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2 days ago
The 3 of us ate at Artisan last night. It is a nice warm atmosphere, spacious and low noise level. The waiting staff are warm and friendly. But I am afraid it is about that is all I can (nicely) say about this. We ordered bread and the Pulled Wild Pork for starter – was at least 30minutes before this arrived after ordering. 3 mains ordered (1) duck con fit – not crispy at all and did not finish (2) my son ordered the razorback pork – dry & tough! he could hardly get his knife to cut this and only finished it because he was hungry (3) I ordered the grilled sirloin (medium rare) – it arrived well done and was not possible to finish. I fully understand that occasionally it goes wrong – but for someone to serve this load of rubbish up to us could only have held us in contempt. I find it hard to believe the person did not know they were putting a well-done steak on the plate??!! I would have complained and sent the steak & the pork back but we had to wait close to 90 minutes and not prepared to wait even longer. Paid the $188 and ran as fast as I could. Give this place a wide berth!!!!
3 days ago
The guys went crazy over the beer options…not to mention the beer taster trays on offer. The four of us loved our meals…all having something different. Even our German guest loved the German dish, he wanted to thank the chef. Can’t wait til my next visit when the kids are with the grandparents.
6 days ago
I dined at this restaurant last week with my family and was very impressed. The restaurant had a relaxed atmosphere and the decor was beautiful. Service was fantastic – friendly and efficent. We jumped straight to mains and found the ‘design your own meal’ concept great, especially as some members of my family are very fussy! Meals were cooked to perfection. I had the venison with potato gratin, vegetables and plum sauce – meat was cooked to perfection was obviously very good quality, presentation was simple yet effective. My family agreed that the food was superb. For dessert the majority of us had the chocolate fondant, a great choice, it was cooked perfectly! A restaurant definitley worth trying!
6 days ago
Very nice setting, comfortable surrounds and helpful staff. But for a mains price of $36 plus $6 for sides, the servings are just way too small, even if they are nicely presented. If you are hungry, tell them in advance and ask for decent-sized mains, or you’ll go out hungry! Other top restaurants also come at this trick, perhaps to encourage you to have entrees and desserts.
7 days ago
We used to dine here regularly but hadn’t been in about 2.5years due to having a child. We decided to go for lunch today (with small child in tow) and had yet another fantastic dining experience. The food, coffee and service is consistently of a high standard – we’ve never experienced a single off day – and they were very flexible and accommodating to our three year old (not really their target audience) by offering to plate her a half potion of anything on the menu. The menu steps a little outside the mainstream lunch/brunch offerings as well, which makes a refreshing change. We will be back!
9 days ago
We went for lunch at the ballroom today, we were very disappointed the food was inedible. Mushrooms on toast was dry bread far too thick and no sauce of any type with the mushrooms–Yuk. Frittata was the other and I have no idea what the basis of that was other than days old vegetables. Neither course had even a vestige of salad or normal small embellishments. Extremely disappointing as we had very fond memories of the cafe over the years , when food and the atmosphere were always good.
10 days ago
My husband and I went for dinner at Maginnity’s on Monday evening due to the fact that our usual place was booked and we had heard good things from friends. Upon arrival I was surprised to find the inside of the Wellesley hotel to hold a lot of charm and not reflect any off putting ‘boys club’ type character. The restaurant Maginnity’s was the same. The ambiance was lovely, however I think it would have been even better with the open fire going that I spotted in the bar area. Perhaps the night was not quite cold enough. I found the menu to be fantastic with many desirable things to choose from and we were informed it was a new menu as of last week. My husband chose the lamb and I chose the beef with fries to share. While we were waiting for our food our friendly young waitress helped us match a pinot noir to our meals, which we were pleased with. After a reasonable amount of time our meals arrived and we both agreed they were delicious, particularly my husband’s succulent lamb from Pirinoa Station. Due to the attentive service and with many more things we would like to try on the menu, we will back. A lovely evening.
11 days ago
Definitely one of my favourite cafes in wellington, it brings in alot of sun is a bit away from the city which is also nice. Me and my close friend come here all the time as we really enjoy the food and friendly service, would easily recommend this place to anyone wanting a nice cafe to try or bring visitors from out of town.
11 days ago
the food was fantastic, great taste a really nice place to go with friends and family. A+
11 days ago
Mothers day lunch and for the mother it was a wonderful day so mission accomplished. The service was good and they catered for our gluten free guest with ease The food was tasty and presented well What we did not like was being asked if we would like to start with a glass of bubbles and without choice, being served a $25 option Might go back if the occasion arose and finances allowed
12 days ago
So I’ve just tried the food at the refreshed Hummingbird – wow – seriously amazing. The roast duck and lentils were worth it alone. I’d highly recommend for foodies and casual dinners alike…Nice and warm too – perfect for this rainy Wellys evening.
12 days ago
It seems Hummingbird now does brunch of a weekend. My partner and I visited 12th of May, 2012, about 9.00am. The place was empty because they have been doing brunch for only a couple of weeks. Well, it was awesome. I had perfectly scrambled eggs with grilled tomato, asparagus and rocket, on rye toast. Everything was perfectly cooked, fresh and flavoursome: eggs moist with just the right degree of firmness; asparagus grilled, salted, slightly crunchy with a hint of garlic; rocket served with a balanced oil and vinegar dressing. On top of all this, the wait staff were charming, coffee very good, the place as clean as a new pin and there was an enormous bunch of fresh flowers in the loo. All round, an excellent start to the day. Get there before it gets crowded.
12 days ago
Had a wonderful lunch here the other day. Have eaten at the hotel on previous occasions and I really like the new decor. The service was friendly and attentive and the food was great!. I particularly liked the venison which was fantastic. The menu is almost understated – not too wordy as menus can be these days – so when my meal arrived I was really very pleasantly surprised. I will definitely come again!
13 days ago
Mother’s day and three generations of Mums went in for a coffee/cuppa. We did not order a meal so I can’t comment on the quality of that, but the snack food was just awful. My Mother didn’t even eat a quarter of the muffin – it was so dry and hard on the outside (there were no other plain options eg scones). The slice had a fridge taste and there was a bit of plastic stuck in the icing. My small cake didn’t taste fresh either. The coffee was ok but the tea was very weak. I have been several times before for a coffee and the place has a very congenial atmosphere however on a previous visit the scone was very dry also. If the cafe prefers to do meals etc then just do that. It was such a disappointment and I’m not going to be in a hurry to go back again.
15 days ago
This is one of my favorite restaurants in Wellington. The people are so lovely and the food is gorgeous. I especially like the atmosphere of the place. The staff seem so happy to be there and really pleasant! The food is good old fashioned meals. It is really reasonably priced and I would recommend this restaurant to anyone.
15 days ago
We have been to Taste several times over the last few years, and are always really impressed with the experience. It is definitely our favourite restaurant, and being local makes it even better. The service is absolutely flawless – friendly and attentive without being obtrusive. The food is delicious. The ambience and decor is relaxed yet classy. if I had one recommendation it would be to dim the lighting a fraction, to create a more private setting. Would thoroughly recommend this restaurant to those wanting a more ‘special’ dining experience.
18 days ago
My husband and I came to Artisan Restaurant + Bar about two weeks ago. We did have some reservations about dining here as we had a bad experience about two years ago when it was called Bisque on Bolton, however, we were absolutely blown away by the service and the food at the newly re-branded restaurant. I had the prawn entrée while my husband had the scallops to start. Both of which were very yummy! For our mains, I had the venison while my husband chowed down the rib eye which in weight is 450g. Both our meals were cooked to perfection. To finish we shared the chocolate fondant, which was very decadent but not so rich that it ruined our meals. The service from a young blonde girl was just outstanding. Her knowledge of the menu and wine-list really stood out when she helped us decide our sides, sauces and wines to match our meals. Many restaurants could learn from this place, not only in how to cook good food but how to give great service without being over the top and intrusive. Only one thing that really got to me was the female receptionist who took our booking was very abrupt and boarder line rude. I do wonder weather the hotel and the restaurant are in sync? Other than that, this hotel restaurant is just great. We will be back.
20 days ago
My wife and I recently travelled from Brisbane to celebrate our wedding anniversary with family and friends. We picked Charlie Bill on line and pre booked. I got it right for a change! Leigh and Hemi run an informal Bistro that has superb food and personal service. We were a party of twelve and between us tried most, if not all, the dishes on the menu. All plates were clean and I relished in the compliments for picking the restaurant. My wife is still raving over the orange,berry and cardoman desert. It’s my turn to pass on the compliments to Leigh and Hemi and say thank you for a lovely night. Ka Kite Ano
21 days ago
Stayed at the Bolton the weekend of the rugby. Popped in to the resturant on my way to the stadium. Best steak I’ve had in a long time. Love the menu layout and the make-your-own style. Friendly staff as well topped it off. A++ team. Keep it up
21 days ago
Ok so it’s not fancy… really at all. But the view is!!! Where this little gem really comes into its own is delivering just a good value feed. Steak was the best i’ve had in Wellington(and i’ve paid close to $50 at Foxglove and wasn’t as impressed as i was here)! And it’s not even a steak joint or one of those snobby places. My feed was $15… the salad bar while quite limited and relatively one dimensional in its flavour (i’m guessing to cater for the family pallet) was well stocked and turning over with the usual things you look for from a salad bar. It was a cracker of a meal! Well done guys! Awesome view that everyone can afford. Go there with the expectation to get full and you will be a happy camper! And so will your pocket!
North Island
