Taikin Teppanyaki and Takoyaki Bar — Local services in Waitematā

Let's start with the positives.

Place has nice jpop music, anime posters and even some mounted katanas to set the good vibes. That's where the good ends unfortunately.

When I went there they weren't serving anything fresh, they were serving pre-made ones that had clearly been sitting there for a while. So I asked for fresh made ones and that's what they did. For the ones sitting there for a while apparently they have a policy to not leave the takoyaki there for more than 15 minutes, according to the store owners reply to reviews but I could clearly see that was not true as they sat there for more than 30 minutes as my order was being made, plus however long they would have been sitting there beforehand.

I was served by someone who seemed to not have much experience, as I could see she was cringing everytime the heat went up, but most of all, it seemed that she lost patience at the end as I was served with a few takoyaki balls that weren't even full spheres and had the inside dripping out. Im not sure what happened at the end, i could see she transferred each of the balls to a separate mould maybe to let them rest, but the very last one she transferred it straight to the box while it was still dripping. Most of the ones that were full spheres were very wet inside and the outside was not even crunchy, a few were crunchy on one side but not the other. I'm not sure if I ate something that was even fully cooked especially since every piece was falling apart.

I felt very unhappy about this so I asked for a replacement of the half formed takoyaki ball and I got one, so that was OK at least but I really should have had them all replaced.

But I can't believe that this place made me feel bad fasking for something to be made fresh, it's a food stand for God's sake. I felt like I was asking them a big favor and being a hassle for asking them to make it fresh, but the glass half full is that it shows how inexperienced they are as it seems like it's a hassle for them to even make the food their store is built on.

The person serving me also seemed to be very distracted as she kept talking to random friends of her that came out of nowhere(and were not customers) while also looking super tired and pissed, the place is probably run by a bunch of students as there is no professionalism.

I wish i could rate this higher as i love japanese food, especially takoyaki. But overall I don't think it's worth it unless they get someone more experienced, it's around $13 for 8 balls which isn't cheap, so you'd expect the quality to be amazing and fresh, but it's neither. Just got served very undercooked takoyaki that don't even have shape served by someone who seemed to be treating this like some after-school club activity.

I actually went here a few months ago and while the quality wasn't phenomenal, it was much better. During that time they had different staff, a friendly white dude and a Asian guy. Maybe I just came on the wrong...

Food: Amazing and tasty food, for both Toastie & Taikin can't fault them for anything when it comes to flavours and quality of ingredients. If you have time then I would strongly suggest to try them out.

Drinks: I disagree with a few reviews saying there was no water, there was water available. Just some better self serve signage and a few jugs of water at the bar area will help solve the confusion.

Service: We had a few short interactions with a couple of staff members, they seemed friendly but a little behind on orders as there is only 1 person at Toastie and 2 at Taikin, the tables needed some attention at Taikin but we went on a Tuesday so maybe they are better staffed during weekends. Only one ordering screen in both the restaurants, maybe it would be a problem if it were busier. Would not recommend if you are on a lunch break as the food takes some time.

Ambience: Feels very nice and charming, they have done a good job giving the different stores their own vibe. The spaces are a little small but it adds to the cozy ambience.

Suggestions:

Maybe add a couple of more screens in the outside seating area outside so the customers are able to order from any of the 3 stores from 1 location.

Tables can have a "clean up after yourself" sign like we see in Singapore, so the customers can throw their own takeaway boxes and help staff members. If the bins and used plates areas are visible, I don't think people will mind.

Giving tissues with the T/A boxes or having a tissue caddy on the tables will help.

Staff does need some practice to speed things up and the place still looks like it has novelty so staffing even on slow days will help with the service score.

Some quick T/A or cabinet options would be good if they want to acquire the office going demo.

I wish these businesses all the best and would be back soon. Thank you for...

I had the half&half option Jigoku Tako/Kinocheese Tako.

The Jigoku Tako was spicy, but relatively mild, so even if you're no good with spicy food you should be alright, it's served with plenty of spring onion on top, which helps balance out the spicy factor with the freshness of the spring onion.

The Kinocheese Tako, was, well, takoyaki with cheese, it's what you'd expect.

Have not had their original takoyaki at the time of this review, so the below comparison is to the original takoyaki found elsewhere.

The Kinocheese takoyaki ads that extra kick of fattiness you get from cheese, specially melted cheese. As a lover of all things cheese, I'd still pick the original over this one, but to be fair, OG takoyaki is perfection. But this is a good way to introduce takoyaki to someone hesitant to try it when you mention the octopus in it.

The Jigoku Tako...it was good, but, the spiciness hides a lot of the flavour of the octopus and the sauces. I personally wouldn't have it again. OG takoyaki is perfection.

Takoyaki is Love 💕, Takoyaki is Life 🧬.

Whoever decided to open this store, you have instantly become one of my...