Karatama Robatayaki

A robatayaki is a Japanese grill bar that serves up light meals and snacks, where you order up fresh seafood, meat, or other items and let the chef grill them up right in front of you. This is Bangkok's first robatayaki, and you can sit at the counter in front of the chefs and get some imported abalone or Kagoshima beef and watch them delivered sizzling to your plate. There is both a bar zone downstairs, with 36 seats wrapped around the cooking counter, or a more intimate sake bar area upstairs, with only 12 seats. If choosing all your own items is too daunting, there is also a set menu which features a seafood, meat, or veggie course, all of which have around six items included. There is also excellent sashimi to go with the grill items. It isn't cheap here, even ordering individual dishes, and you need to be prepared to spend at least 1000 baht to fill up, but the experience is a lot of fun, with chefs chatting with local salarymen and a very convivial atmosphere. If you aren't going to Japan any time soon, this is the next best thing.