Coupons 
They’re every where now ~ there are so many websites that sell them. I will be the first to put my hand up and say I’m addicted to coupons hahaha I love buying and using them. Main reason because they give me the chance to try new places and new experiences for a discounted price But having said that, there are some things I rarely buy on coupon sites…and one of them would be restaurant deals…I have had a couple of bad experiences. That’s why to be very honest, when Groupon first approached and asked if I was interested in trying out on of their restaurant deals and wasn’t sure if I should do it.
Tokyo Teppanyaki
But then I saw that Winston (The Hungry Excavator) reviewed Tokyo Teppanyaki through Groupon’s coupon and really enjoyed his experience Do check out the video his friend made it’s quite amusing and seems like a fun experience. So I agreed and decided to also try Tokyo Teppanyaki, there were other restaurant available but I knew Mr Bao would enjoy Japanese the most.
I used the code Groupon gave me to purchase the voucher for this deal and called up to make a reservation. Unfortunately, the voucher was only available at lunch time and they are only open at lunchtimes on the weekends, so we made a booking on a Saturday at 12pm perfect for brunch. I had driven past and dined as so many restaurants around Tokyo Teppanyaki and knew exactly where it was, as it is situated in the centre of Chapel St, I suggest you going early to find parking. We were very lucky and found parking right in front of the restaurant
Upon walking in, we found the little bridge quite amusing as you had to walk past it to into the restaurant. We were immediately greeted by the manager, who asked us for our Groupon voucher. She then led us to the table and placed us in between a family of four and and another couple next to us. I felt it was a little cramped and it would have been nicer if they had given us more room and not fill the whole table up.
Mixed entree – sushi, fried chicken and springroll
Nearly instantaneously, a waitress came over and put a little plate of picked beansprouts and carrots in front of us along with a small plate of entree which consist of a piece of sushi, fried chicken and spring roll. We were impressed at how fresh and crunchy the fried chicken was and really liked the sauce that came with it, which tasted like a mixture of Kewpie mayonnaise and soy sauce.
Miso soup
Next it was the miso soup, thank gosh it wasn’t too salty as most Japanese restaurants serve it, having said that I would have liked a little tofu in the soup ~
Soon our Teppanyaki Chef came over, he was a friendly man joking with us and asking if we’ve had Teppanyaki before, it created a relaxed environment. First dish was tiger prawn which was super fragrant but found it to be slightly overcooked.
TIger Prawn
The chef was able to cut the calamari into thin strips and also control how well it was cooked, still amazes me the amazing knife skills Teppanyaki chef’s have and their ability to resist heat
The calamari was immediately our favourite ~ it was super tender and not at all rubbery! Simply seasoned with some butter, you could really taste the grilled flavour
Teriyaki Chicken
We then moved onto the teriyaki chicken which I am a fan of I love the sticky and sweetness from teriyaki hehe ~ you can see how glossy the chicken was coasted with the teriyaki sauce ~ Very well cooked and seasoned yum!
Sake
The food then stopped for a little while, where the waitress came and delivered the warm sake included in the offer. We don’t drink very much sake but found this to be quite strong but really liked that it was warm and left a sweetish aftertaste.
Tenderloin Steak
Next up it was the tenderloin steak, sorry about the messy plate, they didn’t change our plates throughout the whole meal, so by the end we got the tenderloin steak it was full of sauce 
This tenderloin steak was very nice and better quality than we expected, however, Mr Bao did comment that he wished it was taken off the heat a minute or so earlier, as it was more ‘medium-welldone’ and not ‘medium-rare’. He can be so picky *rolls eyes*
Sauce
While I really liked dipping the steak in the red sauce in the middle which was the onion and tomato sauce ~ they two just paired up really well.
Warm sake
There was another short break while the chef got ready for the ‘theatrical show’ we continued to enjoy the warm sake, that was placed on the corner of the teppanyaki iron plate ~ very creative never thought of keeping the sake warm like this hehe
Bean shoots and carrots
Finally some veggies ~ The whole course had been meat based, Mr Bao was not complaining It was simple fried bean shoots and carrots with some soy sauce.
Now the show begins, the chef cleans the iron griddle plates and starts by throwing around an egg and spinning it ~ he then threw it up and cracked it 
He then made a omelette with the end and cut little strips off and started throwing it to customers and asked us to eat it with our mouths open and without any utensils ~
Throwing omelette pieces ~
LOL as you can see the gentleman sitting across was had a good time and tried so hard by opening his mouth extremely wide. He didn’t get it the first two times, but finally got it the third time ~ we had really bad lighting on our side, so I couldn’t take a decent picture of Mr Bao trying to eat it.
Rice bowl throwing ~
It was then rice bowl throwing hahaha the chef tried it out on the little girl sitting across us first, he throws an empty rice bowl first and then another and eventually the third one is full of rice! Unfortunately, Mr Bao dropped his but i managed to catch up! YAY!
Fried Rice
The last course was the fried rice with pieces of egg, spring onion and little pieces of carrots. It was good, however, it was a little dry and overcooked because the Chef had left it on the griddle for a couple of minutes while we were playing the throwing rice bowl game. I think it would have been better if he had served the rice first before the game
Because we only got the voucher for two we didn’t get ice-cream 
it would have been really nice if we were able to end the meal with something sweet.
Overall, Mr Bao and I enjoyed our teppanyaki lunch, food was good, staff was friendly and attentive and the chef was very talented and funny. We never expected such a theatrical show and thought it was a great way to get the whole table to interact with each other and the chef
Now to the giveaway Thanks to Groupon one lucky reader is going to get a $50 voucher to spend on anything Groupon deals ~
To enter this giveaway:
- Leave a comment and tell me if you have tried Japanese Teppanyaki before and do you like it?
- For more entries please ‘Like’ me on Facebook and Follow me on Twitter ~ If you’ve already done that please let me now! Thank you!
- Giveaway ends on the 31st of January
- You may reenter daily, one entry a day
- Winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on this blog and notified via email
- Please ensure you enter a valid email address
- Open to all Australian residents (Sorry International Readers)
WINNER ANNOUNCED
Congratulations Benjamin you are the winner of this giveaway!
Daisy and Mr Bao@Nevertoosweet dined at Tokyo Teppanyaki as guests of Groupon.
Tagged: Japanese, Melbourne, Restaurant, Review, Teppanyaki, Urbanspoon
I have never tried it, but it looks amazingly yummy!
Hope you win and get to try
I bet you’ll like it ~
follow on Twitter @narellerock
Thank you for the support
Like On Facebook (Narelle Rock)
I have never tried Japanese Teppenyaki before. It is on my to do list for 2013!
It’s definitely a great experience
I bet you will enjoy it ~
I’ve been to Teppanyaki before and it’s great theatre and like you say, it gets the whole table involved. I very much admire those chefs as I’m not sure I could cook under that sort of pressure xx
I definitely agree
I would never be able to cook and entertain at the same time and make it look so effortless hehe ~ I failed at catching the fried rice though 
xox
oh very nice! i havent had teppanyaki in years, the chefs are amazing! i too love teriyaki chicken!
Me too I love teriyaki chicken too
It’s always fascinated me how they are able to cook on such a flat surface hehe ~
not an entry: Teppanyaki freaks me out lol! shame about the sitting space
! the chicken looks so good *drools*
Yeah the seating arrangements was the only bad thing
The chicken and calamari was our favourite ~
I have never tried Japanese Teppanyaki before, but I’d love to!
I also already follow you on facebook and twitter
Thanks for the support
I hope you get to try Japanese Teppanyaki soon ~ it’s a great experience being able to interact with the chef 
I got an email from a Groupon representative but never got around to replying haha. Oops.
I’ve only ever had teppanyaki once and that was at Benihana on the Gold Coast. Not something I’d be going to every week but definitely worth trying. Plus, it’s heaps of fun!
HAHAHA I do that too
See emails and mean to reply but then never get the chance to or i forget 
I agree that it’s not an every day or week thing but definitely fun and I love being able to see the chefs do it in front of us ~
I’ve never tried Japanese Teppanyaki but it does look interested. Like & Followed.
Thanks for the support
good luck!
What lovely dishes indeed, TRUE!
Hehe you guys are so funny! I’m so clumsy that I never even try to catch the rice, because I know that I won’t get it!
That is a great dining experience, such fun.
I took my family and we all enjoyed the fire, cling , clang, chopping and tasting. Kobe riverside claim to have the largest teppanki table in melbourne and it shows but the chefs are not as entertaining as other places. Groupon, scoupon and living social are very addictive!!
Yes I’ve tried it and it’s delicious and really fun to watch. There is a real skill to what those chefs do!
Like on Facebook
Following on Twitter
Dear Daisy,
Teppanyaki is one of my favourite styles of Japanese food because it is so tasty especially the beef and king prawns. Theatrics are quite entertaining too and I always crack up when they write “thank you” on the grill with some salt at the end of the meal.
I haven’t been but I’ve walked past it a billion times
Finally a restaurant where my kids would not be obsessed with their phones the whole time.
Love Teppanyaki!!
I have never try this but it would be interesting to try and enjoy some good food and it looks awesome
Entering again today; thanks for the opportunity!
I have never tried Teppanyaki……. but looks like yummy food and a fun experience…
I love having my food thrown at me..and straight into my mouth!
Japanese food is my favourite, but I haven’t tried Teppanyaki. It looks so yummy and fun. New fan & new follower. Thanks for the chance
Entering again today; would love to treat hubby to a special lunch!
Have tried and loved!
Yum!!!
I’ve never tried it, but maybe next time I’m in Melbournia. Looks tasty.
Never tried, but maybe next time I’m in Melbournia.
I also liked on facebook
…and followed on twitter (@travodo88)
Today’s entry. Thanks again
Entering again today; gotta be in it to win it!
Back today for another chance. Thanks
Back for today’s entry…I also accidentally entered twice above (as a tree and as me…)
I’m keeping my fingers crossed
Entering again today; thanks for your great giveaways!
Hooray, Friday is here! Enjoy your coming weekend.x
Back for another entry.
So yummy!
Melbournia has endless wonders like this…Perth not so much.
Teppanyaki is delicious
Back for another entry
These photos are mouth-watering
Dinner and a show… at one place.
Entering again today; thanks for your giveaways!
Back today for another entry, thanks
Today’s entry. Thanks!
Another week, another entry for today, thanks
Back for another entry today
Is this another entry? Yes, yes it is.
Another day, another entry
Back for another entry.
Another entry? Don’t mind if I do.
Back another
Another entry
Happy Hump Day
Entering again today!
erm what was I here for…that’s right. Another entry.
An entry for today
Another entry, thanks.
Another entry for me too – hope you’re having a nice day!
Another entry for today
Another entry for today
Another entry, Thanks
Another entry for me – Friday might be my lucky day!
Quite hot in Sydney, back for another entry
Another entry, thaks.
Another entry for me – hope you’re having a nice weekend!
New entry for today
Another entry, thank you
You may enter! Thanks.
An entry for today – thanks
Today’s entry
Another entry for me!
Entry for today. Cheers.
Back for today’s entry, thanks
A new entry for today
A new entry for today – fingers crossed!
Today’s entry. Thanks.
Another Entry
Another entry for today – fingers crossed!
Hi, was about to purchase the groupon voucher for this. Can you tell me if the springrolls were meat based or veg?
Was about to purchase the groupon offer for this. Would love to win the giveaway
Today’s entry, thank you
Today’s entry. Thanks
An entry for today
Another entry
Another entry, thanks.
Today’s entry, thanks
My entry for today
I’d love to try Teppanyaki. It seems like such a fun way to dine! (girlsaveshouse@gmail.com)
I’ve also liked and followed you on twitter (clair,amber7 – fb and girlsaveshouse on twitter!)
Entry for today, thanks
Another entry for me – happy Friday!
Yummy!
Today’s entry
Enjoy your long weekend
Another entry for me – happy Australia Day!
And another entry.
an entry for me today
Back for another entry today
another entry, thankyou.
Today’s entry
Entry for today
Back for another entry, thanks again
Back for today’s entry
Another day, another entry
Rain finally stops, today’s entry.
Rain finally stops
Today’s entry.
No never tried but would like to
New entry for today – fingers crossed!
Todays entry
Back for today’s entry, thanks
Thanks, today’s entry.
i am yet to try it but would love too, trying to get my daughter out a bit more to try new dinning experiences
New entry for today – thank you
Todays Entry
Liked and following, I love it its a wonderful, theatrical experience, best to go with a group, more fun than just 2
No, I haven’t tried it… It looks fun but I’m a strict vegetarian and most places wouldn’t suit me!
I like you on FB and follow you on Twitter
Back for another entry – last one!
Final entry, phew.
Last entry, thank you
and my last entry
Thank you
Congratulations to the winner! And hehe fun shot of the “catch”! Something that I’ve never quite mastered
Hahhaha I don’t think I’ll ever master the ‘catching’ thing