Ichiban Teppanyaki — Restaurant in North Island

This reveiw is for the Ichiban Cafe on Queen's Drive. Over the years prices have increased but portions have decreased. This is not an improvement.

Roast Duck On Rice: At first glance the dish looked promising until you realise that the duck was sitting on a bed of Shanghai Bak Choy. When that was removed the mound of duck looked really small. And then to discover that 50% was the upper thorax (chest) and neck which were very bony, and the rest of the pieces had only a tiny amount of flesh attached to the rib-cage, meant that it could not satisfy even small eaters. They were even tight with the rice! The beef noodle was not much better being small in portion-size and almost vegan because the beef was invisible. We were still hungry when we left and needless to say, abysmally disappointed.

You would get more value if you ate in Wellington city because prices are now similar. Duck is much more meaty in Wellington than what was served here. So from now, their Roast is Toast!!

Nb. Don't remove the water-jug from the counter even by mistake because the she-chef will descend on your table to scream at you in peasant fashion before retrieving her jug! A surge of cortisol prior to eating is not conducive to anyone's health or happiness. Perhaps the fryer frizzled her temper but there's no excuse to ignite over a jug of water. Shop Solution: Try stocking several jugs or erect a sign stating "Muggle-heads, thou shall not remove THE (one and only) JUG from...

People often assume Japanese dining is always expensive, but at Ichiban Teppanyaki there’s truly something for everyone. The menu ranges from around $20 through to $70, which makes it accessible whether you’re after a casual bite or a more indulgent evening.

You simply can’t fault fresh food cooked right in front of you. Watching the chef skillfully prepare, marinade, and grill the meats and vegetables was phenomenal, the food itself was absolutely flawless.

One of the best comments of the night came from my friend, who said: “Teppan is a perfect first date meal, it’s part entertainment, part eating, and you’ve always got something to watch if the conversation dips.” That sums it up perfectly.

We dined very early (5:30 PM on a Thursday) as a group of three, and while the food and chef’s effort were outstanding, the entertainment side naturally works better with a bustling room. I’d recommend going at a busier time, or with a larger group, to really capture the full experience.

Service outside of the chef’s performance felt minimal, but that’s almost to be expected, after all, the main attraction here is the grill show itself.

I would 100% go back, and next time I’ll bring a big group to enjoy the food, the fun, and the...

Fire, Excitement, a skilled swordsman, flying eggs and rice...

oh, and there is food.

Have been here a few times now, and it never disappoints, the chefs are amazing at what they do, and you get a good 30-45 minutes of cooking experience from them, then as long as you like after to finish your rice off. We normally go for the $41 Sakura set menu, which comes with a salad, and some tempura bits and spring rolls to start, then prawns, squid or fish, Steak pieces, egg fried rice, chicken thighs and mixed stir fried veg.

The prawn heads/tentacles are long cooked until very crispy and served about the same time as the steak and are an interesting experience if you've never tried them before.

You do get involved with the chef on occasion and he will get you to catch an egg in a bowl and then catch the fried rice in a bowl in a bowl. can get messy, as you can quite literally get egg on your face!

They have a great drinks menu, and spirit doubles are a reasonable $7, they also have 3 kinds of saki and a plum wine (some people might like the plum wine, they would be strange people.)

Worth keeping an eye on Groupon, as they do quite often have a 50% off...