Bari Bari Grand: The Hong Kong teppan cult favourite goes premium

It’s been less than a year since Bari Bari Steak made its Singapore debut, and the Hong Kong teppan brand hasn’t slowed down since. Since its first outlet at Tampines 1 in December 2025, it has landed at Junction 8 and VivoCity.

Now, its most premium iteration yet: Bari Bari Grand, which opened on August 9 at Arcade @ The Capitol Kempinski.

We caught Bari Bari Steak’s debut at Tampines 1 when it first opened, drawn in by its hot stone teppan sets from S$22.90 and free-flow salad bar. It got the steaks right, even if the salad bar and sides needed work.

Bari Bari Grand, however, is a different proposition entirely. Think Miyazaki wagyu in place of Australian cuts, an expanded sake and wine list, and a gourmet bar upgrade that serves a rotation of salads, premium sides (such as tuna tataki), and tofu cheesecake.

A cult favourite goes upmarket

Bari Bari Steak first made its name in Hong Kong as a cult teppan concept known for long queues, built on a simple formula: Pre-seared steaks finished tableside on a 300°C hot stone, paired with a 90-minute free-flow salad bar (available with every teppan set), at prices that didn’t punish.

Bari Bari Grand marks the brand’s first attempt at something more considered — and it’s landed in a unit with some history. The space at Arcade @ The Capitol Kempinski previously housed Ka-En Grill & Sushi Bar, another concept from the same En Group, known for its own al fresco Yakiniku Kurabu grill-at-table experience.

Now under the Bari Bari banner, the address keeps its interactive, cook-it-yourself DNA, but the format shifts from yakiniku to teppan.

The headline act is its A4/A5 Miyazaki wagyu, a four-time National Wagyu Award winner, available across four cuts, including the notoriously scarce zabuton (also known as the Denver steak — each cow yields just 3 to 4kg of it).

There are also new sea-facing additions — lobster, cod, king crab — that the standard Bari Bari mall outlets don’t carry, an expanded sake and wine list built for bigger group occasions, and a gourmet bar that’s had a bit of a glow-up.

For guests who’d rather skip the full teppan experience, Bari Bari Grand offers a lower-key alternative.

Bari Bari Social is an al fresco space serving small bites and drinks — think karaage, truffle fries, and S$6 highballs — without requiring a main course order. It also runs Happy Hour promotions that range from S$3 Japanese oysters to S$7 wines.

What’s sizzling

The Miyazaki A4/A5 wagyu (ribeye round, S$75 for 150g) was the obvious place to start. The marbling was undeniably exquisite, and it arrived with housemade truffle mashed potatoes, cherry tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, and pearl corn.

With such a delicate cut, it felt almost sacrilegious to suggest it needed extra time on the hot stone; we’d recommend simply enjoying it as-is, and letting the free-flow bar do the rest of the work.

And there’s plenty to work with. Beyond the usual greens, the bar offers premium trimmings such as Japanese curry, kale salad, and tuna pasta salad, alongside a curated lineup of housemade sauces — the signature Bari Bari sauce, Miyazaki yakiniku sauce, and yuzu onion sauce among them.

Of the three, the yuzu onion sauce was our top pick, with its tang and acidity cutting cleanly through the steak’s richness. The result: Incredibly tender, fatty, and an easy sell if you’re hunting for high-quality meat in this part of town.

For the land-and-sea pairing, we went with the lobster & wagyu hamburg (S$49). The lobster arrived piping hot under a thermidor-style cheese sauce — mouth-watering by design.

But as flawless as the Miyazaki wagyu’s marbling was, it was this teppan set that turned out to be the unanimous favourite at our table.

The hamburg patty was juicy and well-seasoned, and notably the only item that didn’t come with its own hot stone — a choice we appreciated, since any more cooking risked drying it out.

The lobster may have been billed to steal the show, but it was the hamburg that proved its worth. Pair it with the Miyazaki yakiniku sauce for a richer, beefier finish.

For a more seafood-centric plate, order the gindara teriyaki & scallops mentaiko (S$36). The gindara (sablefish) was subtly sweet and flaky, its flavour rounded out by the teriyaki’s sweet-salty glaze.

The scallops, plump and dressed in mentaiko, brought a creamy umami edge that worked well against the fish.

On the sides front, we also tried the atsuage negi cheese yaki (S$8) and iidako karaage (deep-fried baby octopus, S$10). The atsuage — deep-fried tofu cubes topped with cheese and crispy scallions — was crisp on the outside and silky within, though we’d have liked the cheese to carry more depth; as it stood, it didn’t contrast much against the tofu.

The iidako karaage, on the other hand, works best as a beer snack: Crunchy, salty, and addictive in the way good bar food should be — arguably a better fit for Bari Bari Social than for a sit-down teppan meal.

From casual to considered

Bari Bari Grand is trying to rethink what “premium” means for teppan in Singapore, from the wagyu on the hot stone to the sauces waiting at the bar.

Where our first taste of Bari Bari at Tampines 1 left us wanting more seasoning and polish, Bari Bari Grand comes in with confidence — a lobster-topped hamburg steak that outshone the marquee wagyu, a gourmet bar that’s polished a few of its offerings, and a setting that reflects the day’s shift in what diners are seeking.

Whether it’s worth the price jump depends on the occasion, but for a special night out around City Hall, it’s hard to argue with its value for money.

This was a hosted tasting.

For more ideas on what to eat, check out our take on Mukai’s viral towering seafood bowls and our top picks for eating spots around Mandai.