Minneapolis, MN: Hibachi Daruma – A First Look at Teppanyaki on A Food Truck

Joy Summers A new kind of Japanese cuisine served curbside

By Joy Summers  |  City Pages

Joy Summers A new kind of Japanese cuisine served curbside
Joy Summers
A new kind of Japanese cuisine served curbside

The colorful truck is adorned with the daruma, from which it gets its name. Inside the truck is a teppanyaki chef (who spent some time doing all that fancy flipping food work at Benihana) serving several meat and rice options to food truck fans.

Hibatchi Daruma regularly offers teriyaki chicken, beef, shrimp, or a combination of any two served over fried rice with grilled vegetables. They also have gyoza and lo mein noodle options.

Joy Summers Crispy and ready for dipping
Joy Summers
Crispy and ready for dipping

We sampled the beef and gyoza. Simple potstickers are served five for $5. They were crispy on the bottom, chewy and filled with the usual meat and veggies, mildly flavored with a little cabbagey aftertaste. They were served with a salty, barely sweet dipping sauce.

The meat was light enough in color that for a second we thought it might have been chicken, but after a few bites it was decided that no, it was beef. It was plesantly salty and sweet with strips of sweet, cooked green onions, served over tender rice studded with little nubs of egg. The vegetables were slices of zucchini and onion, cooked until just tender crisp and perfectly seasoned. It was a generous serving that made for a hearty meal.
Joy Summers That's a big plate of food
Joy Summers
That’s a big plate of food
Hibachi Daruma is licensed for both Minneapolis and St. Paul. Find them on Twitter.

http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2013/07/hibachi_daruma_food_truck.php

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