Unkai Teppanyaki: A family-run Japanese teppanyaki hawker stall with an 18-year legacy

It was a busy weekday evening — right when dinner-time was at its peak — when we stumbled upon Unkai Teppanyaki at Old Airport Road Food Centre.

A crowd had formed outside the stall, with customers eagerly awaiting their dinner orders. Being the nosy Singaporeans that we were, we decided to join the queue to see what the hype was all about. 

We soon learned, from one of the waiting patrons, that Unkai Teppanyaki is one of the hawker centre’s most popular and oldest tenants, which explains why there’s such demand. 

Despite the length of the queue, the line moved quickly, and soon, it was our turn to order. 

We were expecting the person manning the counter to be seasoned — slightly older, even. But to our surprise, it was a bright-eyed teenager.

All hands on deck 

He’s Alston Tang, a spirited 17-year-old student, who is the middle of three children. He works part-time at Unkai Teppanyaki, alongside his older sister, Aliston, 18. 

His parents, Alan and June — 49 and 46 respectively — are the founders of Unkai Teppanyaki, a Japanese teppanyaki hawker stall with an 18-year legacy. 

Despite his youth, Alston is almost as savvy as any hawker out there. He has served as his dad’s trusty right-hand man (in his eyes, as the equivalent of a sous chef) since he was 14.

Under his dad’s tutelage, he’s no stranger to the ins-and-outs of a hectic kitchen, and has learnt to cook dishes of many kinds —ramen, seafood and meat et al.

At Unkai Teppanyaki, his tasks include taking orders from customers, cooking and packing takeaway orders.

Despite the long, gruelling hours of working at a hawker stall, he’s more than happy to help, and cherishes any opportunity to refine his cooking chops.

“I enjoy cooking,” Alston explains. “My dad has experience in the field, so I have a mentor to help me get a headstart on others in the industry.”

Being hawkers, dad Alan and mum June are busy at the stall on a daily basis, which is why Alston and Aliston rarely spent time with their parents growing up.

“We were mostly brought up by helpers,” Aliston recalls, wistfully. “But when we started to help out at the stall, it became a way for us to bond together more.”

So even if it means working in a hot and stuffy kitchen for hours on end, the siblings are thrilled to spend as much quality time with their parents as possible.

“We understand that money isn’t easy to earn,” Alston adds. “So, we try to help out at the stall whenever we can.”

For the two siblings, that means working at the stall twice or thrice a week, depending on their school schedule.

Even the youngest, nine-year-old Anishton, occasionally takes orders at the stall — though this is all in good fun.

A shared passion 

For Alston, it’s his dream to become a successful Japanese speciality chef — just like his father. In fact, he hopes to continue the hawker legacy that his parents have built.

“I plan to take over the stall someday,” Alston says, proudly. “Hopefully, I can expand it into a restaurant.”

He aspires to be a powerhouse in and out of the kitchen — once he finishes his accountancy diploma from Temasek Polytechnic, he intends to enrol in a culinary school.

“I want to learn about business and how to run one,” he says, adding that he also seeks to improve his culinary chops and “cook better.”

Meanwhile, Aliston, the sweet-toothed one in her family, prefers pastries instead. Unlike Alston, who yearns to take over the family business, she’s passionate about baking.

She has tried her hand at various bakes, such as mooncakes and chocolate chip cookies, and sells them at school events or at the hawker stall itself. 

Aliston also takes inspiration from online recipes and tweaks them to achieve her desired flavours, textures or quality. 

In the future, she plans to roll out festive bakes for Chinese New Year to be sold online or at Unkai Teppanyaki.

Just like their father, both children are passionate about the F&B trade — a fact that the Tang parents are immensely proud of. 

Alan himself is a self-made chef that has been neck-deep in the F&B industry ever since he was a teenager. He’d started as an apprentice at a zi char-style stall, at the tender age of 14, where he chopped up chillis and vegetables of all sorts.

How Unkai Teppanyaki came to be

Alan later clinched a full-time role as a teppanyaki chef in a food court, where he worked for 11 years grilling proteins to a smoky, flame-grilled decadence. That’s when he felt inspired to specialise in it. 

“18 years ago, teppanyaki stalls weren’t very common in hawker centres,” Alan adds, with a grin. 

With the unwavering support of his wife, who worked in sales then, he took a leap of faith and in 2007, Unkai Teppanyaki was born. 

The first teppanyaki-hotplate concept in Singapore

According to the couple, Unkai was the first to pioneer the teppanyaki-hotplate concept in Singapore. 

 But they soon had to switch tacks. “When we specialised solely in teppanyaki, business wasn’t that great,” Alan recalls.

“We noticed that Japanese cuisine appeals to customers of all ages,” June adds.

That’s why today, the Unkai Teppanyaki that regulars know and love boasts a drool-worthy, wallet-friendly menu with Japanese fare and teppanyaki sets served on sizzling hotplates.

Secret housemade recipes

In 2009, the couple began to experiment with different Japanese flavours and dishes — a process that took about two years before Alan and June were confident enough to include the new offerings on their menu. 

Alan has since formulated his own signature miso soup and Japanese dips, such as the teriyaki and pepper sauces, which are made from scratch daily. (These are his secret recipes!) 

“Many Japanese stalls tend to use pre-concentrate for their sauces and soups, but not at Unkai Teppanyaki,” Alston says. 

The Tang family takes great pride in ensuring their proteins are cooked to perfection, too. 

“Most Japanese stalls oven-bake their proteins,” Aliston adds. “We use the teppanyaki stove to cook them instead, so that they have a crispier texture and softer meat.” 

It also helps that Unkai marinates the proteins a day beforehand to ensure they’re juicy and flavourful.

The bestsellers at Unkai Teppanyaki

From the range of the donburis and teppanyaki sets available, the Tang family recommends that first-timers try the salmon fish set (S$7) — one of Unkai’s bestsellers. 

A chunky, succulent slab of salmon grilled to crispy goodness is served, sizzling on a hotplate. Even after being grilled, the fish remains juicy and moist, contrasting nicely with fluffy rice. 

Meat lovers will enjoy the pepper slice beef set (S$7) that also sells like hotcakes. Lightly sprinkled with pepper, the tender beef’s rich umami flavours are further accentuated by the spice.

Alternatively, there’s the teriyaki chicken set (S$6.50) that’s thoroughly doused in the Tang family’s delicious housemade teriyaki sauce and brimming with umami.

Even if you’re taking the dishes to-go (which we did), the proteins still tasted yummy and held their own.

Alan and June’s greatest wish is for their children to follow their passions. But should any of them intend to continue the family trade, they’re more than happy to hand over the reins.

“If my children continue the business, I hope that they can do it in the way that they want to,” Alan says. “Or, if they have any other interests they want to pursue, I’ll fully support it.”

Ever the doting father, he adds, with a smile: “I want them to do what they love, because having real passion is how they can succeed in their job.”

For more eats in Singapore, check out the behind-the-scenes of Sushiro’s conveyer-belt sushi experience, and a day in the life of White House Teochew Porridge’s second-gen boss. Alternatively, check out the newest openings in Singapore here. 

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You can also book a ride to Unkai Teppanyaki to try its fare.