Mairangi Japanese Cuisine — Restaurant in Hibiscus and Bays

One of the most disappointing experience for food hunting in Auckland. we saw the Google photos and was tempted by the Japanese hotpot, called NABE , but ended up having something totally different from the photo: No fresh beef . No vege combination and cooked Frozen dumplings.

we understand the food on the Google photo is called sukiyaki (which is the cheaper choice at the hotpot category), we ordered a higher price one under this catalog and expecting something better.

Surprisingly!! what we got was such a low quality food, totally different from the Google photo. the restaurant's explanation was: you ordered the wrong thing.

It is funny that you paid higher price but the fresh pieces of beef (on the photo) being replaced by few chopped cooked beef, fresh vege combinations being replaced by cooked cabbage. Two dumplings inside were frozen dumplings from Korean supermarket.

I usually hate demanding and difficult customers but really can't help expressing this unpleasant experience. (was too angry to take a photo of my food, just took one photo showing the small chopped beef in the soup)

I heard the owner for this restaurant was changed , this could be the reason why things are...

Possibly one of the worst Japanese restaurant in Auckland and probably NZ! Where do I start? Rice, the basics...well it's dry. At least it's cooked and not crunchy I guess. The sashimi, well not the freshest ingredients for sure but I expect that it's well made since they have a sushi bar and all that I saw as we walked in. My expectations were high as I expect the chef knows what he's doing. Boy was I wrong! He killed it also with a big blob of wasabi, I assume to mask the not so fresh raw seafood. Hope I am not going to get food poisoning. Then, the salad was like it's been sitting in the fridge for a couple of days. The tempura batter on one of them I smelled something off so I had to spit it out. That brings me to the eel that was rubbery, tough and dry which I also spat out.

The gyoza wasn't something to rave about either as it tastes like the packet stuff.

So all in all, the worst dinner meal of the year and a big waste of time and money!

If only I can give it negative star...first time...

I recently dined at Mairangi Japanese Cuisine and had the pleasure of being served by Hannah. Their service was exceptional!

Friendly and Attentive: Hannah was incredibly friendly and attentive throughout our meal. They were always there when we needed something, but never intrusive. Hannah was clearly knowledgeable about the menu and was able to answer all of our questions with ease. Service was efficient and professional, ensuring our dining experience was smooth and enjoyable. While the food was delicious, it was Hannah's excellent service that truly made our dining experience memorable. I would highly recommend requesting a table in their section. I was so impressed with Hannah's service that I had to ask for their name to include it in...