SYDNEY: A visit to a Japanese restaurant in Australian by Italian designers from the high-end kitchen appliance company, ILVE, has inspired a new range of cooktops with the first sketches of the company’s new Tepanyaki Plate cooker drawn on a napkin.

“While they were visiting Sydney, a group of designers from the ILVE factory were taken out to a Tepanyaki restaurant and were blown away by this innovative cooking style,” said ILVE Marketing’s Daniel Bertuccio.

“Legend has it that then on the flight back to Italy the plans for the first domestic Tepanyaki cooker were drawn up on an airline napkin!”

ILVE’s new Tepanyaki Plate sits on an elongated fish burner for even heat retention. It is available on the company’s new P120 freestanding range — a side by side 90 cm and 30 cm oven with seven burners and seven cooktop variations, including the new Tepanyaki Plate.

On show in ILVE showrooms and retailers around Australia, the stainless steel P120 cooktop with Tepanyaki Plate retails from $14,899.

“The key to this kitchen masterpiece is its diversity, ease and healthy way in which it can cook all your favourite dishes,” said Bertuccio. “Typically the range features ILVE’s renowned hand crafted commercial quality.”

The P120’s seven burners comprise an elongated fish burner with removable Tepanyaki Plate, two quad ring wok super burners, one simmer and three medium gas burners. All burners feature flame control, pressure thermostat readings, cast iron trivets and are fitted with flame failure cut out safety devices.

In addition, ILVE’s Turbowave Quickstart preheating function heats the oven from 0-180¢ªC in eight minutes. The P120 also has a non-staining black vitreous enamel catalytic cook and clean interior, triple door glazing for safety and a removable oven door and inner door glass.