A massive restaurant inside the Renaissance New World Harbourview Hotel in Wan Chai, Matsubishi is ideal for private entertaining: it has a number of private rooms and some even have their own sushi counters and teppanyaki counters for a private chef to cook behind. In the main dining room, a huge U-shaped teppanyaki counter dominates with up to five to six chefs working busily behind. The ambience of the room is pleasant, with plenty of light timber features and gentle orange lights. If seated at the teppanyaki counter, all guests are given the same apron, a great leveller and making it a pleasant communal experience.

Matsubishi is known as one of the few purveyors of Mitsuwa beef in Hong Kong and as such, the highlight of the teppanyaki menu. Choices for the beef range from A-grade sirloin, to some lesser cuts of B-grade sirloin and tenderloin. We start with some raw fish: while the fish was fresh, the choices seemed limited. We had asked for no bluefin tuna or scallop in our assortment and as a result, were given extra pieces of salmon instead. From the Matsubishi teppanyaki set menu, the eel is a real highlight. It can take a while to cook but it is worth waiting for. The skin is crispy while the flesh is sweet with a pleasantly charred flavour. As for the famous beef, the Mitsuwa sirloin is fattier and perfectly seasoned, making the three available dipping sauces unnecessary. The tenderloin is better suited for those who prefer leaner meat: there was much less marbling, but in exchange, the tenderloin has much more flavour. To go with all the meat, we would recommend ordering the cold inaniwa udon: not only is it a large enough portion to share between two, but the icy, chewy noodles dipped in its sweet broth is a perfect complement to the grilled items.

We personally like cold sake, of which there are over a dozen varieties on Matsubishi’s wine list, ranging from HK$400 for a 720ml bottle of Urakasumi (Karakuchi) to HK$1,300 for a bottle of Kokosyu (Ginjyo). If you prefer hot sake, however, there are only two options. For a Japanese restaurant, Matsubishi has an impressive wine list, with plenty of French reds to go with the beef and even a private collection that includes Lafite from 1983 and Petrus from 1990.

As expected from a restaurant that has been open since 1979, the staff at Matsubishi are well-trained and efficient, if not particularly warm. The only major hiccup we experienced was when the teppan chef started cooking a prawn for us instead of the eel we had asked for. When we leaned over to tell him, instead of taking our word for it, he loudly demanded a sous chef to check our order. Our tea cups were also left empty most of the time.

The Matsubishi set menu (HK$730-HK$750) gives a good idea of what the restaurant has to offer and with the amount of food given, it is good value for money. If ordering a la carte, prices can range from reasonable to extremely expensive. A dinner for two, with sake, will come to about HK$2,500.