Wheels crunching up the gravel, the Tasting Shed looked sophisticated in black. Dining tables that…read morespilled out into the outdoor area are wrapped by the wind + rain proof outdoor gazebo. Everything about it oozed warm comfort and rustic charm. You wouldn't hear the quiet clinking of cutlery on plates and humble conversation here. It was a strict "no-tablecloths" restaurant. And these beautiful wooden tables probably take 5 times more work to maintain. My after-work brain probably took more time than necessary to figure out what the bobbles meant on the Savory to Sweet scale on the menu. With 25 items on the menu (including dessert), it was difficult to nail down what to order. We were advised to order 4 to 5 dishes because they were all entree sizes. Watermelon - smoked olive, goats cheese, baby ganoush This was one surprising combination. I've always been one to systematically eat my way through my plate because I didn't like mixing things together. Give me a fruit and cheese platter, I'd eat each individually. But this is something you'd want to pile a bit of each onto your fork. The watermelon and goats cheese blend beautifully into a creamy smoothie in your mouth. Rich and cooling at the same time - it's a weird sensation. Venison - carpaccio, mushrooms, beets, juniper, walnuts This is a great well-thought out dish with plenty to leave you taste testing, tilting your head and thinking. It was called the Venison dish, and with so much going on, the venison was the solid foundation to bring out the flavours of each ingredient. The sweet tang and slick texture of the mushrooms was paired with the crunch of the walnut and hokey-pokey chunks. We had fun melting the walnut powder on our tongues and poking at the different elements on the dish. The hokey pokey was not your average golden syrup variety but was made with beetroot juice - so even with this explosion of textures, everything blends together. After a mini degustation, one shared sweet dessert was enough! The rosewater was not an understatement - the scent was clear, and sweet, followed by an even sweeter strawberry parfait. It had a subtle summer breeze to this dish and the strawberry parfait an excellent substitute for your average ice cream. The saffron leaves a distinct after taste and cures the dish from being too sweet. With the popularity of restaurants that let you put elbows on tables, tablecloths are stripped away to make way for our laid-back Kiwi culture. If you're looking for a sweet candle-lit dinner, there's other fine-dining restaurants in Auckland CBD. But I'm loving this fusion of casual and fine at The Tasting Shed. The service doesn't make you feel like you're a VIP but more like your host that invited you to their house for dinner. So if you're looking for an excuse out of the city, make this your first stop!

Great tasting summer brunch/lunch place. Beautifully decorated with soft lighting and wooden…read morefurniture. Option to eat indoors or outdoors. Kitchen closed at 1500 to 1700 for dinner prep although small plates are served during that time. European cuisine with heavy Asian influence, think daikon, kimchi, even asam laksa (the Asian snob in me couldn't bring myself to order this). We had the market ceviche (good but we prefer this with a bit more punch), kimchi Mac & cheese (odd pairing which I enjoyed) and the Lamb Shoulder (fantastic!)

This restaurant has been around for ages and it still draws in the crowds, day and night. If you've…read moreever eaten here you will know why, the food is amazing and the atmosphere is laid back. Totally suitable to the laid back Westie lifestyle. We booked in recently for a family get-together and everyone from grandma to the five year old loved the experience. Surf and turf menu with plenty of kiddy meals to keep the littlies happy. The steaks are really great, the majority in our group placed such an order. I like the fire pit in the waiting area with the comfy couches, a nice place to have a drink if you are still waiting on your table.

Was at Tony's restaurant in Henderson just last night and had the worst experience ever! We waited…read morefor more then two hours for the whole Special Set Menu to be served and ended up having to take the dessert home (not normally allowed) because we couldn't wait any longer. To wait that long just for the food to taste like it had been zapped in a microwave is ridiculous. Entrees: Spare ribs were crispy burnt and black/dry on the corners then drowned in sauce, what was supposed to be Cheese and bacon wedges turned out to be just Wedges with the sour cream & salsa on side bowls to fill up the plate, Seafood Chowder was full of chopped up celery more then any seafood and not very creamy at all. Mains: Lamb shanks fell away easy off the bone but again drowned in yuck sauce that killed it, the spinach and mash again zapped in a microwave. Chicken supreme was dry and plonked on the plate with the sides looking like they were recycled from a previous meal, Eye fillet Mignon was probably the only best looking meal but failed as a 'well done request'. Children's Menu: Bangers 'n Mash was disgusting the sausages tasted off! peas looked and tasted like they were still frozen, mash had some kind recycled soy sauce spread over it, Ice-cream Sundae looked like mock cream with a line of chocolate syrup. The Manager on duty at the time came over and demanded we pay for drinks on top of the Special Set Menu because this was part of the conditions, this was addressed after we were half way through our meal!! Very unprofessional in front of our whole family blaming and cursing the waiter and scared our kids that she stood over, she apologized after but doesn't excuse us having to put up with the whole ordeal for more then 2 hours!! Disappointed. Especially after we found out the Owner is also the Head Chef.

I admit when I went to The Falls recently for breakfast, I had no idea it was an award-winning…read morerestaurant. I just thought it was a cute old building on the edge of a nice reserve. Though this is true, it wasn't until I told my boyfriend I'd been there that I learnt it is famous. Having won awards for their quality meat and presentation, as well as peoples' choice awards including the 'Gold Plate' in 2012, The Falls is known to the majority of West Aucklanders as the best place to eat. I'm not sure if I would go quite so far as to say it was my best meal ever, but I did really enjoy my experience at The Falls. I sat out in the newly renovated courtyard with a pot of tea and a ham cheese and tomato omelette. The ambience was lovely, the wait-service was brilliant and the food was delicious - what more could you ask for? Tip: The Falls also caters for large groups and business meetings, and though I cannot say this from personal experience, I believe they would do a brilliant job at hosting such events and can't imagine anyone being disappointed with the food or the service.

I've been here for a special treat lunch and sat alfresco with a lovely view of the park. The food…read morewas brilliant and the service was first class so they don't get all of those awards for nothing! I have also been here for a special occasion booking, upstairs in the function room. This was an intimate space for our celebration and we were well looked after. Again the food - a three course meal - was outstanding and the wine list excellent. The Falls do great coffee any time of day, take out in the mornings but make sure to pay for parking in the adjacent 'pay and display' area as you would not want to be stung with a ticket like I was!

The Icon restaurant is the one based with Bar 159 in the Lincoln Green complex in Henderson. It's a…read moregood place to come for food if there is something on in the Trusts Stadium or the Te Pai centre across the road. I have only ever been here for lunch so cannot comment on the dinner menu. They also do a breakfast menu but there are only about 5 options (all with eggs) and it's very limited. The food we had was pretty enjoyable and good value. My wife got a kumara and pumpkin salad which she liked and I got bacon pasta which was fine too. What struck me was that meat main course were almost $30 each - I thought that was a bit over the top for West Auckland. The dinner menu is also a bit on pricey side and the desserts are $12.50 each. A pretty good place to eat but I think the prices should be more reasonable and they could do with more choice if they want to attract people for breakfast.

Food is a always served hot! Service is alright. But judgmental on weed smokers lol food sometimes…read moresmell a bit off too, especially the rice. Just make sure to double check

I don't really like Sam's Roast to be honest. There's just something not that nice about it. It…read moretastes like the food has been sitting there for days (it wouldn't surprise me if it had been), and their hot chips are gross. I ordered a chicken meal from here, and while the skin was nice and crispy, the rest of the chicken was dry and tasteless. They need to put much more salt on their food just to give it a bit of life. Plus it's expensive. I mean it's probably the same price as most other roast places but because it doesn't taste very good I felt ripped off. So I don't come here often unless I don't have any other choices.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to have a date night with my man at this fine dining…read morerestaurant. Settled into a stunning classic Birkenhead point villa, with stylish contemporary decor, I arrived last night for a booking at 7 pm. I was given the option to enjoy a few drinks at the bar, or be seated and order drinks at the table. I decided table, and order's as I was feeling famished! The restaurant was already busy with early birds, so I knew should we get our orders in sooner than later, as being a Thursday I'm sure they would get busier.(I was right as the night proceeded 7 other tables around us became occupied) I loved the sophisticated Bellini I ordered with prosecco; which I matched with the delicious Alaskan Scallops to start. My second course of Market snapper accompanied by creamy wonderful prawn risotto was delightfully tasty and elegantly presented. Finally for dessert I was complimented on choosing one of the best in house the Chocolate Fondant with Lychee and Lemon Sorbet, which was heavenly! My partner raved about his entree of Roast Pork Belly, main of Vanilla Confit Duck Leg, and dessert of Coconut Date Brulee Tart! I sampled all and 100% agree! Just five star fabulous!

Fine dining restaurant but only A-OK. Let me tell you why:…read more I was taken here for a 1 year anniversary dinner - my bf at the time surprised me, he raved about this restaurant so much, his parents actually owned the building that this restaurant is at so we were definitely excited to celebrate our 1 year anniversary here. He also had not been here in a while but remembered how good the food was so instead of going to the 5-star French Cafe, we opted for Eight Point Two. When we arrived the owner immediately recognised him and we were promptly seated. Beautiful decor and mood lighting, the restaurant is open plan, modern and sleek. Kudos to that. For food, we decided to go all out and have 3 courses each and also a bottle of red. For starters, we ordered the usual bread and butter. We expected the bread to be warm and the butter to be soft enough for you to get a butter knife and easily spread onto the bread. No, not the case. The bread was cold and stiff and the butter was cold and hard.... un-spreadable. Next we had our entree` which was beautiful by the way, pork belly with apple and pear (?) puree` and crunchy cashew nuts with watercress salad. The pork was delectable and the balance of flavours worked well together. So yes, it did get better ... However when our mains arrived (which was beautifully presented) it was a little disappointing.. We both had the Angus eye fillet, medium rare. It arrived, medium well.. almost well but not quite. This beautiful cut ruined, and was a little dry. Forgive me if I'm sounding so picky right now but when you spend almost $300, you expect perfection. This anniversary affair was like a roller coaster, teasing our taste buds with the heavenly pork entree then crashing down on the main. We should have dined at the French Cafe, we spent just as much dining at Eight Point Two as you would there - and with the French Cafe, they are consistent.

If you're looking for a fun international Dutch experience here it is. The moment I saw this…read morerestaurant I really wanted to get inside and try out there pancakes. (So the sign mentioned) Perfect opportunity arose a few months back while still pregnant and the need to eat was enormous. Fellow mums can probably associate the love of either savory or sweet, and in my case it was oh so sweet! I must rave of their pancake size portions they are really something, and decorated with such personal touch. I decided that day that I would go for the Kids Pancake which was served with seasonal fruit and a nice surprise. I won't spoil the secret as it was cute and appropriate. Please do try this delight out there Original Dutch Poffertjes which is like a pancake puff, holy moly, really delicious, and can make one go back many times again. This feels like a family owned and happy cafe, with great service.

Sometimes in a man's life there is expertly cooked bacon with the most delicious of accompaniment…read morethat you wouldn't have expected. Enter the Speck from Dutch Delight. First of all let me talk about the place, Dutch Delight is a simple tiled floor with tables and the most interesting varied stuff on the wall, from maps, to postcards and figures promoting strange things. There is a children's room filled with toys for the kids too. But really, let's look and what drew you towards this review, yes I know your secret craving, Bacon .. No need to blush, it's my fetish too. This was crispy well cooked bacon, set onto Dutch pancake with icing sugar, special syrup and banana. When longingly asking for more bacon, this dish only gets better. In summary, if you like bacon on your pancakes .. Eat at Dutch Delight, if you don't like Bacon, then you and I have nothing to say to each other.

We visited Birkenhead to eat somewhere different and found the sign for 3 Kings and the menu…read moreoffered much choice. The wait staff are the Filipino owners and very friendly and welcoming. We ordered drinks, entrees and mains, and food was timely and accurate. Entrees we had the shanghai spring rolls which were obviously hand made and very tasty, although expensive at $15. We also had the pork belly and tofu in vinegar entree which was well flavoursome and balanced. We chose two vegetarian mains and both were unique, tasty, and although fairly small dishes they were enjoyable. The entrees and mains are more like Asian style sharing plates. Would suggest getting 3 per person for a hungry dinner guests.