Niku Ou Japanese Chargrill Restaurant — Restaurant in Melbourne

I dined at this restaurant with my parents and partner tonight. We were very excited, as it was our first time dining here, but the experience was completely ruined by a man who I believe is named “CIM” (though I’m unsure if the waitress provided a fake name). He was tall, had a mustache, and appeared to be a manager or supervisor.

We ordered the $319 A5 Kobe + Omi + M9 Wagyu Set since it was our first visit, and we wanted to try a premium option. On the menu, this set is listed right below the Australian Short Rib Wagyu Set priced at $245.

We had already decided on the $319 option from the beginning, but as first-timers, we wanted clarification about the difference between the two sets. To be clear, the two sets feature different meat selections. However, it seems there was a miscommunication or mistake, as the man, “CIM,” assumed and processed our order as the $245 set instead of the $319 set we clearly intended to order.

To clarify, as it was our first time dining here, isn’t it normal to ask about the different menu options? Could it be possible that he misinterpreted what we truly wanted? Not to mention, he didn’t even repeat our order back to us, which could have easily avoided this entire situation.

The mistake was salvageable too, as the table beside us ordered the dish we were initially served. We weren’t looking to argue or expecting an apology—just a simple resolution. Instead, he chose to be condescending and rude, ruining what should have been a special experience.

Our wine was served first while we waited for the meat. Once the meat arrived, we took a few pictures before noticing that the selection was incorrect. I quickly flagged a staff member and explained that this wasn’t what we had ordered.

To my shock, “CIM” responded rudely and insisted with absolute confidence that I had ordered the Australian set. My guests and I were taken aback, as we were certain we had chosen the $319 set. When I tried to correct him, he dismissed me, raising his arms and saying, “I’m not trying to argue, but I’m certain you ordered the Australian set, and you’ll just keep saying you didn’t.”

His demeanor was condescending and unprofessional. This wasn’t just about a misunderstanding; it was about paying for a premium experience and receiving subpar treatment. This was meant to be a special occasion for us, as dining on wagyu is not something we do often. We were simply trying to enjoy a good meal, but instead, the atmosphere at our table was ruined.

What made matters worse was his unprofessional behavior in front of other staff and customers. He made a sarcastic comment to a coworker, who replied loudly, “Sorry, we can’t change your order!” This exchange happened right in front of us, as the order screen was visible from our table. Such behavior is unprofessional and disrespectful, especially in a fine dining establishment.

Despite our discomfort, we requested someone else to cook our meat to salvage the experience. Unfortunately, “CIM” insisted on doing it himself, claiming he was the better cook. His attitude and actions soured the entire meal.

The food was fine, but the service was terrible. I won’t be returning for a while because of one particular staff member, who I was told is named “CIM” (though I’m not entirely sure I was given a real name to be honest). To everyone considering dining here, watch out for a tall man with a mustache who seems to act like the boss or manager. His rude and dismissive behavior ruined what should have been a special experience for us. He seriously needs to get his attitude checked.

Pictures attached: First picture is the $245 one, not the one we wanted. Second is the $319 one, the...

Recently had a dining experience here with my partner and her family and were excited to try the restaurant due to the wonderful reviews we heard about its food.

As we looked through the menu, we decided that the $319 premium wagyu experience which included a set of chef recommended steaks that were a mix of A5 and M9 ratings. We were decided between this and the $245 premium wagyu short rib set but decided on the former due to wanting to experience what seemed to be the best set from the whole menu to celebrate a special occasion.

The issue comes with the server / manager that took our order “Cim”. He was a suited tall man with a mustache. As the food arrived, my partner realized that the set that arrived at our table was the $245 instead of the one we ordered. So we then called for Cim to re confirm our order and ask if it’s possible to change it to our actual order. He then responded with a comment saying he knew exactly which one we ordered but was happy to replace it and consistently repeated the fact he is sure we were mistaken but also followed by how they are happy to replace it.

I want to note we called for him to clear up a possible misunderstanding but he seemed to want to confirm the fact he KNOWS we are the wrong party instead of considering the possibility he mistook our order due to either how busy or stress he was or possibly just human error.

He continued his rudeness by insisting he was the one to cook our meal even after we already requested one of the other employees to cook it for us and have already told her our preferred doneness of our steak. He added the fact that he is a better chef than the other woman employee who we initially requested.

We believe that there were no issues with the food besides the fact that our experience was ruined due to the attitude the waiter / manager, “Cim”, was showing us when the wrong order came out.

I’d like to end by saying there was a possibility of a misunderstanding on both parts as we did ask questions on both the $245 and $319 wagyu set which might’ve made him confused but that was not smoothly communicated upon receiving the wrong order at all and was instead replaced with a “you were wrong and I was right but thats okay” slap to the face by “Cim”. (not sure if that is...

The food last night was actually good. We were impressed with the quality of the sashimi and wagyu. While we all would want to bring our family back for the food, the bad attitude of the manager ruined it all. And this one star is for him particularly.

From the moment we sat down, the manager wanted to rush us out and constantly told us that we had to leave at 8pm. And when I ordered and asked about the portions, he kept pressing me that it wouldn’t be enough and I needed to double the amount of food. It wouldn’t be matter if the advice was in a nice way but he sounded very sarcastically and unpleasantly. I still ended up ordered as he suggested as I didn’t want my friends to not having enough food. When the food arrived, he rushed the waitress to cook the meat as quickly as possible. We had way too much food and not much time to enjoy. Not a nice experience at all, especially when paying top price for it!

In addition, when my friend asked for the drink she ordered for a while, he told her that it’s not his fault but because my friend was too fussy, didn’t want to have ice in her drink so the bartender messed it up!

The last drop was when I wanted to let him know that he suggested too much food, he right away blamed that because we came late. He knew that half of our table turned up late due to the unsual bad traffic, yet he still pushed us to order more food and rushed us all the way!!!

It’s all about making more money here and dinners’ experience/enjoyment won’t be considered. Very disappointed!

When we left, we stayed outside for a bit longer and couldn’t see any other group waiting… Why rushing us at the first place? I don’t get it.

I don’t want to give a bad review atm as hospitality businesses, small or big, all have had suffered for the last few years. However, I hope the same thing won’t happen to the other people again. We’re also deserve to enjoy our meal out with our friends...