My friend Mary said it's the best steak she has ever had. We got the new strip. Caprice salad and the tomatoes tasted vine ripe. The potatoes were duck fat potatoes. I wasn't sure we googled about them and the duck fat is healthy. It is anti inflammatory and antioxidants. Besides that they were great. Waiter was excellent. read more

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Waygu Burgers were awful. Oysters were great Beef tartar great why they couldn't cook a medium rare burger was beyond understanding. If you serve raw tartar... why can't the burger be pink and juicy. Fries and onion rings were good. Kenny was sweet read more

Great location and nice views. We were recommended to this restaurant by our tour guide. We made same day reservations for a group of 3 online. Food: 5/5 Caprese salad: Pretty standard caprese salad. It was light and refreshing. Crispy Fried Squid: Very unique flavor combination and squid was perfectly crispy. Squid pieces did come in larger sizes than we anticipated but nothing a knife and fork can't cut down and fix. Kimchi aioli, charred lemon, crispy kimchi, kimchi powder. Savannah Angus Bone-in Ribeye: The steak was cooked to perfection and very tasty! You get a pretty large portion size for the price you are paying (from an American currency standpoint). Service: 3/5 I am not sure if this is a New Zealand thing or not but it took almost 1 hr between the time we got our appetizers/ salads to when we got our main entree steaks. Service in general seemed very slow. The restaurant didn't seem like it was lacking in staff so I am not sure why there was such a long wait for our food. This is one of the reasons why I gave this restaurant 4 star instead of 5. Website for reservation: 4/5 Making reservations online was easy. You are able to choose if you want indoor or outdoor seating with their available times for that day. However, they have a error in their website where you are required to choose and pay for their special set selected lunch menu when you try to make an appointment for their outdoor seating regardless if the reservation is for lunch or dinner. read more

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Abysmal experience with Botswana Butchery. Firstly, our initial impression was less than impressive, in that the chairs that we sat on were food-stained - fine, if you are eating in a food hall, but not what you would expect of a top-class restaurant. Then, regarding the food, my wife and I had lunch, and we both ordered two steaks for our mains, both medium-rare. My steak was fine, but my wife's was blue, and the outside was so charred - it tasted burnt on the outside but raw on the inside. We returned my wife's steak as it was of unacceptable quality and requested a better-quality steak, cooked to our specifications. This was done, but it meant our expectation of a high-quality lunch ended up with my wife and me eating our mains at different times. This experience cost us close to $ 300 or $150 a head, and when we complained, we were told that "sometimes these things happen" When a steak house can't cook a steak - seriously, look elsewhere. My advice is to give these guys a miss, seriously substandard, and if you wish to get a well-cooked steak in Auckland, from our experience, and you want to experience high-quality service with a well-cooked steak, Jervois Steak House in Ponsonby is your go. read more

The doorman told us we needed a passport to enter after giving us a look up and down and clearly deciding we couldn't afford to eat here. There was no where online where it was said that a passport was needed to enter. Not to mention the fact that with further investigation it became clear that children were allowed to enter the restaurant. Unbelievably rude staff and lost good business read more

Well, on vacation in New Zealand, my husband and I wandered in without a reservation. They kindly seated us and we enjoyed an amazing dinner of Chateaubriand that was cooked perfectly with a waiter who gave such wonderful service and made the experience a delight! Truly one of my favorite restaurants in New Zealand! read more

Long day of travel from California to Auckland. Looking to enjoy a nice harbor side meal. This place is NOT that great, or great enough to just eyeball a couple with two kids 9 and 6 and say "oh we don't have a table for 4, here's our card to come back and join us at a later date". Half full at best. Wednesday night. Probably why other places are packed and this place wasn't. Was ready to drop $500. Will eat room service at the hotel. And these guys get a crap review. Fine with me. read more

Botswana Butchery - Desserts Near Me - Auckland, AUK

Great views and service! They were a bit overwhelmed with our very large group but still offered service with a smile. The duck pancakes are the perfect starter. The kind fish crudo was also fresh. The salmon isn't something I would usually order but it was incredible! Perfectly cooked and fresh over a bed of farro and greens... and it was lightly spicy! Love that! The fillet was also perfectly cooked and showcased the beef New Zealand has to offer. read more

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We were looking for a nice meal after an excursion by ferry and this hit the spot. The decor is very interesting (good) and we had big comfy wingback chairs to sit in. Service was as good as anywhere we've ever eaten. Our server guided us through the menu and suggested excellent choices. The highlight was for sure the Peking Duck appetizer which was super crave-able, though everything was really superb. They also accommodated some of the pickier diners in my party with a smile and without question. As some have noted, yes, this is a little pricey. But that wasn't unexpected, as this was touted as being a fine dining experience and that's precisely what it was. I feel like I got exactly what I paid for and left with a full tummy and smile on my face. I will definitely return. read more

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Wow! A perfect rating for a restaurant that is practically in the ferry terminal and must get a ton of tourist trade? Why yes! And let me tell you why. A local suggested this place to me when I asked for a restaurant within walking distance of my hotel. The funny part? I couldn't remember the name. I mean lets be serious, Botswana Butchery doesn't roll right off the tongue. . . .but I remembered it started with a "b" and after a few look ups on my Yelp app, I was in business and had dinner reservations for that night. The host warmly greeted me at the door and asked if I wanted to have a drink first or go right to the table. While the bar looked inviting, my tummy was growling so it was off to the table I went. I had a choice to sit outside but know if you go that given the close proximity to the ferries, there may be a bit of a fuel smell out there, so I chose to sit indoors at the banquette that runs along the back wall. I love the decor of this place. While I think the building it is in is the ferry terminal building, they have done a nice job contemporizing it with shades of tan and black. I loved the upholstered chair I was seated in as it sat at the end of the table allowing me to effortlessly talk to my dining companion. And if you go to the restroom, be sure to check out the cute cleaver handles that open the doors! Our server, Virginia, was terrific ( know that her name said in French is so much better than how I've written it here). She was helpful in explaining the menu and in making sure we got exactly what we wanted even down to my complicated drink order. What a pleasure to be served by someone who actually acted like they liked their job! We,started with some of thier fresh oysters and sashimi appetizer. The sashimi was fresh and delicious and was a sizable.portion. For my entree, I went with the fish of the day which was a John Dory cooked simply and served with lemon. I also ordered some whipped potatoes and the veggie of the day ( know that these are plenty big enough to share). My friend went with a steak. All the food was perfectly prepared and served with a smile. And for,dessert, we had the creme brûlée which was just decadence on a plate! All in all this was a great dinner, in a relaxing, upscale environment, and isn't that just what you want when you go out? I like the playlist were "oldie classics" like Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion and other crooners throughout the years. And while the listing says the dress code is "dressy" I think because of its location near the ferry, there is a bit of range in what you can wear here. Nice casual would work just fine as no one was dressed up on the night I was there. Botswana Butchery? Your name may continue to elude me, but the food, service and ambiance I experienced within your walls will not! Word has it there is another location in Queenstown and lucky me . . . . I'm headed there next! read more

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Absolutely great food and service - the cocktail (Pink Cadillac) I had was delicious and sweet, the seating was nice and comfortable and it is a well decorated restaurant with good views of the wharf. I loved the tortellini I had tonight, as it was absolutely delicious - and the peking Duck as well, which is great as a starter. The staff are very helpful and kind, additionally. It's definitely a great restaurant for a special occasion, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good place for fine dining. read more

We went in not knowing anything about this place other than it was good. Tip to the wise - it's smart casual so wear something nice. It has such a nice atmosphere here. The chairs were so comfy. And the food was amazing. The meat was perfectly cooked, the choice of sides were great and the wine was lovely. Expect to pay about NZ$20 per glass though. And about NZ$90 per head. We didn't have dessert so you'll need to factor that in if you're going to go the full monty. Enjoy. read more

Botswana Butchery - Desserts Near Me - Auckland, AUK

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I enjoyed a lovely, relaxed lunch here with friends. We booked, but we may have been okay just to arrive as it was a very relaxed Saturday lunchtime. Our table, inside, had very comfy chairs and a nice view of the patio and pier. Our server was gracious and professional, attentive and responsive. We enjoyed Beef Sandwich, Prawn Salad and Salmon Avocado Tartar. Everything was lovely - the wine list is good too. One person had the Creme Brûlée and enjoyed it. It's very nice, thank you. read more

Botswana Butchery - Greek Salad - Desserts Near Me - Auckland, AUK

Overall this is really 3.6 for me, but I am rounding up, since they are closer to a 4 than a 3. The service, decor an ambiance were great, but the food was hit and miss. I loved the meat cleaver door handles. The Chargrilled coastal lamb with pancake with Auvergne purée and courgette fritter/pancake was excellent. This was my favorite item. The Eye Fillet was good, but not remarkable. The peking duck was very average, no crispy skin that defines a good peking duck The asian dumplings were ok, but not memorable. I'd avoid the Asian items on the menu. This is a nice place for dressy events, but for the price I was expecting a little more from the food. read more

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We noticed the outdoor lounge on our return to Terminal 2 after a wine tour on Waiheke Island. After changing into something smarter, we returned for dinner service around 7p. The front of the restaurant sits on the main road and the back looks out over the water. While not outrageously priced, it still felt like a "treat yo self!" kind of day. The food was seasoned perfectly and presented beautifully. Service level was excellent - Special thanks to Yevgeny for his excellent wine recommendation. This is making my worldwide top 5. Worth.every.penny read more

Botswana Butchery - Desserts Near Me - Auckland, AUK

Second visit here. Service was average at best. As part of restaurant month they offer a great entree / main $55 combo but by 6.30pm on a Sunday they were sold out (4 tables seated so hard to understand) forcing you to order onion soup or go off the menu. That would be ok but staff couldn't offer even a single alternative. It's either onion soup or nothing. With mains up to $50 you're hard pressed not to feel like you're a getting quality experience. It's like when McDonalds after 11pm cuts its menu down to Big Macs. Again - $50 mains. Having eaten at more than one Michelin restaurant, I'm more than happy to pay for quality and willing to accept places that say 5 but offer 4's but at this place they charge a 5 and give you a 2. AVOID. Many more options in Auckland to be proud of. read more

Botswana is almost always my first go-to option whenever the restaurant I had been eating at hadn't satisfied my sweet tooth. Their dessert menu is extensive and there is of course a large wine list to choose from too. They can serve dessert in the bar area, which has some comfy sofas. The panna cotta is usually very well done, creamy with an ample amount of vanilla and fresh fruit. My friends also love the Baileys creme brûlée. Steak is of course superb here too. I've found that the restaurant gets busy later towards the night, say around 9pm. So if you have dinner at 6/7pm, don't be alarmed that it's rather quiet. As with most restaurants nowadays, they take online bookings - easy! read more

This place is schwank, and from the few people I noticed dining as we went to the bar, it looks like they do picture perfect steak, but this review is only about the bar, and I give it 4 stars. Service was good, if a tad over attentive, but, then again, we were one of 4 people in there, and the other table had one of those obnoxious loud talking businessmen trying to impress anyone in a 1/4 mile radius of what a switched on wheeler and dealer he is. (I wanted to bang him over the head with his ever so impressive clipboard.) We both ordered cocktails, and they were bloody good! Mal had some kind of spiced rum concoction in a tall glass, and I had a tequila cointreau, pineapple, grapefruit, sweet but also sour potion of everything fabulous...Just can't remember what it was called! It was perfectly balanced. There's a nice looking little bar menu too, good variety of cheeses and small plates on offer. Nice little area too..Well, if you remove the loud talking wanker, it would be perfect! read more

This was really a let down as it really nice in appearance. I had the bone in rib eye, a mistake as this should just focus on seafood I believe. The steak was actually gamey, a sure sign it was well past its prime. Sides were greasy and tasteless. I barely ate things but they happily took my money and sent me along. All show, no delivery, understaffed, I could go on. Wine and water were good. And as I was paying and leaving my receipt showed charge of extra $140. I asked and it "must have been a mistake". Sure!. Funny how mistakes work that way. read more

Pleasant restaurant and staff by the quay. Food is pretty good, but a little expensive. The shoulder of lamb is moist & substantial. Belly pork was good. The crackling was nice & crispy. Australian Harvey Bay prawns was excellent and so was the snapper fillet. Finally the eye fillet was tender. Well try this next time you go with friends. We ordered enough to go around and shared everything! This was good as I would have felt a bit sick if I ate the Pork belly all to myself. But by sharing, I got to try a bit of everything! read more

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This is the best place to have lamb excellent friendly service & very knowledgable staff my hat is off to the chef and the managing directors of the Resturant. I will be back again soon. Cheers read more

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Botswana Butchery has to be one of the best restaurants in Auckland, the service is perfect, the food always exceptional and a great wine list as well as having a busy but sophisticated atmosphere. I highly recommend the Peking Duck to start with. Enjoy. read more

This is my 2nd visit to Botswana Butchery which I will always look forward to, its a great place to go for a celebration starting with a nice wine in the bar, not too many restaurants now days have a totally seperate bar area. Usually there is a lack of space and drinks have to be had at your table. There is certainly a section on the menu entitled "From the butcher's block" - half a dozen steaks but I chose from the regular menu and had just a main as from learning from my last trip I did'nt manage 2 courses with a big drinking night to ensue. The Slow cooked shortrib, stout and oxtail sauce with caramelised carrot, shallot marmalade, spinach mousse and wild mushrooms was absolutely succulent, moist and fall off the bone delicious. With some sides of beans it was more than enough. I highly recommend this dish. The handsome, aesthetically eclectic refit - bold lampshades, padded leather walls and sofas on the terrace - makes the most of the sensational setting. But Botswana Butchery is in a part of town where there is pretty stiff competition. So I think they should keep up the good service and the great food as I have heard a few reviews that are not perfect. A friend we dine with regularly that also chose this restaurant on this particular night loves his steak so I am sure we will dine here many times to come. read more

The food was great, the service was not. Firstly they were unable to seat us for our 8:15 booking until almost 9pm (although they provided breads and olives as a stop gap). Once seated, we had to ask for menus to be bought to us, had to ask for water, had to ask for our wine to be refreshed, then eventually we had to ask for someone to come and take our orders. Following a shared entree of Bluff oysters (not a lot of prep involved there), It was almost 10pm before our mains finally arrived. They offered us complimentary desserts but unfortunately our friends had to leave to catch the last ferry. Overall it was disappointing for what should have been a really enjoyable birthday dinner. read more

Nice location by the water, we were able to walk in and have a table outside. Service was attentive and friendly, much better than other service we have had in New Zealand. Nice wine and drink menu. Oysters were good, but the main course the ahi tuna and the Caesar salad I had were delicious followed by this excellent dessert -the lemoncello mouse- delicious and unique. A wonderful meal in Auckland!!' read more

Ate here last night. The decor is warm and inviting with low lighting making it feel intimate. We ordered the scallops and crispy squid to start ($27 & $21). Both were very good but I'm going to say my scallops won for taste and presentation. They came with radish and apple in a citrus sauce. Prawns were served with aioli and a chilli jam. To drink we had a bottle of Tinpot Hut Chardonnay ($65) , which was very nice and is a NZ wine. The mains were whole snapper ($39) and coastal lamb rack ($45). We also ordered a side of duck fat potatoes. The fish was very simple but tasty. Just lightly flavoured with salt and pepper and served with a small green salad. The lamb consisted of 3 cutlets served with mushroom, courgette and some kind of soft cheese balls. I didn't enjoy any part of my lamb dish unfortunately. Meat was not tender and the dish felt really heavy like the flavours didn't go well together. Definitely the fish was the winner of that round. The potatoes were another fail. They were extremely greasy and seemed like they had been deep fried. We ordered the petite fours for dessert-complete waste of money ($13). The deserts looked like it was bought in from somewhere else with no effort in presentation. There was a strawberry jelly sweet, a mint chocolate ice cream, a chocolate truffle and a profiterole. So disappointing This restaurant is on the upper end price wise and we were expecting a lot more. The service was great and our waitress was very attentive. I would struggle to justify coming back after this experience however. read more

I guess I am the only person not giving them a 5star. The reason is, I expected more for the price I paid. It might be a one off incident, but the waitress took the wrong order. I ordered the Peking duck for starter, she bought me fried chicken. I mean even if it was noisy I wouldn't have expected her to hear me wrong. So I ended up eating something I didn't order while I waited for my duck. Ok, the fried chicken was delicious. :-) So it was a good mistake. I have always had issues with confusion cuisine. I would have not expected a western restaurant to be able to serve a good Peking duck. But that was also delicious. It was also a generous portion. Enough to make 4 wraps. It's actually pretty good as a sharing plate. Then I got the fillet with the chipotle BBQ sauce. The sauce is super good. Just the right amount of spice and heat. Goes very well with my medium rare steak. Okay, I would have given them a 5star review if I didn't end up paying for the extra chicken which I ate which I didn't order. Apart from that, everything including the food was excellent. A good place to spend your hard earned money quickly. read more

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We stumbled into this steak restaurant after flying all day to get to Auckland. The waiter, Eugene "The Man from Minsk" was very friendly, knowledgeable and provided great service. (OK, we don't know if he is really from Minsk, but he is Belorussian.) Also the rest of the staff was very friendly. The food was very tasty and I'd go back if we weren't leaving the city in a day. read more

Last night arrived late just after 10pm read rave reviews they were happy to accommodate the two of us. Waited a good 20 minutes for. Lamb on the bone, this was overcooked and a little dry. Perhaps because we were late but I expect better from something that costs $89.95 (for 2) it should never have left the kitchen. We were never given the option of tap water just still or sparkling. Only when we refused a top up did the waiter bring tap water. A mistake was made in serving a wrong fdish we didn't order Service was average. Will not be back. Expected much better from a restaurant rated this high read more

We have been meaning to try this place for a long time, though held off as initial reports were fairly average. We decided restaurant month was a good time and the menu looked attractive so off we set on a Sunday night, my wife and I, with high expectations. We were seated promptly, offered water and drinks. They arrived quickly. My wife reported her Hot Chocolate was good, my Tomato juice, with a little spice and no ice, arrived with no ice and no discernible spice (though it had pepper on the top so I guess spiced was technically correct). Our entrées were out super quick (in fact there was almost no wait between dishes), mine was better, being the Tuna Tartare, fantastically presented, delicious if not a tiny bit acidic from the dressing. I actually prefer my dressings more acid, but it was a little overpowering even by my standards. Delicious regardless and I would have licked the plate clean if said behaviour was socially acceptable (certainly not). The bits of "toast" were wonderful, though sadly, a little brittle as well. The baby cos hearts were fantastic, beautiful crunch. My wife's Entree she declared as ok, not great, which was the cardrona lamp soup with barley. The soup was nice enough, not amazing, but sadly the lamb bits were almost non existent. Barley isn't something I love in soup, but it was nicely cooked. Mains were Fish and Beef Cheeks. The Beef came with a lovely mash and some nicely cooked onion pieces etc. The beef itself was very strong, and whilst I know it's supposed to be strong, was stronger than any I'd had before, not quite balanced. It was the nicer of the two mains. My Warehou was a bit overcooked, and came on top a Capponata. I had hoped for better honestly. Sadly it was a pretty small portion (fish amount was sufficient, but the rest wasn't enough for me). Dessert was a lemon pie, very nice, and a dark chocolate mousse which was ok, fairly forgettable. Overall, Service was great, however the food missed the mark by a little bit. Wouldn't take much tweaking to make it amazing. We will likely return in 12 months and give it another go. read more

Meat was good. But starters arrived before cocktails, the cocktail glasses were mostly filled with ice. We were sat near the door facing the ferry terminal & constantly had guests coming and going and opening the door so we were buffeted with cold winter winds all night which wasn't exactly pleasant. read more

I just went there at 11:15 to get a drink, sit outside and enjoy. The waitress said that the restaurant was closed, but I could get a drink from the bar. I said I'd like to drink it outside .... she said it was better to drink inside. Better for who? Sorry for being petty, but when the bar is open, no one is sitting outside and the customer wants such a simple request, you gotta wonder what the business owner would think turning business away. I'm now sitting having a drink outside TABAC. Sorry Botswana, but you just lost a client for life...and I have enjoyed good times there in the past read more

I seldom post negative reviews especially when the food and service is good. However, dining is an experience for us especially at a high end restaurant such as this. However, our unfortunate visit to this restaurant last night left a bad taste in our mouths that had nothing to do with the food. Everything we had was prepared and presented to perfection. Unfortunately they had seated a table of 4 men in the main dining area that had clearly had too many drinks and too few social skills. They were so loud and obscene that many other diners were complaining to their servers. At one point they were Face Timing over speaker phone describing sexual acts! That was when we decided to cut our meal short and get out of there rather than endure any more boorish behavior. I talked to the manager about this on our way out. He said that he was aware of the problem as others had complained and that he had talked to them and cut their drink service off. I told him that this was definitely not true as we had just seen the waiter refilling their wine glasses. read more

I ate at the Botswana Butchery in Queenstown back in January. Maybe it was just because it was my first time at BB, but the Q'town version seemed better. Menu was similar, in that the grilled meats part was the same, while the dishes was changed for the season had the same flare. I had the rabbit risotto and grilled venison. Both really good. Service was also top notch and decor very nice. Not quite as interesting at Q'town and had more of an urban steak house feel. Impressive wine list and we had a gorgeous Gigondas and Cloudy Bay Sav Blanc. Location can't be beat, right on the ferry wharf; walking distance from our hotel. read more

If you have a special occasion Botswana Bucheriy is the place to go. I had a friend visit from Australia. I reserved a table outside opposite the viaduct so that we could watch the water whilst sitting sitting on comfy sofa like seats. The menu is A-la-Carte so you order you main and separate side dishes. I ordered the Eye Fillet medium rare with the coliflour cheese and Asparagas with a chardonnay glaze. The service was excellent and the waiter's knowledge was good too. The portion size is good so you do not need to order a starter. We shared the petite fours for afters, however these were not good. read more

We were introduced to its Queenstown branch but did not manage to try. We came across this at Auckland harbor and decided to give it a try. I had crispy squid lunch menu and my partner had lamb fillet. He loved the lamb fillet although he said Pedro's in Queenstown was much better. But my squid was a big big waow.. I expected normal fried calamari but i had super tasty, super soft (far from rubbery usual squid texture) squid in the inside and crispy very thin batter in the outside... I voted this as the best fried squid I have ever tasted. The chutney on the side was nice as well. Highly recommended dish that I feel like ordering another serving!! We finished up our lunch with dessert : milk chocolate & salted caramel sauce/ice cream. Very nice as well!! read more

Botswana Butchery - The best fried squid ever... - Desserts Near Me - Auckland, AUK

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Nice outdoor patio overlooking the ferry terminal, a little pricey for lunch - get the salads!

Butchery describes our experience. Tasteless bone in rib eye. Botched side dishes and wait staff so short they were setting up new tables and ignoring guests. While the lamb shoulder was tasty it tasted like a nice pot roast. A great location with potential but the inexperienced staff and mediocre food just did not leave our group of six impressed. read more

Maybe this was an off day but disappointed in my lunch dining experience. When sitting waitress asked if I'd like water...she brought a $9 huge bottle of Pelligrino! She could have taken it a step further and sized me up as ONE person and asked if a small or large bottle. Salmon was my choice and it came out RAW! When returning it, the other waiter said "I guess you want it Salmon jerkey"! Whuttt? I told him I'm not Japanese! It came back piping hot and edible. Topping that, I was stung by two bees in my armpit! When showing it to the waitress she sloughed it off. I even showed her the stinger. I was eating outdoors, but hey for $70 for Salmon, massive bottle of water, spinach you'd think they would have offered some kind of customer service gesture! Lets top that off with unacceptable service for this hyped restaurant. Sorry, I'd give this a "C" dining experience. Could have eaten in the hotel for cheaper! read more

Gosh, I wish I could give this place a big thumbs up, but sadly I can't. I'd missed out on coming here with friends recently, so I was very pleased to finally be going. All started well, we were greeted by the new maitre de, Ann Thorp (Kia Ora cooking show). We were seated at a large table on the ground floor with lovely views over the marina, you can't beat Auckland's waterfront at night. The place itself is beautifully decorated and I have popped in before just to drink at the bar. The service this night was a bit patchy, it took ages to get someone to come and get our drink orders. When the food arrived, it was good but the common reaction across the table was that the steaks were cold (as in left sitting for so long they were no longer hot) and not all arrived cooked as ordered. I guess this was the fault of just one staff member and doesn't reflect everyone's effort, but it was a let down at a place where I had anticipated having an amazing meal. read more