Hyatt’s Teppanyaki welcomes private parties

Hyatt executive sous chef Zen Tomokane is hands on in supervising and preparating of food for its garnishing and seasoning to achieve the perfect taste at Hyatt Regency Saipan Teppanyaki. (Photos by BEA CABRERA)

Teppanyaki of Hyatt Regency Saipan opened its doors last week for a private get-togethers after pausing its services for five months due to COVID-19 concerns. Although not yet in regular operations, Teppanyaki is now accepting small and private get-togethers where you can have the restaurant to yourselves, enjoy the food, the hospitality of staff, and the great ambiance with family or friends.

Hyatt executive sous chef Zen Tomokane together with his staff were excited to open and serve the magic of Teppanyaki once again. “The team worked together for days to make this first private get together happen. The restaurant and equipment were locked up for five months but we cleaned it up, refurbished all the wood, and cleaned the grill,” he said.

“We were excited to compose the menu for this dinner party and definitely, for the many parties to come. For us, this is a great way to invite the community back to Hyatt, celebrate special occasions with us and enjoy the services we love to offer ,” he added.

For the dinner party last week, Tomokane meticulously prepared a menu list that the guests do not enjoy on a regular basis or a dish that they have not had for many months due to the pandemic—no other restaurant serves them. “We prepared Hyatt specialties such as sashimi trio, king crab salad, escargot, scallops, and for the main entrée we served lobster tail and prime angus T-bone steak and the staples such as garlic fried rice, miso soup with pickles. Of course we always end the menu with a special dessert,” he said.

A group of 10 or more can reserve a small party get together at Teppanyaki .

“Our vendors were in a state of uncertainty… and whatever savings they give to us for the ingredients and products we get from them, we also extend these savings to our guests who comes through our doors…. We are mindful to make our guests experience luxury without really hurting their wallet,” he added.

Aside from getting the restaurant ready, guests are assured that safety and health protocols are in place every time at the Hyatt even for private parties. In an earlier interview, Hyatt Food & Beverage director Ty Pauling said that in today’s environment, Hyatt knows that it need to do to make theirxz guests feel comfortable. “We do this by following the proper protocols to keep them safe. In our restaurants and throughout the hotel, all Hyatt employees observe safety and health protocols in place such as frequent sanitation, washing of hands every 30 minutes and we have a team going around sanitizing ‘high touch’ areas.”

“All Hyatt hotels, including Saipan, were certified by Global Biorisk Advisory Council to ensure that we are ready to prevent, correct and provide proper response and recover from any potential infection,” Pauling added.

Although short-staffed, Tomokane said that this will not be felt by guests as each staff gives their 110% every time. “On a given day, I used to oversee 30 to 40 culinary employees. But these days, I only see four at a time. Some of them have gone to other jobs—full-time or part-time but we want to bring them back.

“We love having our guests experience luxury but without breaking their wallets” said chef Zen Tomokane.

“We miss the team, they miss us and I say that because it’s the unity and the feel of family are what guests miss about this property… But of course in the meantime, the community can always expect the best from Hyatt. We are always here to serve, go the extra mile, and do the best we can because that is what the community loves about us,” he added.

Hyatt Regency Saipan is located at Royal Palm Avenue, Micro Beach Road, Garapan. For more information about private parties at Teppanyaki, Miyako, and Giovanni’s, call (670) 234-1234, look them up on Facebook: Hyatt Regency Saipan, and on their website http://saipan.regency.hyatt.com.