Charley Noble — Restaurant in North Island

Sticks and stones

Charley Nobel has a great reputation for polite and yet not over bearing service, and a decent atmosphere. I have dined thrice at CN and all experiences have been the same. Wonderful service, lovely surrounds... and mediocre food.

It is a shame not to be bosting about this Wellington establishment...but I can't for the life of me understand people's love affair with this overpriced steakhouse.

Don't get me wrong, there are some stars at CN. For example, anything with 'steak' in the title is like Lady Gaga turning up at your birthday to sing to you: Tantalizing, perfectly prepared, and leaves you wanting much, much more.

Tonight I had the market fish ceviché. Perfect freshness and tang, sexy presentation and just enough to satisfy. Perfectly paired with water (like with mother nature, you don't mess with ceviché).

She had the gnudi, a little heavy on the tapenade..and light on the gnudi. So light they could have floated away. That was a massive plus. So far so good then.

Now to the main course.

She had the signature CN Burger. Sorry, but this is the culinary cataloging white paint charts; the listening to conceptual mathematics lectures by Siri. B-O-R-I-N-G.

Wellington has a million burgers on offer, and any of the offerings at the Pickle Jar in Karori, or at Brewtown in the Hutt smash this salty, dry, and "overpickled" offering out of the park, and at 3/4 the cost.

I had the chicken, mushroom, thyme and cream fettuccine ensemble. Now, I'm no Marco Pierre White, but my version of this dish is less salty, more creamy, more "thymey", less soggy, and most importantly, less boney, all of which, I hasten to point out, are positive differences.

Care with the mise en plus, s'il vous plait.

Dessert: flat.

'Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me', the nursery rhyme says..unfortunately, reviews are words and they can hurt. As did the chicken bone in my fettuccine.

So, in summary I'm left with some fairly strong words for CN. Lower the seasoning, adjust the price point, and up the care.

I'd like to return one day and not be underwhelmed.

5/10 (the gnudi and ceviché get a...

I recently visited Charley Noble with a group of friends and, unfortunately, had a very disappointing experience. I had booked a table for 10 people at 7:30 pm, and we arrived a bit early at 7:20 pm. Despite having a reservation, we had to wait 30 minutes to be seated, with no explanation or update from the staff.

Once we were finally seated, things only got worse. We ended up waiting an unbelievable 1.5 hours for our food. We understand that we requested both the appetizers and mains to be served at the same time, and we realize that accommodating a large group can sometimes take extra time. However, a 1.5-hour wait is excessive, especially considering that other tables arriving after us were served much faster. At no point did the staff inform us of any delay or give us an estimated wait time.

By the time our meals arrived, the staff had already begun cleaning the restaurant around us, making us feel rushed and uncomfortable as we tried to enjoy our dinner. The food itself was only average, not impressive enough to make up for the lengthy wait and lack of communication.

Although the service staff were polite, the poor organization and lack of communication left us disappointed. Charley Noble should seriously consider improving their management practices, as these are basic expectations that significantly impact the...

One of the best things about Charley Noble is the fact you can't make a booking. Restaurants of this quality can be so difficult to get a table thanks to people booking well in advance. Here, you walk in and they will give you a timeframe to expect a table depending on the size of your group. It's not a restaurant for people in a rush, but if you're willing to wait 45mins or so at the bar, you can typically get in.

In terms of atmosphere, thanks to the walk-in nature of the place, the entranceway and bar tend to feel a bit chaotic and crowded. I have never seen it quiet here. Once you have a table however, the chaos fades into the background and aside from the ambient noise of other diners, it's a rather pleasant environment. I have only been here as a group of 2 or 4, so I can say that it is wonderful for dates or taking the parents out for a nice meal.

Both cocktails I have had here were unusual and delicious. I don't drink wine, however my partner speaks very highly of the wine list.

The prices are a bit high for a regular dinner place, however you get what you pay for. The food here is absolutely stunning. I have been here a few times now, and every meal has been the highest quality of that type of meal. If you have money to burn, or a special occasion, I highly recommend...