We’ve dined here a few times now, both on our own and with friends. We love it – great food, excellent service, an all round good experience.

Certainly a huge difference from when it was Rushes!

This Place was recommended to some friends from a young lady on a plane. They were from America, but were heading to Australia for a holiday, they said the young girl spoke so highly of this place and had convinced them to go next time they are in the country.

I came as soon as my friends told me. And I am truly glad that I did. The food was great. Service was better than average. Lovely views. So relaxing.

I too will be highly recommending this place.

Thank You for a lovely evening. You’ll be seeing me more often.

I attended a wedding reception at Duck Creek this afternoon. The service was fantastic and the food was too. Probably the worst possible day for a wedding weather wise (03/03/12 weather bomb) caused a broken window in the front door that 99 percent of patrons didn’t even know had happened. It was replaced within an hour and with no drama what so ever for the celebrations. The team at Duck creek was fantastic and I look forward to trying an evening meal with them soon. I had read old reviews about the Rushes brand at this address. Don’t confuse the old with the new – these guys rock!

Excellent Food, excellent service and stylish, comfy setting with great outdoor dining with a view.
Thank you to the cook and staff at Duck Creek – Dan and I had a wonderful evening dining at your restaurant.
To anyone interested in some great food try the Rock salt roasted beetroot, goat’s curd, olive toast, herb vinaigrette – its a seriously yummy entree as was the Moroccan spiced prawn cocktail with preserved lemon – in fact I would have eaten at least two other entrees given half a chance (but I was not paying!). Took a while to decide on the he entree as all of them offered something different and very yummy sounding.
As for the main we loved the Seafood Medley with delicious beautifully cooked muscles, salmon, fish and prawns and pappardelle pasta – to good to be true. The Beef Eye fillet with came with smoked tomato jus, horseradish cream and watercress. Best well presented meal in the Porirua Region and undoubtedly the yummiest in the region. My favourite was “everything” we ate including the scrumptious cheese board.
CHEERS to the cook you sent us both home with a very satisfied, full belly. Will be coming back and recommending Duck Creek to everyone I know.
Thank you for making our special night out so very pleasing and worthwhile.
Maria and Dan

An outstanding dining experience on many occasions.

We have had morning tea, lunches and dinners and recently just a catch up with friends for a few wines.

Without exception we have been met by friendly and attentive staff. The atmosphere is delightful with a lovely restaurant and outside facility on a lovely sunny day that is just fabulous.

The food has always been cooked and presented superbly.

Even on very busy days we have always been given a very high level of service.

We would unreservedly recommend you try Duck Creek for a lovely dining experience.

A big thank you to all the staff. We will be seeing you again

I recently had lunch with a group of four and two of our meals not worth the expense. One the roast betroot tart at $17 only a few mouthfuls. The chicken & bacon salad was find the chicken & bacon amongst all the greenery. The big breakfast was enjoyed and also the steak sandwich. If you like alot of water with your meal you won’t be disappointed. The service for this was excellent.

We’ve been there twice and had a very enjoyable experience. Service is a bit of a hit and miss, with some of the staff being particularly thick… Food is nice, however I am under the impression that the menu is not changing too often. But maybe I’m picky…

My husband an I both turned 60 this week and organised a luncheon at Duck Creek Cafe.
What a fantastic event for our friends and families. The food was superb starting with fabulous nibbles and the main courses were freshly prepared from an extensive menu. An area had been set aside for the children with their own menu,table, and staff who were happy to be approached by the children.
The management and staff were well organised, very professional and yet friendly and nothing was too much trouble for them.
The outdoor area was great for the kids to run around in also.
Everyone had a truly great time and we couldnt have been in better hands for this event.
Organising the luncheon was also a breeze and a lovely relaxed day was had by all of us.
I would highly recommend this venue to anyone wanting to organise a function.
Well done and heartfelt thanks from Rob and Graham.

Today ten of us tried a different café for our post-movie lunch; Duck Creek at Pauatahanui. This is a resurrection from the ashes of the former restaurant on that site and we were very pleasantly surprised. Almost on the verge of silver service, we enjoyed very good, reasonably priced food plus excellent, attentive but unobtrusive service in a delightful setting. We have found a hidden treasure.

My wife and i visited Duck Creek for lunch last week end along with 4 other adults and 2 children. This was our second visit to duck creek, the first being for an excellent evening meal but i don’t do reviews after one visit.
On this visit we arrived just after 12 midday and were politely welcomed and shown to a table. The staff were friendly and attentative with out being over bearing. Every one in our group was pleased with their meals even the children who can be a bit pickey at times. The food was tasty,fresh and well prepared and presented all in a good time. The cafe was quite busy so i felt a bit guilty going for a look around but there is plenty of space and a lovely garden and large area outside for when the weather is fine. We were very happy with our Duck Creek experience and would certainly go back there again

We love Duck Creek Cafe so much we now go every week and take all our visiting friends there!and they have all been impressed. It looks rustic but increasingly sophisticated. The food and service is fantastic, it is all good.

Went out one Saturday recently on the motorcycle with my wife and decided to try out the Duck Creek cafe. We had seen it often but never stopped before. From the time we arrived we were made welcome and the food and service was fantastic. We almost didn’t stop as there was a lot of cars there but the cafe is deceptive with plenty of room for all. It has a great outlook over the protected wetlands and there is plenty of room outside if you have kids that want to let off steam. Great experience and recommended to all. We will be back (o:

Food was pricey but fully worth it. The service was ok – staff seemed to be students who lacked experience but that was endearing. I thought the decor was a little clinical where we were seated (maybe it’s better elsewhere in the cafe?). On a cold autumn evening the exposed glass windows & ranch-slider doors just made me feel colder and we didn’t want to linger. Would be fantastic in summer.

We had dinner there last night and WOW what a turnaround from the last time we went there.

The food was just great and the presentation sublime.

Will be going back to try more in the menu.
Congrats on such a grand turnaround!!!!

We booked into Duck Creek for dinner on 11th May, on the recommendation of some friends and our own experiences of having eaten at Elements.

The night was dreadful, windy and rainy, but four adults (2 from out of town) braved the weather with high expectations. And we were not disappointed.

Modest surroundings, that were clean and comfortable were nothing compared to the food, and wine selection. The souffle and prawns as entrees were fantastic, while the steak, truffle potatoes and mushroom sauce for mains were superb. The fish was slightly overdone, but only slightly. The desserts and wine were superb too. Arcadia from Amsfield is a great NZ sparkling wine, nice to see it on the wine menu!

Overall the service was great, we were well looked after without being too well looked after. It was not overly busy, which may have helped on that aspect.

We will definitely return, and will bring more friends!

Had a booking for 2 people at 7pm. Good greeting and promptly seated. Placed drinks order. 10 minutes later placed dinner order. And waited…and waited….55 minutes later got our (shared- but sized for one)entree. I asked the waitress as to how far away our meals were as we had plans at 8.30pm. She responded ‘did you want me to tell the kitchen to make it a priority?’ No apology, nothing to indicate that she would ask for us. In the end, at 8.20pm, we had to leave. We told front counter this and we were told that our meals were being plated, did we still want them. So, we got our meals in a plastic dish (had to scoff them in the car when we got to our next appointment)…AND charged full price. The manageress said to us that we should of advised the waitress of our ‘time restraints’. An hour and a half for TWO people and still no main meal??? Yes, the restaurant was busy, but if you can’t facilitate so many people WHY take the booking?? Other tables around us managed to get mains and dessert. VERY disappointing as after reading all the other reviews here we were looking forward to a good meal out. And here we were ‘road-testing’ this restaurant for our upcoming family event (100+ people) If you don’t have more than 2 hours to wait for a meal, don’t go here.

This Place is as good as it gets! Lovely Pate, seems home made and taste is amazing. Had the Sirloin steak and dined with a table of 6. Is a hard group of people to please but we walked out of there surely to return.

Love the touch of complimentary fresh baked bread rolls. Is fine dining without the fine price. Is very reasonably price and size. Lovely service. Not over bearing. Have been there with other groups multiple times and will continue to return.

Many thanks for the good time, atmosphere and dining.

We visited for a business dinner and were very impressed with the food. It compares well to places in Wellington.
I ordered the scallops entree and the vegetarian main. It’s not often the vegetarian option gets chosen because it sounds so wonderful.
The lamb came with cute little meat pies and the blue cheese cauliflower gratin with the vege meal was wonderful.
The service was attentive but not too overbearing although we seemed to be served by 3 different people over the night.
My only advice to the owners would be to do something about the ambience. There is still a smell of cooking fat (like when it was Rushes) and there is little decoration apart from mirrors. It feels a bit soul-less, like a motel. Maybe go with the log cabin theme. It was also a bit chilly when we recently went for brunch.
The complimentary tampons in the ladies was an extra touch you don’t often (ever?) see.

Two words can only describe the experience I had last night at this venue “Absolutely Wonderful”

4 Adults dining for a birthday dinner, were treated to a delightful evening of great food and wine, very friendly and attentive staff and considering the weather, beautiful surroundings.

The menu was great. I’m always the hardest one to please and can never find something that takes my fancy, I was impressed with the selection. We each had three courses, with all being the perfect size so you didn’t feel like a you had perhaps over indulged upon leaving. The Duck Liver pate was amazing and I think homemade, coming out in a tiny terrine with that tell tale homemade layer of fat on the top. Gorgeous. Also sampled from the menu was both the Goat cheese soufflé, prawn and squid starters, all of which were wonderful and the perfect amount to get the taste buds watering and looking forward to the next course.

Mains were equally as good, with the Venison, salmon and line caught fish dishes being sampled. I had the fish, and what a delight, I love fish and this dish was something that I shall be returning to Duck Creek for. YUM. Of course equally as good were the other two dishes, I tasted the venison and being someone that has a keen hunter in the family and is lucky enough to eat venison on a regular basis, I was suitably impressed.

We sampled all of the desserts on the menu including a cheese board and it really just topped off the evening, every dish that was presented to us really made me feel like I had walked into a Master chef kitchen, it was easy to see that the chef took real pride in his or her work.

Thank you Duck Creek, a wonderful time was had by all.
We will certainly be telling everyone we know about it and recommending you to all.

Eight travelled Adults had a wonderful lunch at Duck Creek.
The food was superb.I had Goats cheese souffle,friends had the Rissotto,the Steak,and Fish.All commented on how enjoyable it was.
I was most impressed with the choices on the menu,and the varying price ranges to suit all budgets.
The service was efficient and we would recommend this restaurant.
We will be visiting on our next trip to the area.

We went to Duck Creek Cafe on its first night and were delighted with the food – beautifully cooked steak and a wonderful goat’s cheese souffle. The chocolate dessert platter was also very yummy. The wine by the glass selection was very pleasant – an important factor given the cafe’s location and the need to be abstemious regarding drinking and driving. We will certainly be going again and will be recommending to friends.

My friend and I enjoyed brunch at Duck Creek recently. We arrived and were greeted in a very friendly manner, and seated outside in glorious sunny weather. We had small children with us, and the wait staff informed us that there was sunscreen available and brought balls and a ride on bike for my son.

Duck Creek has a fabulously huge lawn area, and my little man loved having the chance to run around and play while we ate and enjoyed a leisurely coffee.

My friend and I took a while catching up before looking at the menu, but the wait staff were attentive without being intrusive, checking a couple of times whether we were ready to order.

We had the Blueberry pancakes with bacon and maple syrup (which were just divine), a salad and a plate of chips as well as a Chai Latte and Mochachino. The sides and drinks were just as good as the pancakes. We were also kept well stocked with fresh water, which was welcome in the hot sun.

I thought the menu and prices were great, the staff friendly and very accommodating. I would happily return (and actually have done since, just for coffee and brownie for morning tea while passing), and would recommend Duck Creek for coffee and/or a meal.

I can imagine Duck Creek will be a fabulous summer spot, especially with the great outdoor deck and lawn, although even on bad days, the inside looked warm and inviting with several different ‘spaces’ to accommodate quite a number of people.

This restaurant has had a checkered career and has changed hands and name(most recently Rushes) So being ever brave we ventured forth on a overcast and drizzly day for a delightful brunch……
restaurant had a few diners but did fill up well as we waited. we were shown to a table that wobbled slightly but anyway. it took quite some time to get served but water was forthcoming ( more later)
I ordered the big breakfast which included bacon ,eggs , sausage’s (kransky) mushrooms and tomatoes ($19.00)and supposedly toast , my partner ordered the bubble and squeak with poached eggs.(16.50)

we waited we waited and we waited. the restaurant supervisor arrived and noticed we were “fidgety” and asked without prompting “had we been waiting long” we advised yes a little anyway the meals duly appeared not long after (30 minutes) yes this is brunch we are talking. well one look at mine was enough the tomatoes were DISGUSTING and when i complained they bought back 2 more that were flat ,lifeless and burnt. the bread for the scrambled eggs had a “glance ” at a toaster and was not oven toasted on one side , the other toast “morsel” was rock hard. the bacon was burnt in several parts although what i did taste was pleasant , the kransky which i don’t care for were overcooked on inspection. OH and the hash brown was a raw shredded potato mix up that was brown on the outside and soggy on the inside. what a disappointment , ,my partners B+S was “ok” the poached being lovely but too much potato mix underneath.

we were offered a free dessert as some sort of compensation which we reluctantly accepted ( this is brunch remember)it was a lemon curd thing with lemon sorbet ice cream. it was ok and would perhaps be nice after a main course in the evening.

the Orange juice and pineapple juice tasted tainted and the water was tap and in my partners had “floater” in it and was at room temp on a very humid day….
the coffee to finish was bitter for the americano of my partners and my latte was closer to a cappuccino but ok.

it came to 51 dollars and i was sure the supervisor offered us comp coffee with the dessert but when i paid the bill apparently not.

this restaurant has learnt nothing of the bad reputation it used to have and despite new owners our experience was one that has prompted me to write a review for the first time , so disappointed i was.
i really cant find too many redeeming features and like moist kiwis are reluctant to complain but we will not return anytime soon, there is a cafe nearby ( ground up and Rubys in Mana) that shine above this but accept they are cafe’s (not doing evening meals) and Duck Creek is trying to do all things , breakfast , lunch , dinner, coffee, perhaps that’s the problem,