Just Open: Pepper Lunch, Canberra

Be prepared for sizzling steak on hotplates - the Japanese chain Pepper Lunch is opening a store in Canberra.

It's a Japanese steakhouse where beef, chicken or salmon is served up on an iron plate that's 260C, leaving you to cook the meat to your own liking and add sauces - and lots of pepper. Spend too much time Instagramming your meal and your salmon might be overcooked.

Pepper Lunch is big in Asia with hundreds of stores spread from Tokyo to the Philippines. There are currently eight outlets in Australia, including Sydney food courts.

It's got a bit of a following among the international student crowd and fans of Japanese pop culture.

And while nobody would bat an eyelid at the opening of another chain store in Sydney or Melbourne, it's another small sign of Canberra's steady growth as a food spot, particularly when it comes to the previously under-served international student population, the traditional audience for outfits like Cha Time bubble tea and the Malaysian restaurant chain PappaRich.

​The Canberra Pepper Lunch is slated to open in the week starting Monday, April 25, in Garema Place next to the Oliver Brown chocolate store.

Owner Stephen Han lived in Canberra while attending the Australian National University and says he wanted to bring something different to the capital.

"Introducing a food experience is what we can do to give back to the community," he says. "I'm personally a big fan of Japanese food and we really want to have a good blend between office people and students. When I was at university I was always looking for a good feed that was healthy."

Han says Pepper Lunch is a good fit for Canberra. "I've been in Australia for 10 years, more than half of that was spent in Canberra, I love the city, I know the city well, I've seen the drastic change in Canberra," he says.

Pepper Lunch is in Garema Place. See pepperlunch.com.au