Hippo Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in North Island

Service was impeccable, the ambient was classy and well designed, but half of the meals were disappointing and below par .

We were greeted and walked to our table, offered great drinks, asked about dietary requirements, and waiters were attuned to our very wish. We felt truly appreciated and valued as guests. Big thanks to the service.

The menu was looking posh, long meal names with lots of French words. At that point, I thought this would be an amazing dining experience.

My husband and I ordered Atlantic scallops as an entre but didn’t see the word tartare, and that was not a good beginning as we don’t like anything tartare, while this chef likes lots of tartare. I wish waiters pointed out that the meal was tartare, but I don’t blame them. It was our fault we missed that word.

All meals looked visually amazing, and whoever was presenting them, is an artist.

Our tartare scallops arrived cut into little cubes in a bland tomato soup with two pieces of green salad on top. Taste: bland. Salad had more taste than the tomato soup, and scallops tasted of nothing. We were both disappointed, but it was our fault for not seeing the word “tartare”.

We ordered beef meal and roasted duck meals for the mains. My husband’s beef was succulent and soft, he really enjoyed it. Duck was chewy and undercooked. Embarrassingly, I had to spit out 3 chews as couldn’t chew it into anything they could be swallowed. I coude see my daughter’s knuckles were white with how hard she was pressing knife and fork into duck meat to cut it. I eventually returned my meal. Duck is supposed to be fatty, soft, juicy, and this one was the opposite. They offered a replacement and I took ravioli. When they arrived, meat filling was simply amazing, bursting with taste, but pasta was undercooked, not al denté, but “too dente”. I asked my husband to take a bite to see whether it’s just me and he said it tasted like cardboard. I agreed.

For dessert we ordered deer milk, which was truly new experience and very nice. My husband’s chocolate piece was, according to his words, well presented and tasty but nothing to rave about.

We also ordered pancakes that were, surprisingly, made in front of us by a waiter, not a chef. I was afraid that oil or sauce would spray at me, there was a feeling of street food being made in front of us. Crepes were also slightly undercooked. I make heaps of crepes and love them and ate them all over the world, including France, and these were not good. The sauce was ok, but crepes were not.

Overall, 3 stars as it was not consistent in quality . I won’t be going back as the number one criteria for me is food tasting good. All that fluff around it is nice, but if food doesn’t taste good, I’m...

From flying in at the airport, we were delayed in arriving and our reservation at Hippopotamus was delayed due to our lateness. The restaurant was very empathetic and understanding so we were able to still have our reservation during this busy night. When we arrived, the restaurant was beautiful and exotic with accents of wildlife amidst opulent embellishments of crystal chandeliers and a stunning seascape harbour view.

Immediately, we were warmly greeted and our luggage was stored at the main desk as we were seated. The service was simply spectacular and consummately professional.

We ordered glasses of Hawkes Bay Syrah and a North Canterbury Pinot Noir and we decided on the 6 course degustation menu. I was very impressed by the sommelier service as his knowledge and engagement was fascinating and enriching.

Our menu started with an amuse bouche of pineapple mango tea with salmon sashimi and picked vegetable. This complementary dish was confusing and only the salmon was enjoyable. Fortunately this was followed by warm baguette and apricot bread within seaweed butter which was amazing.

We were then served the first of two entrees being a pamu deer milk panna cotta with freeze dried Manuka honey, kawakawa oil, turmeric caviar on white chocolate saffron paint. The smooth texture of the panna cotta was wonderful.

Following on we had the grilled brown mushroom with porcini and shallot escabeche, cream of charred cauliflower and wilted kale and truffle tapenade. This dish was delicious and complex in flavours.

Our first main was chicken roulade with pear Stilton cheese filling on quince paste with pecans and walnuts finished with chestnut butter and confit garlic cream. This dish was simply heavenly and aromatic.

The second main was fish of the day pan fried on a lobster bisque with couchettes, aubergine and confit garlic with roast capsicum. This dish was divine with beautiful textures and layers of flavour.

A palate cleanser of kawakawa, lemon and Italian parsley sorbet was served and this was wonderful before a cheese plate of goats cheese with baguette, spinach, apricot, walnut and plum chutney. This was a lovely prelude to the closing dish and dessert 5 textures of chocolate including mousse, bavois, truffle, sorbet and soil. The dessert dishes were the perfect crescendo to the meal.

Overall our dining experience was superb, the service was excellent, attentive and faultless, wine list was impressive and cuisine was mostly memorable for positive reasons. I’d love to experience more of their menu. Highly recommended with consummate...

Save your money and go elsewhere. There are so many good choices in Wellington, you really, really should consider other options. This is super expensive, terrible service and the food is below average.

I booked in advance for 9 people and they knew it was a special occasion. Asked if we could have a cake but was told there would be a $1-pp "cakeage fee" (this really is excessive, most places are $5 at worse). This should have been a warning to me.

The service was awful. Waiting more than 30 minutes to receive drinks. Asked if I could have a large Heineken from the bar downstairs, and was told they had no tap beer but would get me one. Turns out they lied and it was just Heineken from a bottle in a small glass (you can taste the difference). The wine server recommended a wine based on attendee tastes, however didn't offer a taster and just started pouring into the carafe. Turns out it was was only Vidal Reserve and then was "offended" because a taster was asked for and the wine being served was not liked (Vidal Reserve). He even left the carafe at the side table as a middle-finger gesture to us.

Meals were atrocious. They were tasteless, bland and not hot as if they had been sitting for a while. The fish was rubbery, the steak leathery as though only sub-par ingredients were used. The person whose special occasion was, was always served last, whether a drink or a meal. She asked early on if she needed to order dessert when she ordered her main, and was told I'll come back and see you later. By the time they came back they had run out of the dessert she wanted. Very bad taste.

Another party member ordered dessert which was meant to be a "dining experience at your table" (i.e. crepes). Turns out the wait staff only heated a sauce at the table with crepes that were pre-made and to be honest chewy and inedible.

When feedback was provided, the wine server (from earlier) was downright rude. Basically being dismissive and making excuses. He really gave the impression that he thought he was better than us, and that we shouldn't be there. We were "lucky" to be in his company.

I really, really was hoping this would compare with some of the other amazing restaurants that Wellington has. As I said it was a special occasion and I had never been. It is a shame that it turns out that it really is well worse than some of the basic restaurants in Wellington.

In summary, it really is expensive, poor service and subpar quality, and not to quote my nephew, "the squeeze isn't...