Sages Indian Restaurant — Restaurant in Albert-Eden

Terrible experience. Do not waste your time or money here. Last night my partner ordered dinner from Sage’s Restaurant for delivery and was quoted an estimated 80min wait time. Good things come to those who wait, right? Wrong. Order was placed at 6:20pm. By 8:20pm there was still no sign of a delivery, and no contact had been made to inform us that it was going to be delayed. Both myself and my partner tried to call Sage’s Restaurant numerous times to find out what was going on, but were left to go to voicemail each time. I had no idea what was happening with my order, or if it was even being made. At 8:40pm I gave up on waiting and decided to drive to the restaurant myself to see what was going on. Upon arriving I was met with a scene of about 10 delivery drivers all waiting for orders. I asked about my order and was rudely told “we’re too busy, it’s on its way”. When I asked why they couldn’t even pick up the phone and communicate clearly with me, they just rudely said sorry. No explanation or attempt at a real apology. It’s not hard to answer the phone and at least have the decency to let customers know what’s happening… If I had known that it was delayed that’s all cool with me. I’m a restaurant manager myself, my partner is a Bar Manager, we both work in the hospo industry. I understand it’s Friday night, it’s busy etc. I know what it’s like. What is not acceptable is purposefully not answering the phone and not updating customers on orders, Making people wait nearly 3 hours for food is straight up unacceptable (we ordered for “ASAP” and our wait time ended up being more than twice our initially quoted 80 minute wait, which is already a long time to begin with!), especially for customers that have already paid for their meal. By the time I arrived home, after finally getting my food, it was 9:10pm (with our order being placed at 6:20pm). I was offered nothing in the form of apology or compensation of any sort, unless you count a lacklustre apology from a staff member who clearly just wanted me gone ASAP. After our 3 hour ordeal we open our takeaway bag and come to find our order was incorrect, but by this point the damage was already done. The food was average, but whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth. if you’re after an Indian takeaway, don’t waste your money at Sage’s, spend it at one of the many other fantastic Indian eateries...

Sages Restaurant review

Up until recently my only experience with Indian cuisine had come from shopping malls and the odd take out. That all changed when a friend invited me to review Sages in Point Chevalier.

Food

The Mango Chicken I ordered was one of the best meals that I have had for a while. The meat was perfectly cooked, with just the right amount of spices that helped to enhance the dish, without overpowering it. Everything I ate just seemed to come to life, from the moist and tender chicken, to the crispiness of the garlic Naan Bread. Part of that is down to the work of co-owner and chef Kamal Jhajj, who insists on using only the best ingredients in the dishes he creates, to the point where he’ll close the kitchen if he doesn’t have access to the freshest foods available.

Setup

The restaurant itself is deceptively nondescript, from the outside but becomes warm and inviting once I stepped through the front door. The low lighting and dark red wallpaper really gives Sage’s a romantic vibe that I liked a lot. The staff were friendly and efficient, with Kamal regularly coming out to see how we were, although I suspect it may have been because it was a slow Wednesday night.

Conclusion

As a reviewer I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to give restaurants a perfect 10, but Sage’s really nails it with its friendly service, delicious offerings, and romantic...

Restaurant Review: Sages, Pt Chev!

My friend and I were on the hunt for some authentic Indian food, so we decided to try Sages in Pt Chev. The restaurant boasts a nice, clean environment, and we were greeted warmly by a friendly waitress with a smile—always a good start.

I ordered the Chicken Vindaloo with garlic naan, while my friend opted for the Matter Methi Malai with cheese naan. The Matter Methi Malai looked delicious at first glance, but to our surprise, it contained scrambled paneer, which wasn’t mentioned on the menu. When we brought this to our waitress's attention, she was quick to apologize and confirmed with the chef that it had indeed been added. Thankfully, neither of us had a paneer allergy, but it was concerning that this important detail was omitted from the menu.

As for the Chicken Vindaloo, I must say I was quite taken aback. It resembled a Manchurian soup with chicken rather than the rich, spicy dish I had anticipated. It was a far cry from what I expected when ordering a vindaloo.

On a positive note, the cheese naan was exceptional—possibly the best I've had in Auckland!

Overall, I left Sages feeling disappointed. While the ambiance and service were commendable, the food did not meet our expectations, and the miscommunication about the paneer was concerning. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be returning to...