Found along the A46, around five miles from Lincoln, Ethan's is a newly opened Japanese steakhouse featuring everything from sushi bites to teppanyaki showcases. In a rather unusual location, ran by the popular Damon's Motel and American style restaurant, Ethan's is proud to serve up authentic (and a few more contemporary) dishes from a host of skilled chefs.
The reception staff were friendly and eager to help, providing details about the area, car parking, taxi numbers and arranging table bookings. The hotel rooms start at £40 a night, with free WiFi, hot drinks facilities and a spacious clean bathroom. There were plenty of plug sockets and space for our belongings, as well as three mirrors for that all important getting ready time!
We stayed in a Standard Twin, which on a Friday would be £40, increasing to £70 for Saturday nights. Although a little further out from Lincoln, it would be the perfect base for those on a budget, with a taxi costing just £6-8 into the city centre.
Being a Japanese food fanatic, we of course opted to dine at Ethan's. There were plenty of excited diners waiting to eat at Damon's too, which is famous for its BBQ offerings, sticky ribs, 28 day aged steaks and meat platters. Ethan's has an unmistakable Oriental inspired vibe, with leaf print wallpaper, sleek wooden table tops and modern metallic lighting. The tables are laid out ready for your teppanyaki showcase - but it's fine to choose from the regular menu or sushi platters should you wish.
We begun the night with a couple of cocktails. These came in a large hurricane glass with all the fun extras of a holiday drink - cocktail cherries and tiny umbrellas of course! This, along with the welcoming staff, made us feel like the restaurant took inspiration from the attentive American style of service. We went for the Pina Colada and Strawberry Daiquiri (both £6) - because why not?
Seated at our table, we scanned through the amazing variety of teppanyaki dishes that could be cooked before us. From lobster to steak, prawns to duck, you could opt for just one classic main course or go for a special combination. Starting at £13 and going up to the £30 mark, all the main courses included accompaniments of beef or miso soup, mixed salad with ginger dressing, three jumbo king prawns, egg and vegetable fried rice, stir fried noodles and vegetables.
The grill was fired up and the flame show began! Beneath the flickering fire and fancy knife finesse, our teppanyaki chef showcased his skills in cooking rock lobster tail, prime sirloin steak, scallops and Gressingham duck breast (£30 and £29 combinations). We opted to have the steak flavoured with teriyaki sauce, whilst the duck was infused with classic plum and scallops with tangy miso.
Before our mains, we chose to share some of their sushi delights, sampling two kind of their uramaki rolls. At £7.25 for eight pieces (or a choice to mix and match), we went for the Prawn Tempura Roll and Salmon Avocado, Cucumber and Mayo. As combinations I've chosen time and time again at previous sushi restaurants, I was pleased these were just as good as ones I've tried before. Although the rice was a little harder than usual, the flavours were fresh and moreish. In particular, great quality salmon sashimi and a light and crunchy tempura batter.
After much artistry from our teppanyaki master, we were presented with well cooked, well timed dishes from our chosen ingredients. Cooked from raw, the chefs have to have precision timing to cook the likes of rare steak to perfectly tender chicken all at the same time. This includes everything from de-veining and butterflying the king prawns to taking the lobster from its shell and slicing the steak up finely whilst keeping it perfectly pink. We were told that there are a variety of chefs too; some that might suit a family who may not have tried Japanese food before, a girly night out group or foodie fanatics.
Of course vegetarian diners would be able to have separate areas on the grill for their meals, having been asked about our dining requirements. I was pleased to see they have a rigid process, with a policy of always asking twice for dietary needs and allergies.
Not the easiest thing to snap a food photograph of, but as you can see the generous portion features glistening rare teryaki steak, deliciously plump prawns and tasty chunks of lobster. You're invited to tuck in as and when the chef cooks the dishes, but of course I waited for a picture opportunity. With his knowledge of flavours, our chef Bradley had created a zingy lemony sauce to complement our seafood. Delicious! The only thing we weren't taken by was the salad, which we felt could have been more Japanese inspired with coriander, carrots, spring onions or cabbage.
By this point I'm not sure how we had room, but were convinced by the waitress that the deep fried ice cream was a must-try. Right she was, we shared (in the end, grudgingly) this tasty ice cold vanilla pod ice cream within a lightly battered, sweet shell. In the future I'd definitely be getting one to myself!
To round off our stay, we enjoyed breakfast back at American style Damon's. With unlimited coffee and gut-busting breakfast, we soon found out why there were queues to dine here. Although an unassuming restaurant by the A46, everyone seemed to know about their breakfasts. We both went for the cinnamon French toast, bacon and maple syrup - devilishly tasty! I would have preferred my bacon more crispy, but the fluffy toast and great seasoning made up for that. Pancakes, ham and steaks galore passed our tables, as well as the smell of fresh coffee pots.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by our experience, at a location I would have otherwise overlooked. The Motel was really convenient, the breakfast was gigantic and the Japanese restaurant surpassed our expectations. I'd definitely go back for the teppanyaki, and encourage anyone to try the experience our for themselves. Such a fun and entertaining style of dining which of course results in some delicious food!
Ethan's Japanese Steak House
998 Doddington Rd
Lincoln
LN6 3SE
We dined as guests of Ethan's. All opinions and photography my own; I was not expected to write a positive review or otherwise.
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