Teriyaki Experience has come a long way since my days of undergraduate studies at McMaster University. When it came to deciding what I wanted to to eat before heading back to my dorm room, many times I would find myself lining up at Teriyaki Experience in our student centre to pick up a bowl of freshly made steamed rice, a helping of their signature veggie mix, my go-to protein of chicken, and of course that was all drenched in their famous teriyaki sauce.
Back then Teriyaki Experience was quite simple. The toughest decision when ordering was just figuring out which protein you wanted to have which was a choice of chicken, beef, shrimp, tofu, or a mix of two. As simplistic as the menu was, customers were still lining up in droves because of the pure quality of its dishes. There's also a fun factor involved when placing your order here because the line cooks literally make your food right in front of you. You can hear the sizzling of the meats, smell the aromas of the veggies, and see the steam rise to the ceiling. Teriyaki Experience already had a great foundation to work with, and backed by customer loyalty and just sheer great tasting food, they are about to evolve into its next phase. Teriyaki Experience 2.0.
Chicken Sandwicchio with Edamame Beans
Currently rolling out at 3 locations in Ontario so far (Sherway Gardens, Toronto Eaton Centre, Dorval in Oakville), Teriyaki Experience 2.0 comes with a brand new look and menu. You will notice immediately that they now have new, sleek, and modern looking menu boards. All the employees are also sporting a brand new uniform that resembles a chef's jacket, and if you ever need to take your food to go their take-out packaging has also been revamped.
One of my favourite changes to version 2.0 is their partnership with the French-Asian patisserie, Bake Code. I have a large sweet tooth, so the offering of a variety of desserts like Japanese cheesecake, cream puffs, and rolls are definitely a welcome addition. I personally also really enjoyed the Pineapple Chicken which is part of their new Signature Meals. The pineapple chunks mixed into the rice and veggies really gives the dish some sweetness that none of their other offerings do adding a real exotic flare to it. A big bonus of their new Signature Meals is that they also come with two pieces of gyoza dumplings, another personal favourite of mine. It's hard to dislike anything that gets deep fried, and these gyoza dumplings are no exception.
Teriyaki Experience 2.0 Changes Overview
Made in Japan: Tea & Sweet Shop - Teas
Sencha and Genmaicha organic loose leaf tea made the traditionally Japanese way (steamed) as opposed to many green teas, which are actually from China (pan-fried)
Loose leaf teas flown directly from Japan
Genmaicha green tea has roasted rice!
Made in Japan: Tea & Sweet Shop - Desserts
Famous fluffy Japanese cheesecake
Black sesame roll
Green tea matcha cream puff pastry
Green tea matcha roll
Upgraded Signature Meals
Different veggie cuts so the meals are more Instagram-worthy
Comes with gyoza dumpling
Bigger veggie portion
Famous Chicken Teriyaki is now a Signature Meal
Design-Your-Own-Bowls
Rice and noodle bowls can be customized to guests’ taste
Sushi
Made fresh everyday
Bento Box
New menu product – get a bit of everything!
You may be wondering why Teriyaki Experience is making all these changes to its brand. They are actually celebrating 30 awesome years of being in business and to thank all of their customers for their support, Teriyaki Experience wants to give you a chance to win a free meal every week for a year (grand prize will be in the form of an $800 gift card which accommodates one meal per week for fifty-two weeks). All you have to do is enter by clicking HERE to register. The grand prize winner announcement will happen on Wednesday, December 5th in the afternoon via their corporate social profiles.