As a juicy steak in pepper sauce emerges sizzling out of the small kitchen at Kobe Sizzlers at Hughes Road, near Opera House, a table of youngsters turns around in hungry anticipation. Children at the next table-never less surprised by the steaming wooden tray—stare wide-eyed. Before the mammoth junk-food chain-stores like McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken took over the urban fast-food landscape, there were the smaller, local restaurants that served wholesome, good food at affordable prices. And Kobe was one of the better ones.

The sizzler, in particular has been something of a local brand domain. Kobe’s chain of restaurants has been around for as long as college-goer Rajeev Goyal can remember; he says it wins hands down when it comes to deciding on where to go out for dinner. “I grew up coming to this place. And in all these years, the taste still remains just as good. As college-goers, of course, we can’t afford the place too often.” he says. At an average Rs 250 for a sizzler, the place has churned out its famous steaks, the popular Chicken Shashlik or satellite or its extensive choice of vegetable or sea-food sizzlers since 1975.

Thirty-three years later, Kobe looks practically the same, the menu has barely changed, the prices acknowledge inflation only minorly and the staff is decades-old and very polite. Reason enough to have four-five groups on an average wait outside.

Urmila Seth, who sits at the restaurant in the afternoons and evenings, watching over things while glancing through the day’s newspapers, tells the story of how it all began. Growing up in the city, Seth loved the sizzlers at Touche’s at the Excelsior Theatre at Bori Bunder. “A Japanese lady started the place and it did well. So my husband and I and a friend, Vazeer Hyder, decided to start a sizzler place of our own.” And thus came about the place that has branches and franchises in Pune, Amritsar, and one even in Muscat. When Kobe’s came to Pune, foodies shunned it saying it couldn’t possibly compete with the older, The Place - Touche or Zamu’s—household names, synonymous with sizzlers in Pune. But the chain has done roaring business enough to start a second branch in the city.

Seth can tell you more about the humble beginnings of the place that began with its first branch at Hughes Road. “We began with half the area. Back then we had a very popular breakfast dish called ‘Egcitement’. But then, we had to scrap the breakfast menu because people became too picky,” she sneers. She confesses she has also had to play tough with the likes of Jackie Shroff. “He used to sit here from morning to evening over his coffee. And we literally had to force him out. That was, of course, before he became famous,” she smiles fondly. Kobe has served a steady stream of celebrity clientele over the years. Anil and Tina Ambani, Rajiv Gandhi in his flying days, and Aamir Khan have been loyal customers. Their key to success, as Seth’s son Kailash, reinforces, is “a keen attention to quality”.