Vietflames — Restaurant in Maungakiekie-Tāmaki

I used to love eating and drinking here. The food has always been great, and the atmosphere at the Sylvia Park location is fantastic. It’s also super convenient to get to. However, yesterday’s experience left me disappointed due to an issue with customer service.

While the waiter and waitress were as friendly and helpful as usual, the manager on duty—an Asian lady—handled a situation poorly and made us uncomfortable. She asked to check our IDs for alcohol, which I completely understand is a legal requirement. However, I was surprised because my friends and I have visited many times before and have never been asked for IDs. I casually mentioned this to her, and also pointed out that it seemed like only our table was being checked, while others were not. I even told her it was fine to cancel the alcohol from our order if necessary.

Instead of handling this smoothly, she seemed confused and intense. She kept pressuring us to add soft drinks instead, even though none of us wanted anything at that point. This led to more miscommunication and awkwardness. In the end, one of my friends had to go to the bar themselves to cancel the drinks, which should not have been necessary.

What made the situation worse was that the manager spoke to me in a condescending manner, implying that I didn’t understand why IDs are checked in New Zealand. This was especially offensive because I have lived and worked professionally in New Zealand for five years and speak fluent English. Her assumption felt based solely on my appearance, as if she thought I was a clueless young tourist. It left me feeling like I was being racially profiled, which was very upsetting.

The manager’s attitude, combined with her poor communication skills and lack of proper training, made the experience unpleasant. While I appreciate the other staff for their usual great service, I cannot recommend this place if this manager continues to work there.

I understand and fully support ID checks for alcohol. If I don’t have my ID, I’m happy not to drink—that’s not the issue. The issue is the way this situation was handled, with assumptions and miscommunication that escalated unnecessarily.

I hope the manager improves her language skills and customer service training to avoid making customers feel disrespected or harassed in the future. Until then, I probably won’t be returning, which is a shame because I’ve always enjoyed the food and...

So we arrived at 5pm tonight (Thursday) when the restaurant was empty. We had been seated on a table for three of us (including my 5 years old son ) right next to the entrance, in the middle of where everyone would walk through, when no other customers inside the restaurant. It was a cold night and the door at the entrance wouldn’t close when they went to the other outdoor table frequently. I asked the waiter if we could move as there were heaps of empty tables surrounding us, he said due to we booked under First Table we had to sit where we were so people outside could see us (as a promotion). I told the waiter it wasn’t something that we should worry about as customers( and didn’t have to do that as it wasn’t on the terms and conditions on the First Table app), we basically found it too ridiculous as they decided to use us for promoting the restaurant itself but we knew nothing prior to our booking. The waiter seemed not keen to move us but we insisted. Told him I couldn’t keep standing up and shutting the door when having our dinner. It was too cold for my little son there. We ended up moved to the table where suitable for us.

We ordered some juice and they put half glass of ice in it. I wouldn’t mind if it was hot in summer and thought it was common sense customers do not need that much of ice in a drink in winter time. I took out all the ice on a spare plate, and showed the waiter how much ice they put in a serve of juice with a half full glass of juice left, without having one single sip. The waiter basically had no respond and didn’t care at all.

When we paid the bill both the other waiter( looked like a manager) and the person who served us didn’t even say “THANK YOU”! We’d ordered 3 juices, 1entree, 2 rice noddle dishes (main size), and another 2 main dishes for only 2 adults eating on table.

They were not considering at all specially we are a family with a young kid. Not kids friendly. TERRIBLE customer services and the waiting staff were not properly trained, couldn’t even communicate with customers and solve the issues. Very hard to get such a bad dining experience in Auckland. PLUS in their lowest reviews, someone had complained with the same seating issue, and they replied and promised they would have a meeting to ensure not to happen again, bet they just said it and did nothing. We are returning customers but we got totally...

A Hidden Gem on Sylvia Lane, 5/5 Experience

Dined in for lunch on Wednesday, 23 July 2025

What a fantastic dining experience! Tucked away on Sylvia Lane, this Vietnamese restaurant is a clean and inviting hideaway that makes you feel welcome the moment you walk in. We were greeted warmly by the head waitress, who led us to a cozy corner table with leather seats tucked just far enough from the main dining area to feel a little bit private, which I really appreciated.

We ordered seven dishes and were absolutely blown away:

Prawn & Chive Dumplings: Hot, tender, and packed with flavour. Perfect for a cold winter’s day.

Ocean-Kissed Salmon: Delicately salted and beautifully balanced with herbs and veggies.

Lemongrass Chicken Curry: Comforting with the added twist of kumara confit and bamboo salad.

Shaking Beef: My standout dish. I asked for it medium rare and it arrived absolutely perfect. Melt-in-your-mouth tender and rich in flavour.

Papaya Beef Medley: Fresh and zingy, with that unmistakable Vietnamese herb-and-pickle crunch.

Tropical Prawn Fusion: Light, refreshing, and lifted by the passionfruit dressing.

Mango Pana Cotta: I don’t usually order panna cotta, but this one was heavenly. Creamy, coconutty, and absolutely unforgettable. We shared one between three people, and I’m pretty sure I only got one spoonful before it disappeared. I’ll be ordering one for myself next time!

To drink, we had the sugarcane juice refreshing, all-natural, and full of pure goodness.

At the end of our meal, I had the pleasure of chatting with Chef Jayson, who, along with his wife (our waitress), runs the restaurant with real heart and soul. He shared how passionate he is about creating quality food for his loyal customers, and it shows. As he said, “When you do what you’re passionate about, it doesn’t feel like work.”

From food to service to atmosphere, this place is exceptional. 5/5 from me, and I can’t...