So I'm back with another behind the counter and this time it's gonna be a hot one.

But like always before I start, if you want to see what I'm doing on the daily check on my instagram account.

If you want to put the channel, check out the Tokyo and japan merch and if you have any questions about japan or japan travels, check out my discord community that all said you should be arriving shortly.

Here we go.

I'm taking you inside to show you again.

Never seen before footage what really happens at super local mom and pop japanese restaurants.

Today we're going behind the counter at a family owned father and son, Okonomiyaki Teppanyaki restaurant called SIA in san Diego to Tokyo.

The restaurant was open 27 years ago and yusuke, the owner's son runs the shop these days with plans to carry on the family business in the future.

Good morning.

So this is Yusuke, the manager and main chef at the shop we're in today.

His father actually has a second Teppanyaki shop which is nearby but it's reserved for mainly V.

I.

P.

Guests, which the father is in charge of.

Yusuke is usually the first one to arrive at 9:30 so what time are the staff coming?

Oh cool, he's changed into his uniform.

One of the first things he does is turn on the tap on grill, tip on in english meaning metal plate which is where the food is cooked on.

Apparently it takes a while for the steel tip on to warm up.

He has about half an hour before the other staff arrives.

So it makes use of this time to prepare the kitchen.

Are you from Tokyo when you were young, did you think you would be a chef?

How did you get your start?

Almost.

Where did you go to school?

What was your major what instrument?

Really?

Okay, let's see how you hardcore.

So are you married?

Okay.

What kind of girls now he prepares the rice for today?

He prefers to pre soaked the rice overnight all the while keeping it refrigerated to maintain the quality on average is about four kg, almost £9 of rice per day hopping.

We used koshi Hikari, one of the most popular rice brands in japan.

So you ski is 34 years old and then totally.

He's been working at the shop for about 15 years which is almost half of his entire life.

In fact he was only seven years old when his father first started the restaurant.

So it's always been very much part of his life.

At 10.

He sets up the storefront.

The wooden sign is slipping now reads that the shop is in the middle of getting ready which still means it's closed but it will be opening soon.

That's Mauricio.

It's a traditional Japanese custom where a pile of salt is placed at the front entrance to ward off bad luck.

Oh the owner use his dad is here.

So can I ask why did you start this restaurant back then?

He had the option to choose?

Whatever restaurant he wanted to start but he decided on Teppanyaki because he thought it was the coolest japanese food.

Yeah.

Oh, nellie.

It's so hot back here, that son.

Now you skip prepares a miso soup, traditional japanese dish, generally consisting of dashi stock and miso paste and then varies depending on the region and personal preference, often included in a typical japanese breakfast but also served at lunch and dinner such as in the shop as it complements the main dish eggs or another ingredient that the shop uses a lot.

He only uses high quality domestic eggs from places like oh cuckoo Dieron in Ibaraki and Tomoko and Fukushima.

Oh wow!

I don't usually see shops adding eggs into the miso soup.

It's great that his own family traditions have made it into their everyday menu.

How old are you?

Why did you decide to work here up there?

Oh the rice is ready.

So what did you do before this job?

Are you from Tokyo as well?

See when did you move here?

Apparently he got this job through his mom.

Who knew your dad which allowed him to start working right after he moved to Tokyo.

Another worker is here.

What's that?

What ingredients do you add?

I feel you gotta keep the sharp secret sauce is secret.

The A.

C.

Doesn't go there.

Oh damn.

Are you going to fix it?

Really?

So what do you love most about being a Mhm Oh, your dad's back.

Can I ask you another question?

What do you think makes this shop stand out from the rest?

You want to share anything with the people watching?

Oh, I heard that you have a different restaurant nearby for cheesy, as I briefly mentioned before, the father runs a separate membership only V.

I.

P.

Teppanyaki restaurant, just a few buildings away.

I've never seen it before, so I'm excited to have a look.

Oh, it has a completely different vibe, let's be honest.

The prices here must be different.

Right?

You're laughing.

Do you work during lunchtime?

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It's 11 now, 30 minutes before the shop opens.

So yusuke starts cooking the take out dishes.

He also prepares the Osaka Yaki and Osaka style Okonomiyaki, which takes about 30 minutes to cook.

It's a popular dish that many customers order so he starts cooking it in advance to minimize customer wait times.

Okonomiyaki itself is a japanese style pancake.

It's usually made with flour, eggs, yam, cabbage and other proteins as one prefers and it's often flavored with dashi in japan.

It's eaten as a meal or a snack.

Now he's making Hiroshima Yaki for take out which is a Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki made up of layers of ingredients without mixing in advance and are sandwiched between the crepe like thin pancake and noodles are definitely a signature ingredient of Hiroshima Yaki in addition to making sure that each layer is perfectly cooked flat so it stacks up evenly.

Yeah, the whole, wow, that looks so good.

So you prefer a soccer style or Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki, It appears simple and easy enough to make but even slight differences in how it's cooked and the ratio of ingredients used can quickly yield an inconsistent dish.

Only a true chef can create a consistent Okonomiyaki that their customers can come to enjoy time after time.

And hence why each Okonomiyaki restaurant is unique in itself.

How long have you been working here?

How old are you?

Why did you decide to work here?

And what are your responsibilities?

How about that?

Now it's time to prep the noodles.

The worker needs to wash it, break it apart, then add oil to ensure that it doesn't stick to the pan grilled.

So what do you do when you're not working?

You go by yourself just shut up over self.

Finally they're open for business.

Oh the first customers are already here.

Yeah.

The seats are filled up pretty quickly and Yusuke immediately begins cooking several orders all at one time at Max.

He can make up the 24 Okonomiyaki all at the same time.

That's some real multitasking.

And apparently when he's making all of the orders, he plays hard rock and punk music in his head to get into his own.

This whole process is made even more efficiently with teamwork as one person cooks while the other finishes the plating which includes saucing toppings and sides.

And then once played in is immediately taken out to the customers table white and efficient team and each full lunch set around 800 yen.

About $5.85.

Damn!

Giving all these orders.

You must already be tired.

Damn.

The way you put that chicken bone soup though.

That's some next level style.

I love it at the second generation restaurant owner, it used to be difficult for you to be compared to his father early on his career.

But over the years as he honed and mastered the skills, he doesn't feel that same pressure anymore and looks forward to creating the best Okonomiyaki as possible.

So what's the most challenging part about managing a Teppanyaki restaurant?

Have any of your previous workers started their own restaurant?

Oh, when the order slow down on the tip on grill you say of course helps out on the floor, serving and cleaning.

Yeah, that's a lot of dishes by the way.

Have you ever wanted to open your own restaurant?

You know, you don't need any time.

Yeah.

What about you cafe?

Oh nice.

Apparently he used to work at an italian restaurant before working here but says that now he's trying to get as much experience as possible from this restaurant.

So he'll be well prepared when he tries to start his own cafe.

In fact, he also helps the owners cafe during lunch time.

So he gets double the experience here as the overall lunchtime rush slows down.

The workers are preparing for dinner in the back, hang on.

Finally the lunch hour is done.

Ou skates cleaning the grill after cooking burn marks are naturally left on the tip on to ensure that it's able to be used for many years.

He performs a deep scrub and clean each time after every shift, restoring it back to its original shine.

Meanwhile the staff prepared that Toshi for dinner.

Oh, Toshi is an appetizer dish that customers are offered when they arrive in exchange for a table charge.

This dining custom is common for many japanese bars and drinking restaurants I guess today he's making a miso flavored pork and vegetable saute and although it's just a small dish for a Toshi, it's clear that requires a lot of effort to prepare.

But this is probably why the shop is a favorite among locals.

It smells amazing.

Now he prepares lunch.

Do you know what you're making?

That's a lot of eggs for just three people.

Oh it's also for the workers at the other type of shop.

It smells so delicious interestingly at this shop, they change the menu every single day.

They almost never have the same thing in over a month.

So he decided to make a pork and shrimp, garlic fried rice.

Today, the youngest workers responsible for making Mac and I, which is a meal in japan offered by the shop to its workers.

Apparently they take turns making Mac and I every day and today it's his turn it looks phenomenal.

You skate.

How's the taste?

Damn.

Do you usually eat this much after mike?

And I, it's fairly common in Japan for workers to take a nap in the shop before the long dinner hours ahead and that's another one in the books if you want to visit this shop and experience it yourself, I'll be sure to leave a link in the description, but that's pretty much another one behind the counter.

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