Media Release from Kobe Cuisine
16 August 2012
Teppanyaki and Wagyu Beef On Menu in Queenstown
A new Japanese and Teppanyaki restaurant to be launched in Queenstown early next month will also be the home of the
highest quality Wagyu Beef available in New Zealand.
Kobe Cuisine will open at Queenstown’s five-star Millbrook Resort, in a building formerly occupied by Japanese
restaurant Sala Sala.
Kobe Cuisine director Tony Lee said the combination of traditional Japanese cuisine, Teppanyaki grill, an à la carte
Asian menu and the best quality ‘fullblood’ Wagyu beef would all combine to offer the “best eating experience in the
world”.
Mr Lee is the owner of Primetime Meats, New Zealand’s sole importer of the Blackmore Wagyu Beef that will be served up
from the Kobe Cuisine kitchen.
“We will be the only restaurant in Otago to offer fullblood Wagyu beef, the very highest quality there is and hugely
sought-after in the culinary world,” he said.
“This is beef from cattle that are bred in Victoria, Australia, and spend 650 days on a Japanese feeding regime, when a
normal grade of beef spends 100 days on feed.
“People really have to taste the Fullblood Wagyu beef to appreciate it how much it melts in the mouth. At Kobe Cuisine
we’ll have Wagyu with different grades of marbling, which will be priced accordingly.”
Along with the sublime flavours of Wagyu beef, diners at Kobe Cuisine will be treated to the showmanship of Japanese
chefs ‘cooking up a storm’ on two Teppanyaki tables custom-built in Auckland and delivered to Queenstown.
Mr Lee said Teppanyaki brought “a real sense of fun” to dining.
“It’s hugely entertaining to watch the skilled Japanese chefs at work, making it a fun night out for groups of families,
birthday celebrations and perfect for business or work get-togethers too,” he said.
“It’s been years since there was a Teppanyaki restaurant in the Queenstown area and I know there’s great demand for one,
so we’re anticipating it will be hugely popular and will feature all the flamboyance and showmanship that people have
come to expect.”
Kobe Cuisine will be guided by experienced Japanese chefs and managed by long-time Queenstown local and experienced
manager Suma Ito.
The restaurant will look at home nestled into the rustic, Central Otago Millbrook landscape, yet the interior has
undergone a complete makeover to create a modern Japanese setting, with a ‘hot chilli red’ feature wall attracting
diners’ attention as they enter the restaurant.
Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner from 11am to late, Kobe Cuisine will also offer outdoor dining in the summer
season.
Teppanyaki tables can cater for up to 18 people at a time with three nightly sittings.
The restaurant is scheduled to open on September 7.
Picture Caption:
1/ Kobe Cuisine restaurant manager Suma Ito
ENDS