Last Samurai

"The Last Samurai" was a beautifully crafted historical film portraying the life of the Samurai warrior. Van Nguyen had such a great love for this particular movie and culture that he wanted to name his Japanese sushi and teppanyaki style steakhouse Last Samurai.

Van is the owner of three locations in Salt Lake City, Park City and Sandy. Just two months ago he opened the Sandy location in Jordan Commons, 9400 South State Street, showing he's doing something right.

The food served at Last Samurai is as beautifully crafted as its namesake. It's a work of art watching the sushi chefs masterfully create each sushi roll with precision. But if fully cooked meat is what you're after, the hibachi chefs won't disappoint and will create tantalizing dishes right in front of you. They're as quick with their knives as the Samurai is with the sword.

Van's chefs have 10 to 17 years of experience preparing and cooking on the teppanyaki iron grill. The hibachi chefs transform into chef performers, tossing bottles of oils and sauces and creating a flaming volcano from stacked onion slices.

"It's a real friendly environment for children and it quite entertaining," Van says.

Something you won't find in other teppanyaki steakhouses is the hot and spicy noodle challenge. Van gave the heat level five out of five stars to separate the men from the boys.

"If you complete the spicy noodle challenge, your dinner is free and we put your picture on our wall of fame," he says.

Van came up with this challenge to add another layer of fun to this family restaurant. So far, there are two customers proudly displayed on the wall of fame.

Fun aside, Van is serious when it comes selecting the freshest fish for his restaurant. The fish is always shipped next day which means it was swimming the day before. Sushi is becoming more popular than ever and Van is willing to pay more to have fresh fish to ensure his customers are satisfied.

"When people try sushi they like it," Van says. "Sushi is very healthy and has become more popular as people are concerned about health, lowering their cholesterol and eating fresh."

Van doesn't skimp when it comes to selecting beef either and only selects premium cuts of beef. On the weekends, customers can choose Kobe style beef which is a delicacy when it comes to beef and is very difficult to find in Utah.

Kobe style beef is from a genetic line of Wagyu cattle originating in Japan. This beef is renowned for its flavor, remarkable tenderness and tremendous marbling. Van wants his customers to try it; that's why he chose to charge just half of what other restaurants charge in California and Nevada.

"Kobe beef is so much more flavorful due to its marbling," Van says, "It melts in your mouth and is very buttery."

Enjoy an exciting culinary experience today by making your dinner reservation at Last Samurai at 801-568-2888.