KooKoo Teppanyaki and Lounge Bar — Restaurant in Gold Coast City

I had a very underwhelming experience last night dining here. We had a booking of 11 for 6:30pm and at 6:20pm 5 of us arrived and were seated at a waiting table which is fine, all was well. Then at 6:35 we were questioned where the rest of the group were and told that they couldn’t hold the booking past 6:45pm which is understandable but a bit confusing as some of us were already there and it wasn’t as if we weren’t showing up entirely. Please keep in mind our actual table wasn’t even ready yet and we were still at the waiting table. At 6:40pm three more people showed up (also a public holiday so terrible traffic and hard to get a park). Once again they came up and reminded us and I told them I hadn’t forgotten and we still have five mins and again explained they were just stuck in traffic, the table was still not cleared and we were still at the waiting table. At 6:43pm we again were reminded and told we would have to order without them, I said no and now they had cleared the table. So we moved over and the other members arrived with 1 minute to spare and without a nice greeting we were handed menus and asked what we wanted to order despite the fact we had no time to actually look at the menu. I honestly don’t know what the point of us ordering was as they didn’t get any of it right, they were giving the wrong people the wrong meat and meals and foods. Didn’t ask how we wanted our steak cooked and the chicken was so burnt I barely ate any of it. The food timing of servings was terrible and I have been to many teppanyaki restaurants so am aware it won’t all be at once but it just felt as if everything was being rushed and the guy didn’t entertain us at all. At the end I was asked 5 times if I had finished my meal as I was clearly eating and had a mouth full, they were constantly lingering trying to get us to leave. The staff would sigh when asked to do anything, I asked for two waters and was told to wait. Honestly just terrible service. Regardless if we had all arrived at 6:30pm we all would have ordered a drink and taken time before ordering food to catch up as the dinner wasn’t just a quick grab of food it was meant to be a catch up and an experience, which is what you would expect for the price of the place. I will say I have been here on a few occasions always bringing large groups and my past experiences were more enjoyable but this time has put a very sour taste in my mouth and I will not be returning, so due to your poor service last night you have lost myself and guests as a customer. I do understand not holding bookings for people not showing up entirely but more than half of the booking were there prior to or at the booking time and life does happen and it can be hard to coordinate larger groups to all arrive at a certain times, especially with kids and elderly in whom cannot walk fast from the far car park. Overall, we were all disappointed and can definitely say there are better options for teppanyaki on...

Oxford's dictionary defines teppanyaki as a Japanese dish of meat, fish, or both, fried with vegetables on a hot steel plate forming the centre of the table. Rocky Aoki, took this concept to the United States, opening the first teppanyaki restaurant in New York City in 1964. Rocky's vision combined Japanese cuisine with a theatrical dining experience, featuring chefs preparing meals with flair and skill on steel griddles at the customers' tables. This innovative combination of food and entertainment made Benihana a unique and successful national chain. It is in this styling that KooKoo Teppanyaki has patterned itself. Located a short stroll from the Cavill tram station, you will find the restaurant on Surfer's Paradise Blvd.

When you arrive for your reservation, you'll be guided to the waiting area. As you walk into the restaurant, you'll be guided past four large grills with seating for up to 13 people. You'll be seated at the rear of the restaurant at one of 4-6 nondescript black tables. They are unimpressive. After short wait you will be ushered to your table. Each grill appears to be elevated so be careful if you are seated next to the steps as I could see children or older people stumbling.

The chef arrives with produce for the patrons and double checks the orders. As the show is equal parts food and show, he begins twirling forks, knives and spatula to the delight of the audience. There are flames, rhyming clinging of metal, and flying food! The chef was entertaining and attentive but the food lacked the flavors that I expected. If you've never had teppanyaki, it is worth...

Not a great start sitting at a dirty 'waiting' table.

When we were actually seated a host comes along wearing an FBI badge. The only thing this guy needs to investigate is food safety skills and urgently! Our dilligent law enforcement offical dropped a silver metal bowl on the floor. After demonstrating his lack lustre knife skills he then proceeded to put the dirty bowl on top of his knife kit and proceed to the next teppanyaki grill.

Even worse when this introductory chef finished his beverage, he sat his empty glass on the same metal trays our raw food was placed on. Even more gross was the waitress left the dirty used glass when cleaning up the empty raw food trays whilst our food was cooking. Horrifyingly the dirty used glass remained uncollected as we left the restaurant.

Salad was uneventful, the packet Miso soup was the only authentic Japanese food served, prawns were the highlight and the sauces were watered down.

The chef who cooked the teppanyaki set enthusiasm matched the carpet- oily with the jokes needing a refresh!

The only trick this teppanyaki restaurant excels in is emptying your wallet.

Due to response from owner: Food safety laws are mandatory - not optional! May I suggest your chef hydrate pre show to keep things in accordance with food handling regulations. A chef with 20 years experience should know that dropping a bowl on the floor deems the bowl contaminated. You then do not cross contaminate your utensil kit with contaminated bowl.

My review is not inaccurate it is exactly what I saw and it is as disappointing as...