An Email Conversation About Restaurants
Fellow Wellingtonistas, I am taking my in-laws out for dinner tonight. Any recommendations on a nice restaurant that isn't The White House, Logan Brown, Il Casino, Boulot or Chow? Quiet ambience a definite plus.
I'm a big fan of Maria Pia's. Excellent food; the service is ok to good (provided by the family, so that you know what to expect)... but maybe not hugely quiet.
In the same geographic and gastronomic area as Maria Pia's is Francois. Nice, small and French. Try the snails.
If you're after something at the level of The White House, Logan Brown or Il Casino, then try Citron or Martin Bosley at the Yacht Club. Definitely some of the most amazing food in the city, and quiet too. Also, while I haven't been to Bisque at the Bolton Hotel, I've heard consistently great things about it.
It's not quite so quiet, but Zibibbo is always good. Adam Newell's one of only two Michelin-starred chefs in NZ, and more importantly, they do pizza! If the in-laws are partial to a bit of cow flesh, then I've heard that Crazy Horse is the place to go.
And I can heartily second the recommendation of Maria Pia's, but it might be rather short notice.
thanks all - the Yacht Club gets the nod. Although good to have those others in reserve for future occasions...
Don't you just love the Hive Mind?
Yeah, you wait months for the Sunday Star-Times to review a restaurant outside Auckland, and you get one like that! Mr du Fresne says he'd never been to Capitol before, even though it's been open for years. What are the qualifications for being a restaurant critic?
Judging by the Sunday Star-Times' usual output, all you need to write for them is a pulse. Why are our Sunday paper choices between the crappy Auckland paper and the other crappy Auckland paper?
Crazy horse - in willis street.
or, for extremely boring inlaws, Flappers opposite premiere house
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Food: great (terakihi, mashed spuds, veges of the day).
Service: excellent (wine glass never reached empty).
View: amazing. (harbour and city lights, beautiful).
but...
Music: shocking (some fusion jazz thing, and then a horrible Evanescence-like rock-goth album), and...
Table: too big. (four of us, but the table could have seated twelve.)
Basically, I wouldn't go back because of the music alone, unless it was with a big raucous group where what was playing in the background wasn't of importance. As it was, what could have been a really pleasant dining experience was pretty much ruined by the horrible ambience created by the music and the seating.
If I'd been awake I probably would have pimped Capitol, although since it's so small it's not really all that quiet. I can't believe what a bad review it got in the Sunday Star Times - totally undeserved. I wonder if they recognised Karl Du Fresne and tried to restrain themselves from punching him in the face by giving him less that the usual fantastic service.