Raupo Cafe, Restaurant & Traiteur — Restaurant in Marlborough

On our first visit to Blenheim we discovered this restaurant by the stream. As it was French we had expectations.

I'll start by praising the staff. During the night and the end of our time at the restaurant, they were very helpful. The staff are the reason why I give this review 1 star.

The wine list was good as it reflected the excellent wines available in the Marlborough region. However, the food was an outright disappointment.

To begin with, the entree we ordered was to be a platter with pate and condiments. What arrived was chicken pate, 5 slices of a baguette and... rice crackers. Since when have rice crackers been included in a supposedly "French" dish?

When the mains arrived, further disappointment ensued. My partner had ordered the pork dish and what arrived for her was a white meat covered in an inedible sauce with a side salad drowned in mayonnaise. The pork had not been rendered and there was a gross layer of fat on the meat. The crackling that accompanied the meat was soft and chewy.

My main was the fish of the day and I could taste some of the snapper flavour and soft flesh. Yet it was overdone because the portion was not cut correctly. The salsa verde that accompanied the fish was inappropriate as were the pickled vegetables.

My partner explained her disappointment with her main to the wait staff. They were apologetic; nonetheless the replacement dish of steak took much longer than expected and when it arrived it was inedible. The steak was charred beyond recognition (when it was ordered to be medium done), the side of chips tasted of frozen potato and the "sauce" was a small jar of "jus" that was a brown sludge that tasted of gravy and red wine vinegar.

This was the final straw. We explained the situation with the maitre'd and that we would not pay for the food. They were understandable; they explained that the head chef was away ill on this evening. However you would expect the stand-in chef to be able to cook what was listed on the menu.

I would not recommend this restaurant. The Pizza Hut is...

Had brunch at Raupo yesterday and was really looking forward to it, as we've always had a good experience everytime we've dined here. However, since the change of ownership, the quality in food has dropped dramatically. I ordered the big breakfast which is my usual with a side of hollandaise sauce. However, it was not worth the $27 they charge for it. 2 small pieces of toast which they'd obviously cut in half to make it look like you were getting four slices, 1 hash brown instead of the usual 2, a mini sausage which was under cooked, bacon was burnt and dry, mushrooms were ok (meh) and my eggs were sitting on top of some relish which does not go well with the poached eggs and should not have been on the plate . My wife ordered the whitebait omlete for $26 which was accompanied by a lemon wedge and a small salad, nothing else, not even some toast or bread to have with the whitebait, whereas the normal omlete came with more on the plate for $1 less. The 2 ladies that served us were both really lovely with great service, but the guy who took our order seemed like he didnt want to be there at all, no service with a smile or a hello, just straight "what are you after.."🤦🏾‍♀️and for what we ordered and the quality of the food, it was def not worth what we were charged, so we will not be going back in a hurry. We were better off going to Fair Weathers. Unfortunately they're not open for atleast another year. Owners need to do better or bring back...

Just so so extremely average in all aspects while charging a premium price. Ordered an oat latte for $6 and got a glass of warm, faintly coffee flavored, milk with a thin layer of bubbles on top. Also got the big breakfast, which although not terrible, was $26 and made with obviously the cheapest possible ingredients. Hash brown was one of those thin frozen ones you buy in bulk from the supermarket and chuck in your toaster, but I wish they had toasted mine as it was drenched in oil. I wish I was joking when I say I've got a better sausage from a Bunnings sausage sizzle, and the mushrooms were somehow sour? Glad they were such a tiny portion. Everything else was alright, but for some reason the largest portion on the plate was a big pile of generic bagged mesclun mix and cabbage? All in all the kind of cheap brekkie you'd expect from the small town dairy/gas station that doubles as a "cafe", and even then I'd have been disappointed. Though I must admit they definitely know how to poach an egg, I don't think I've left a big breakfast still hungry before this. You'd be better off spending less at the many amazing cafes...