws out the person’s hunger and attention to every step of the process.

Let’s take a closer look at classic Japanese food.

Sushi

Sushi has taken the world by storm putting Japanese food on the map in the U.S. and Europe. Long ago, sushi was merely how Japanese ancestors preserved fish in fermented rice but now it has evolved to vinegared rice prepared with fresh fish, nori, and seasoning. Westerners have even put their own spin on it by adding high-fat ingredients like avocado, cream cheese, and mayonnaise.

Ramen

Ramen is another popular Japanese classic especially since instant versions began to be sold in mainstream supermarkets. Ramen is traditionally wheat noodles in a savoury broth with your choice of toppings such as sliced pork, nori, onion leeks, and a soft-boiled egg.

Beef Sukiyaki

Beef Sukiyaki is a hotpot dish you’d really appreciate on a cold rainy day. Just imagine slurping a rich broth made of sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar along with rice noodles, bits of well-sliced beef, tofu, onion leeks, bokchoy, and mushrooms. Since sukiyaki also means “cook what you like,” you can opt to boil your preferred proteins and vegetables.

Teriyaki Chicken

Teriyaki was coined from two Japanese words; teri means “to shine” while yaki is “to broil or grill.” That said, teriyaki chicken is grilled chicken glazed with a sweet and savoury sauce.

Curry Rice

People are probably more familiar with Indian curry but Japanese curry sets itself apart with a sweeter flavour and a thicker base more like a stew. Meat and vegetables are boiled in water then curry paste is added to thicken and season the sauce.

There are plenty more Japanese dishes you can try such as tonkatsu, yakitori, tempura, soba, and gyoza, to name a few that aren’t sushi or ramen. Japanese cuisine truly thrives on the variety of flavours, textures, as well as cooking techniques.

Pepper Lunch's Take on Japanese Classics

Pepper Lunch started with Kunio Ichinose’s dream to make fast and tasty steaks available at reasonable prices and he’s surely come a long way with over 500 outlets across Japan, Asia, and Australia. 

Pepper Lunch is most famous for the Beef Pepper Rice on a sizzling teppan. Customers are served perfectly sliced U.S. Beef surrounding a mount of pepper rice topped with corn and their signature margarine, plus your choice of sauce. You sure can look forward to hearing your food sizzle as you fold everything in.

The story behind the signature dish makes it all the more interesting. Kunio Ichinose discovered that a teppan, an iron plate patented in Japan, can be heated to a high temperature of 260 degrees Celsius for 70 seconds using an electromagnetic cooker. Additionally, it can maintain a hot temperature of 80 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes, which is the optimum temperature for grilling meat. From there, he came up with the novel concept of serving Japanese classics on teppan and immersing customers in a unique dining experience. Besides sizzling your own food, the teppan also does the job of keeping food warm for longer so you get to relish the dish with all its flavors intact.

Just as there is more to Japanese food than sushi and ramen, there is more to the Pepper Lunch menu aside from the mouthwatering Beef Pepper Rice.

Pepper Lunch is where you can feel at home with food cooked the way you like it and how you want it to taste. Apart from getting to choose your sauce, you can sate your craving for Pepper Rice and just switch up your protein. You may want to try the Jumbo Beef Pepper Rice if you want a bigger portion of goodness, Chicken Pepper Rice if you prefer white meat, Salmon Pepper Rice when you want Omega 3, and Broccoli and Mushroom Pepper Rice if you just want veggies.

Japanese food and steaks may have a bad rap for being expensive but Pepper Lunch changes that with different cuts and portions of Premium Steak that are value for money! And if you can’t quite decide on the protein you want, you’ll be glad that Pepper Lunch offers Deluxe and Combo meals, allowing you to have all your favourites in one sizzling plate. You also won’t miss out on Japanese classics, especially when it comes to Sukiyaki, Teriyaki, or Curry Rice

Pepper Lunch reinvents Japanese classics with a new method of cooking them. For instance, sukiyaki at Pepper Lunch is not served as a hotpot dish. Instead, they reduce the soup into a palatable sauce that coats either thinly sliced beef or slabs of salmon and vegetables. 

Pepper Lunch also has Teriyaki Chicken with Egg and Teriyaki Salmon and Saba for those after the timeless teriyaki sauce, only this time you can have it hot and spicy.

Those hungry for curry rice will not be disappointed. Pepper Lunch enhances the dish with a delectable cheesy twist, making it irresistibly tempting when paired with rice. Match it with your choice of protein, whether that is scallop and prawn, beef and beef Hamburg, scallop and chicken, or broccoli and mushroom.

Moreover, Pepper Lunch has teppan pasta and classic sides including edamame and miso soup. 

The variety of food and fusion creations on the Pepper Lunch menu proves that there is truly more to Japanese food than just sushi and ramen.

Pepper Lunch today offers you a taste of traditional Japanese food you’d have the pleasure of cooking yourself as you mix ingredients on a sizzling teppan. Here, you can always look forward to fresh and high-quality ingredients with a peppery punch and not worry about going over your budget especially when you take advantage of Pepper Lunch promos

Pepper Lunch keeps everybody in mind by delivering popular Japanese food and fusion creations hot, fresh, and at friendly prices. Moreover, Pepper Lunch restaurants are all halal-certified in Singapore. Those on the go will appreciate that you can always make a quick stop at Pepper Lunch Express and Pepper Lunch Go!. 

Restaurant

Nutrition Information Panel

Pepsi Black

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per 100ml)

Energy
0 kcal
Protein
0 g
Total fat
Saturated Fat
0 g
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Carbohydrates
Total Sugars
0 g
0 g
Dietary Fibre
0 g
Sodium
10 mg

Pepsi

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per 100ml)

Energy
20 kcal
Protein
0 g
Total fat
Saturated Fat
0 g
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Carbohydrates
Total Sugars
5 g
4.9 g
Dietary Fibre
0 g
Sodium
5 mg

7 UP

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per 100ml)

Energy
0 kcal
Protein
0 g
Total fat
Saturated Fat
0 g
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Carbohydrates
Total Sugars
0 g
0 g
Dietary Fibre
0 g
Sodium
22 mg

LIPTON ICED TEA - LEMON

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per 100ml)

Energy
21 kcal
Protein
0 g
Total fat
Saturated Fat
0 g
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Carbohydrates
Total Sugars
5 g
4.9 g
Dietary Fibre
0 g
Sodium
16 mg

MUG SARSAPARILLA

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per 100ml)

Energy
19 kcal
Protein
0 g
Total fat
Saturated Fat
0 g
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Carbohydrates
Total Sugars
4.8 g
4.8 g
Dietary Fibre
0 g
Sodium
6 mg

MOUNTAIN DEW

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per 100ml)

Energy
19 kcal
Protein
0 g
Total fat
Saturated Fat
0 g
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Carbohydrates
Total Sugars
4.8 g
4.8 g
Dietary Fibre
0 g
Sodium
8 mg

Nestlé MILO®

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per 100ml)

Energy
64.5 kcal
Protein
2 g
Total fat
Saturated Fat
1.7 g
0.7 g
Carbohydrates
10 g
Total Sugars
Added Sugars
8 g
5 g
Dietary Fibre
0.5 g
Sodium
37 mg
Calcium
69.5 mg
Phosphorus
53.5 mg
Vitamin D
1.15 mcg
Vitamin B2
0.15 mg
Niacin
1.35 mg
Vitamin C
0.15 mg

Nestlé SJORA®

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per 100ml)

Energy
20 kcal
Protein
0.25 g
Total fat
Saturated Fat Monounsaturated Fat Polyunsaturated FatTrans Fat
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
Cholesterol
0.15 mg
Carbohydrates
Total SugarAdded Sugar Lactose
4.8 g
4.6 g
4.2 g
0.4 g
Sodium
5 mg

RIBENA

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per 100ml)

Energy
36 kcal
Protein
0.17 g
Total fat
0 g
Carbohydrates
Total Sugars
9 g
9 g
Sodium
3 mg
Vitamin C
31 mg

GREEN TEA BAG

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per 100ml)

Energy
0.8 kcal
Protein
0 g
Total fat
Saturated FatTrans Fat
0 g
0 g
0 g
Carbohydrates
Sugars
0.2 g
0 g
Sodium
0 mg

LIPTON TEA BAG

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per 100ml)

Energy
0 kcal
Protein
0 g
Total fat
0 g
Carbohydrates
0 g
Sodium
0 mg