Furnace Steakhouse — Restaurant in Hamilton

Are you in the mood for a classic New Zealand culinary experience? Look no further than Furnace Restaurant. From the moment you step through the doors, the rustic yet refined atmosphere will transport you to a world of culinary delights. The stacked rock walls and wooden ledges create a cozy and inviting ambiance, while plush cushioned booths and comfy low chairs ensure that your dining experience is as comfortable as it is elegant.

But before you take your seat, let's talk about the decor which on first glance is spot on, on deeper dive there's a few areas of attention, the bathrooms could use a little work. The rusty taps and smelly cubicles make you want to avoid, and the dust on ledges is a bit of a letdown, but don't let that deter you. Trust me, it's worth it for what's to come.

As soon as you're seated, you'll be greeted by the friendly and attentive waitstaff. They'll be happy to guide you through the menu and make recommendations, but before you even get to that, you'll be impressed by the care and attention they take not only with meal and wine pairings, but right down to your cutlery. Everything is replaced neatly between courses, attention is given to cutlery position which was thrown to the test, wait staff paused their approach and visited the table based on cutlery position which is a refreshing difference in the modern kiwi cuisine world.

Now let's talk about the food. The menu at Furnace Restaurant is well-crafted and showcases high-quality locally sourced ingredients. The paté, served with pickles and pearl onions, is rich and flavorful, and the house-made bread is a nice touch. The seafood chowder, served with steamed mussels, shrimp and smoked kahawai velouté, is hearty and satisfying. The crispy fried salt and pepper calamari with green papaya salad, nam jim, roast cashew and aioli is a great appetizer. But the main dishes are where Furnace Restaurant really shines. The salads are worth table position with the slow-cooked, lightly grilled NZ beef served with crispy potatoes and roasted pumpkin, broccoli caramelized onion relish, Kalamata olives, salad leaves and a sticky mustard dressing being a must-try.

But the stars of the menu are the treacle cured beef cheek served with bacon, mushrooms, pearl onions, creamy potato mash, blue cheese and madeira jus, the blue cheese is perfectly poised to cut through the richness of the cheek and the buttery backed chunk filled creamy mash keeps you coming in for more rich goodness, then closely follow by the 500gm signature rib-eye on the bone, cooked sous-vide for 18 hours and served medium as they promised. Normally a rare steak for me is more tasteful but and a tasteful but this steak is cooked to perfection, the tender, juicy texture and rich, beefy flavor will have you coming back for more. For dessert, you can't go wrong with the creamy hokey pokey brulee or the salted caramel tiramisu. The salted caramel tiramisu is a standout, with its Italian Chocolate soil, dark chocolate pearls, almond praline, and it's a perfect end to a perfect meal.

In conclusion, Furnace Restaurant is a great choice for a refined night out, offering high-quality ingredients, a polished dining experience and a menu that showcases a wide range of local flavors and preparations. Sure, the bathrooms could use some work, but that's a small price to pay for the delicious food and pleasant atmosphere. So, grab a friend and book your table at Furnace Restaurant, you...

We had such an incredible anniversary dinner at Furnace last night,attentive front of house staff were so friendly and helpful made us feel so special in such a lovely dining space,a warm stylish atmosphere that was so welcoming.

The food was outstanding, the Chef should be highly commended on his perfection in the cooking of our food and the beautiful presentation. The sirlion steak was cooked exactly as my husband wanted which is a true skill that is not recognized enough for how tricky it can be to accomplish well in a busy restaurant environment.The chicken saltimbocca that I had was tender and full of flavour and matched with the creamy mash,greens and the delightful sauce made each mouthful an incredibly joyful food experience. And then the Chef exceeded our expectations with the most beautifully presented desserts,I had the De-Constructed Lemon Meringue which was a delight to the eye and a rich yet fresh taste in the mouth,a wonderful modern take on one of my favs and it was perfection. My husband had the Cointreau and Chocolate Mousse which he thoroughly enjoyed commenting with delight on the richness and smoothness of the dessert and brought a smile to his face the special message on the plate in chocolate for our anniversary it was just the perfect end to a perfect meal.

It was a truly wonderful experience for us and we want to thank all the staff at Furnace for making it a night we will always remember, a talented team of professionals who make the dining experience so enjoyable and memorable that we look forward to coming back again soon.

We will definitely be recommending Furnace to everyone we know as the place to go for an amazing...

Ordered Seafood Chowder (entree), Fried Chicken (entree), Garlic Bread (breads), Roasted Lamb Rump (main), Sirloin (steak) with chips, Sous-Vide Rump (steak) with chips, and Green with Envy (cocktail).

Our server was very nice and friendly, and we didn't have to wait long for the food. We got a nice and cosy booth in the corner, which fit us perfectly.

Seafood Chowder was awesome, very creamy and a good amount for an entree. Southern Fried Chicken was also great, very crispy and juicy with well matched mayonnaise. My friend loved the Roasted Lamb Rump, so much that he didn't want to share. Both steaks were great, the sirloin was nice and juicy (but I didn't ask how the sous-vide rump was). The Duck Fat Chips were good, though I was mostly full by the time I got to them, and we really enjoyed the Homemade BBQ Sauce. The garlic bread was a bit more butter than garlic than we would've liked, but one of us still thought it was great - the salt/herb mix on the side I heard was a great mix as well. The cocktail was mostly watery pineapple and slightly citrus flavoured.. I'm not well versed on what to expect from cocktails, though.

We had a great time and the food was excellent. Will hopefully...