Hiroshi Yamaguchi

The Path

Teppanyaki is the frame for Hiroshi Yamaguchi’s current work at Hibana by Koki in Hanoi. The format demands control of heat, timing, and repetition, and his practice sits squarely in that discipline: standing over the grill, reading each moment, and letting precision carry the plate. In a fast-moving city, his kitchen runs on a different tempo, one defined by sizzle, measured timing, and the kind of consistency built over years at the grill.

The Work Today

As Head Chef, Yamaguchi sets the pace of the kitchen through a standard that is immediate and sensory. The reference point is Yaeyama Kyori beef, which sits at the center of his palate and his work. His own words make that clear: “If I ever got tired of the taste of Yaeyama Kyori beef, I think I would retire as a teppanyaki chef.” It is a blunt measure of how closely his cooking is tied to flavor, and how little room he leaves for anything that does not register on the plate. That standard comes from repetition. “I have been working in teppanyaki for about 30 years,” Yamaguchi says, and the number reads less like a milestone than a record of accumulated judgment. Three decades in the format leaves room for muscle memory, timing, and the steadiness required to keep the work exact. In his hands, teppanyaki is not treated as showmanship; it is a method built on attention, heat, and the constant negotiation between chef and ingredient.

Signature

Wagyu Katsu Sando is among Hiroshi’s signature dishes. It fits the logic of his kitchen: composed, direct, and built around texture and richness rather than excess. The dish carries his sensibility without needing decoration, and it points to the kind of control that defines specialist work.

In Their Words “If I ever got tired of the taste of Yaeyama Kyori beef, I think I would retire as a teppanyaki chef.” “I have been working in teppanyaki for about 30 years.”

Acclaim

The clearest published marker is the 2025 MICHELIN Guide mention of the Wagyu Katsu Sando as a standout at Izakaya by Koki. It places Yamaguchi in print with a specific dish, a specific year, and the Koki group in Hanoi. The note is concise, but useful: it records where his work entered the public eye, and what dish drew attention in 2025.