Somerset Cottage — Restaurant in Bay of Plenty

We had a super experience dining here. Service staff were incredible, super attentive and friendly. The food was beautiful. It is expensive but you get the quality you pay for. The pork belly bao buns were incredible. Crispy and juicy pork. The lamb shank fell off the bone, could have eaten it with a spoon. The gravy was rich and the sweetness of the onion chutney was a great accompaniment. The crispy potato skins were delicious. I would never have thought that the tartare sauce would have paired well but it was a great combo. Desserts were OK. However, they didn't live up to the quality of our mains. The sticky toffee pudding lacked that sweet, thick sauce so was underwhelming. The apple fritters again were OK. Chocolate sauce was delightful. Fritters were cooked perfectly and the cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top took it to the next level. However, we couldn't taste the apple inside the fritters which was a bit...

We were disappointed with the service tonight. The food was excellent as always but we all felt unwelcome, and the staff treated us poorly.

We asked to have the music turned down slightly, to enable discussion, this request was met with a solid no, from the manager sitting down, waiting to go home.

Drinks were rudely plonked down on the table, only two menus on the table and when we asked for more menus it seemed an effort on their behalf to deliver them.

I asked if they served cocktails and was met with the following remark: "We are not a cocktail bar!" What a condescending way to speak to a customer.

Having been a regular visitor to Somerset in the past and bringing visitors, I'll not bring anyone again, or go along again.

Terrible experience, and leaves a bitter aftertaste in what should have been a joyful celebration of a pregnancy...

Had a lovely dining experience here. The interior is light, warm and airy inside the cottage. There is plenty of spacing between the tables so you don’t have to talk over other tables conversations. The waiters were very courteous and friendly. We started the evening with a Gimlet Gin from the extensive beverage list and enjoyed smoked tea chicken spring roles and a tasty zingy squid starters, both very enjoyable with lots of flavour surprises. For our mains roast duck, kumara mash and vegetables and a lamb shank, both beautifully cooked and enjoyed with a glass of wine. Dessert a beautiful baked apple in pastry and a sticky date pudding. A thoroughly enjoyable meal, service and ambience. Plenty of parking beside the building and...