Indulge your tastebuds with a heavenly fusion of Japanese and French cuisine
In what can only be described as a match made in heaven, local restaurateur Shunichi Tanabe has combined the best of Japanese and French fare to deliver a gastronomic sensation.
Shunichi’s visionary creations are served up daily at Cocotte Dining which is tucked away in Robina Quays shopping village. The unassuming entrance to this restaurant gives way to a warm wood-lined interior, flowing out to a charming hidden garden. The whole place has a relaxed, welcoming vibe where you will instantly feel at home.
As you settle in to the cosy atmosphere, you’ll be handed a menu that is full of classic dishes, bought to life by uplifting flavours.
Cocotte Dining are experts at perfectly cooked meat and fish. Their slow cooked pork belly, seared scallops and ox tail and beef cheek stew are all masterfully created and served up at the perfect eating temperature every time.
It is high quality, consistently amazing dining at its best, delivered by a chef who is as talented as he is humble.
After serving up both Japanese and French cuisine since he started as a chef at 19 years of age, Shunichi left his hometown of Tokyo in Japan for the Gold Coast 16 years ago. He arrived with a dream of opening his very own restaurant and, in 2011, that dream was realised with the launch of Cocotte Dining.
Named after the small fireproof dish in which individual portions of food are cooked and served, Cocotte opened as a ‘Japanese fusion’ restaurant, but was later affectionately coined Japanese-French’ by returning locals, who fell in love not only with the food, but the atmosphere too.
Word of this unique concept has spread through Robina, so the team at InsideR decided to stop by for a visit, so we could share with you the unique dining experience that is Cocotte.
When we arrived, we found a ‘prologue’ at the front of this unassuming restaurant, which provided a background of the food and values we could expect when we stepped inside to begin our culinary journey.
In true Japanese-style, all staff were incredibly friendly and helpful with any questions we had.
After studying the extensive menu, we decided to try two of the most popular dishes on the menu for entree – the seared Hokkaido scallops and the crispy skinned mighty Clarence free range pork belly.
The scallops came with a leek and asparagus jamon and a burnt tosazu butter. This French dish, featuring Japanese flavours, was grilled to perfection and extremely fresh. It made for a perfect warm-up to the main event.
Next-up, we welcomed the crispy-skinned mighty Clarence free range pork belly covered in a spiced orange sauce. It was accompanied by a fennel, apple and rocket salad drizzled in extra virgin olive oil. The pork was cooked to perfection – deliciously crunchy on the top, while the meat was mouth-watering, tender and bursting with flavour.
We decided to follow our delicious entrees with one of the lighter dishes on the menu – the free range teriyaki chicken thigh fillet, with Japanese Koshihikari rice, sautéed greens and a garden salad. The juicy chicken was well marinated in the original teriyaki sauce – a Cocotte house specialty – which was absolutely stunning, and an ode to what a true teriyaki flavour is all about – a little bit sweet, a little bit sour and a little bit salty.
While we didn’t have time on this occasion to sample the dessert menu, the lure of the Belgian dark chocolate soufflé and the Grand Mariner and vanilla cream brulee – with strawberry chantilly and caramelised crispy pastry – will definitely have us back sooner rather than later to satisfy our sweet tooth!
The flavours of both Japanese and French were created in beautiful harmony in each of the dishes we tasted, creating an enjoyable meal that left us feeling full and satisfied.
Shunichi and his staff were more than happy to cater for any dietary needs and those seated around us were also smiling throughout their dining experience.
If you’re looking for the perfect place to spoil your loved one on Valentines Day, your next date night, family lunch or dining experience, we would definitely recommend checking this one out.
Cocotte opening hours:
Lunch: Thursday to Saturday 12pm to 3pm
Dinner: Wednesday to Sunday 5:30pm to late
Where: 361 Robina Parkway, Shop 15A Robina Quays Shopping Centre, Robina, Gold Coast.
Social media: https://www.facebook.com/cocottedining/
Website: https://www.cocotte.com.au/
