This place is i believe one of the more recent additions to the restaurant " scene " in New Lynn…read more We went there at night and it was so so busy, about half full. The place itself is nothing flash and reminds me of quite a few other Chinese restaurants in Auckland in the way of decor and atmosphere. Service was pretty good with our orders being taken in good time , though it did seem a little longer than i expected for the food to actually come out. As for the food..... well overall it was okay. Nothing to wax lyrical about and nothing as bad as just to get up and leave over. Which is why i am keeping this so short and sweet.....it was ok overall. Not quite befitting of the name Elegance if you put the name to the feel, food etc of the place Oh and yeah before i forget the price is average too. If you dont make it there dont worry about it.

A really nice chinese restaurant with a wide variety of sizzling options. Try the fish and rice…read morewhich comes around $14 something n you'll go again. The good thing for people who aren't Chinese is that they display the preparations on a Tele. The only annoying part is the welcome voice when anybody enters lol. Apart from that authentic Chinese dishes. Cheers

Not one of the best Asian restaurants I have been to around Auckland, but then also not the worst…read more Is nothing flash, which in someways is how I like it at times. Simple place, no frills , and food and service ok or better. Was a mixture of Cantonese style cuisine and Si Chuan cuisine , but may have changed recently. Seems to get a regular amount of business when we have been there which can usually mean the place is okay. They have French toast done the Cantonese style , which is my favourite so it definitely gets at least 3 stars to begin with that on the menu ( well I did say I liked it no frills at times) and of course the service and food in general is okay or above.

When we came in here it may have just been a Tuesday night but still it was busy. Seems like it may…read morebe best to book as we were asked if we had a booking , and who knows we could have been turned away. But no, there was a table for us. As I have found always with the Japanese restaurants , except one i have been to,there service is top notch from entering to leaving. You are greeted , attended to well and bid farewell at the end!!! The exact same applied to this restaurant. We did have a little difficulty choosing as we were tempted by a lot of menu , but alas there is only so much one can eat in one sitting. We eventually settled on the Chicken sauce katsu , Imo Mochi which is potatoe cake with sweet sauce and butter, Dragon roll or eel tempura roll, Kumara chips , and Sukiyaki Hot Pot . We did have a desert to finsh of Yuzu Misato. The Chicken Sauce Katsu for me was not the best I have had , it could do with a bit of improvement. The Imo Mochi was perfect, as were the Kumara chips. The Dragon roll was very tasty, helped by the fact that I am a big fan of eel dishes anyway. The Sukiyaki Hotpot was average and nothing to rave about but tasty all the same. The Yuzu Misato we had to finish was delicious and will have to have again one day. To sum it all up. The service as I stated before is as I have found in all Japanese restaurants bar one top notch. But I nearly forgot to mention that the waitress did bring us the wrong dish at first that was meant for another table. This was only there for a second and an apology was extended. Not a black mark for them because of that as they rectified it very quickly and apologised. The food was for the better part good and delicious and finally the bill did not break the bank hardly. Well deserving of a return visit to try some other dishes.

This place has 2 meetings ON Saturday night, 6pm or 8pm. We went for the earlier option when they…read moreopened for a group of 6. Definitely the place to come to eat and drink on the cheap before hitting the Ponsonby bars. Food was great and came out steadily throughout the night. Basic service, help yourself to water. Cheap, delicious, easy, be sure to book!

The sushi is artfully presented and sublimely fresh and tasty at Yaruki…read more The last time we ate at Yaruki was with a large group and yet another fantastic meal was had in an ambient setting. I suggest you order a Japanese set meal like Tensin platter for two which gives you a good variety of items off the menu including sushi, sashimi, chicken teri, and gyoza, tempura and daily special. The dinner box meal has additions of tonkatsu and choice of beef, chicken or fish teriyaki. Many of the customers are locals and will tell you that, hands down, this is THE best Japanese in town. Not just me but every member in our large party agreed.

As always the food at Yaruki is astounding! Nice to have a…read moremenu that isn't the traditional "NZ Japanese fare" This is one of those restaurants frequented by locals so can be difficult to get into. however on our most recent visit it was no problem, Interestingly I felt the experience on my last visit last week was not up to the previous standard hence the 4/5 rating, but this restaurant is always worth every cent you pay and more! The seafood here is always top notch, you are unlikely to go away disappointed in the Sashimi or prawns! Most definitely a recommended restaurant!

Very tasty dishes made with fresh ingredients. The menu has eclectic mix of noodles and rice…read moredishes. Service is very friendly and ambience is jazzy, cool and hip.

A bit ambivalent about this place. Don't get me wrong, the food is good, but for the price you sort…read moreof want a wow factor as well. The place- spacious, mixture of two and four sweaters as well as some private rooms if you reserve early. Parking is a b*%#h in Parnell as you all know. The food- good quality traditional Japanese food. Most of the stuff on the menu is pretty traditional. None of those twists or flair as you sometimes get from places in the city. The flavor is well balanced. Seafoods are all fresh. Would definitely recommend the oyster and beef tataki if you are into raw meat. If you really want to go all out, order the wagyu beef. The service- no real complaints. Polite as it is in many Japanese restaurants. They do charge for tea, considering what you are paying for the entire meal, it's kinda annoying to have to pay for greentea. The price- I would definitely put it as $$$. Nothing really is under $20. Overall, it's a good restaurant, good quality traditional food.

Thank you so much for looking after my group last night for my birthday dinner! The food and…read moreservice were impeccable. The freshest sashimi served in a breathtaking presentation and very patient wait staff made for a most memorable evening. I will see you again!

Just found myself another Lil gem for Japanese food. Kind of like The Don on High St. But much…read moremore generous portion and prices are simply value for money. Is a sister establishment to good old Ken Yakitori. So you know the food quality is high. They have lunch special combo where you add extra $3 and the get two sides with your main. However you may want to share with someone, since the meals are quite big. Great little cheap eatery for a quick lunch. Good Japanese customer service standards, so friendly.

I've had some gua baos from other Auckland eateries that serve fusion food. The reality is that…read morethey stuff the open-styled Chinese buns with something made in the kitchen and call it a gua bao. No. The trick to the tasty authentic guao bao is that fatty pork must be used - the pork belly type where you can count the layers. Juiced up with a beautiful sweet sauce and a touch of peanuts, it is literally heaven in the mouth. This is where the gua bao at Chinoiserie wins. The bun was surprisingly soft and fluffy, both to have there and takeaway. This is interesting because this type of bun usually dries and hardens when it cools. Think of the buns you have at yumcha when no one wants to eat it, and the peer pressured one is then faced with a cold hard white Chinese bun. The first time I tried Chinoiserie, I embarrassingly made friends take it away because I was stuck in glorious Auckland traffic. Them coming all the way from Christchurch to taste this, I was lucky the taste wasn't compromised! The second time I went with friends who had the authentic gua baos in Taiwan, and it was a unanimous thumbs up. The only difference is that the ones there are usually made with pickled veggies instead of the colourful Western slaw. Unless you have a reason to: - don't order the tofu gua bao. The taste really paled in comparison to others. EAT SOME MEAT! - opt out for the fries. They are really just fries with a wasabi dip. Plus they were the skinny kind and I like the manly chunky ones. - opt out for the coconut crusted squid rings. They were a bit bland and there was no sign of coconut taste. - go somewhere else for dessert. The black sticky rice dessert seemed to be just a sliced assortment of ingredients scattered. Instead - order the pork gua bao. I normally don't even like pork but they are traditionally made with pork and once you taste it you'll know why. - in fact order 2. Because if you have a normal appetite, one gua bao won't totally fill you up. You'll need sides. - try Erk's Sticky Chicken Nibbles. A touch of spicyness - so good. - get the fresh coconut. You'll also get a spoon to scrap the sides for coconut flesh! I can happily say Owairaka Ave is turning into quite a trendy place to eat out thanks to Chinoiserie and L'oeuf. The menu is simple and you order at the till. No table service or waiters there to pick up white serviettes that drop when you stand up. Just satisfyingly tasty food.

As a Mt Albert resident I am proud to say that we have one of Auckland's coolest bars. Not in a…read morefancy, trendy way but more like a bar/restaurant that became the legendary place of the neighborhood as soon as it opened it's doors. The whole concept is in my opinion quite humorous - turning a cheap local Chinese takeaway into this effortlessly awesome bar. Interior decor - Chinoiserie is a very cozy, friendly place with a unique, hip look. Just like L'Oeuf it is somewhere in between modern and retro with a very cool dragon graffiti on the wall and the usual gorgeous plants just popping out on every shelf and hanging from the ceiling. Paper umbrellas were used in place of lamp shades to emphasize the oriental look. Staff - lovely as always they are very helpful and organized, happy to have a chat and make you feel like at home. Menu - very simple with 4 options for gua bao (steamed buns), some slaw, chicken nibbles, squid rings and 2 dessert options. So easy to order and yet so tasty and delicious. As for drinks they have a few beers and this summer's favourite - Coco Loco! Food - ordered at the counter just like a standard takeaway but then you get this great quality and high standard food full of flavours that reminds you that these guys are serious when it comes to serving gourmet food. Price - very affordable and good value for money. The real beauty of this place is it's unique atmosphere - very chilled out and relaxing. You can walk into Chinoiserie and forget about the outside world. Flavours take you on a journey and when it's time to leave you feel like you are going back home from a vacation.