What to expect at a teppan-yaki restaurant?

[Plingston]

I've never eaten Japanese food at all and feel intimidated. I've seen the menu but I don't quite understand it. Am I right in thinking that we will be seated around a large table with other people and a chef will cook in front of us? This is where we are eating and I'm a little confused by the menu. www.shoguncube.com/menu

If I pick one of the set menu meals, will that mean seperate courses served at different times? I'm also confused by the section which says meat a la carte. The description at the top says that you have various choices - are those side dishes or sauces and how many are you supposed to choose? Do I place my order with a waiter or the chef?

I'm having chemotherapy at the moment and feeling a bit worried about it all. I was going to wear my wig but I was advised not to open my fan oven wearing it as it could damage it so I'm worried that this could too. Will there be heat and flames near the diners? I've never worn my wig out of the house and I don't want to end up looking like an idiot. I could always take a headcovering with me too and swap the wig for a headcovering if needed.

I’ve never heard of it before but I had a look to see the tags on Instagram, it looks like they do some cooking in the restaurant itself but not at your table, it won’t let me attach the photos as it says it’s too big but if you are on Instagram go and take a look at their tagged photos.

I agree the menu is a bit confusing, and I’ve been to many a Japanese restaurant!
Yes usually a set menu is courses served one after the other.
I don’t think you’ll be close enough to the heat for it to affect your wig, but great idea to make sure you could swap it if necessary.
Go and have a lovely time! The food sounds great.

I've been before - ours is more of a hotplate/grill everyone sits around. We had 6 seats, and other diners made up the other spaces.

Stuff is cooked as per item, so there was rice and noodles etc there ready, but the chef would do say prawns first, knows who asked for prawns, so everyone watches her cook then she dishes them out to those who picked them, then while she is doing that, she starts the beef, serves it, then the chicken.

Theb at some point diners have a go at catching an egg in a chefs hat.

Food is constantly being cooked and served and even if its not your meat you ordered there's plenty to watch. People eat the food as soon as its in front of them rather than waiting for the whole table to be served.

Can't speak on the wig front, I don't remember open flame, just a massive hot plate. Maybe you could Google the place and look at the images to see. Alternatively, just go for the wrap and not have to worry.

If they do the flame they warn you first and usually turn off the overhead cooking light at the station so you can move back if you wish.

In the one near me they have a hotplate (like American places cook burgers on) with tables round it, no flames involved, I don't think.bive never seen any.

Who are you going with OP and have they been before? They might be happy to explain and help you with the ordering. I'd choose a set menu i think and I'd expect bits and pieces to come out as they were ready.

If you're not used to wearing your wig out of the house I probably wouldn't start with this! If you have another headcovering you're happy with then I'd do that

I hope you have a lovely time!!!

Wow, the set menus look pretty huge. If I were going I'd probably go for tempura to start and then some yaki udon. I love udon noodles!
I haven't been to this restaurant but have been to a teppan-yaki place where you cook the food yourself at your table. As others have said it's a hot plate rather than an open flame. It was warm sat by it.
Hope you have a lovely time.

My fave type of restaurant and if you have a fun chef very entertaining as well. Never done a set menu , usually choose prawns, chicken and steak.

They're great fun, as maxing food too. I've never seen an open flame at one.

Thanks all. This is helpful. I tried to look at their Instagram but can't find an account for them. I found a few posts tagged as Shogun cube but it wasn't that clear. And I thought there would be flames because their home page shows a chef cooking with flames. Hopefully there won't be so much fire! I might just order a set menu and then I'll get to try various things and see whether I like them. And it looks as though I won't go hungry if I don't like some of it.

The meal is to celebrate my husband's birthday. We've had to wait a few weeks until I'm feeling well enough again. He went once, as a teenager, so he's also not sure of what to expect. I just wanted to look nice and for my husband to find me attractive - chemo has really affected my appearance and it'd be nice to feel normal and not have everybody look at me as a cancer patient as soon as they see me.

I hope you have a lovely time.

I love teppanyaki! I interpret it as if you choose a set menu then that includes specific appetisers. But if you choose a specific meat then the chef will cook that at the table for you along with fried rice and veges but you can choose to have an appetiser off that part of the menu first.

Id probably choose a specific meat and if your DH chooses something different you can swop tastes. It’s fun watching them cook and their knife skills are amazing!

Heres a YouTube demo I found - there’s lots of others out there if you do a search. www.google.com.au/search?q=youtube+teppanyaki+cooking&hl=en&gl=au&sxsrf=AJOqlzUhXbQH00uShEDRNDAZEkhX5MoaOA%3A1676717273167&source=hp&ei=2azwY7KdCMWE4-EPkdq-4Ag&oq=youtube+tepp&gs_lcp=ChFtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1ocBABGAEyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIGCAAQFhAeMgkIABAWEB4Q8QQyBggAEBYQHjIJCAAQFhAeEPEEMgYIABAWEB4yBggAEBYQHjoHCC4Q6gIQJzoHCCMQ6gIQJzoNCC4QxwEQrwEQ6gIQJzoECCMQJzoRCC4QgAQQsQMQgwEQxwEQ0QM6CAgAEIAEELEDOgsIABCABBCxAxCDAToICAAQsQMQgwE6CwguEIAEEMcBEK8BOgQIABADOgUILhCABDoNCAAQgAQQsQMQgwEQCjoHCAAQgAQQClCiCFifIWCXMGgBcAB4AIAB6wGIAdkPkgEGMC4xMS4xmAEAoAEBsAEP&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-hp#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:4e62f9b8,vid:FMXNP9ivwRA

If I am served prawns, how do I eat them? Just as they come? I've never eaten them before and seem to recall hearing that some people think you should remove a part of it because it is the digestive tract. I'm very ignorant when it comes to food and a little embarrassed about it.

They'll prep them so they are fully edible - unless you see a tail in which case you eat up to the tail.

I would order set menus. It's making me feel hungry!

OP, what kind of food do you usually like eating? People nights be able to make suggestions as to what to order then. I hate the idea of something that should be a lovely treat night becoming a source of stress about your wig or how to eat prawns.
Re the prawns the soft bit inside you can eat in its entirety. The shell, if they serve with that on, needs peeling off. Sometimes they'll peel everything bar a bit of tail at the end.

When are you going op?

Let us know what you had and if you liked it.