The Bistro — Restaurant in North Island

I read many raving reviews about this restaurant but we had a bad experience when we visited on Sunday evening at around 7 pm. The ambiance was nice, relaxed and enjoyable. Upon sitting, we were asked if we'd like still or sparkling water, but didn't realize that the sparkling water costs 10 dollars until we paid the bill. We ordered the rabbit and chicken liver for entree, which was not to our liking. The dish was dry, and not to our taste. We ended up asking for it to be taken away. As for the mains, the fish special was well made, though quite small. The duck breast and thigh dish was bipolar. The duck itself was cooked well and presented nicely, but the accompanying sauce and veggies were very bold in flavor and completely overpowered the delicate duck. We also ordered a fish and chips from the kids menu. Something to note - if making fish and chips for kids, it may be better to skin the fish. Kids could very easily be put off by fish skins. The battered fish itself was absolutely drenched in oil (oil temp too low or due for a change?) The waitress, who was very polite and nice, forgot to bring the wine I ordered, so I ended up staying with the sparkling water. I should add that when I reminded the waitress about the wine at the end of the meal, I was offered the glass of wine on the house, but by then there was no meal to have it with. I was hoping for so much more from this...

This is one of the worst meals out I've had in a long time. I booked this restaurant for a friend's birthday, and wow do I regret it. We had terrible service. From the moment we arrived, the waitress barely spoke to us. When she took our order we asked some questions about items on the menu. My daughter is vegetarian and asked about the Greens dish, which our waitress said included broccoli, asparagus, and cauliflower - none of which were served in the dish. When we asked to return it, the waitress gave us a hard time, telling us there was broccoli in the dish. I asked for the manager, who insisted on coming to our table to view the dish, which was filled with white grains. He took it back, but still tried to charge us for it, explaining it was the kitchen's fault for not doing it correctly? The waitress mixed up the drink order (serving 2 lemonades instead of 2 diet cokes) and never brought our side of fries, even though we asked for them multiple times. The restaurant had been told it was my friend's birthday, and included a birthday dish on the receipt, but did not bring it out until I questioned them when I got the receipt and saw it on there. The dish included a one inch piece of cheese or white chocolate. They did not sing. They overcharged me, including a 15% holiday upcharge. The ambience was bland and the food was mediocre at best. I would not recommend...

The Bistro, Taupo A thoroughly enjoyable experience. Sadly we weren’t up to sampling the tasting menu, but chose The Bistro wild rabbit & chicken liver terrine | salsa verde | house pickles | pistachio nuts | quince brown butter | sourdough toast

Charcoal grilled asparagus | sourdough & Kalamata olive crumb | oyster mushroom chips | orange | smoked paprika dressing

Grilled Scotch fillet of Greenstone Creek beef | potato dumplings | butternut squash | asparagus | field mushroom | toasted grana Padano

Today’s fresh fish (trevally) | hot & sour coconut broth | grilled spring onion | ginger | pickled mung bean shoots | handmade egg noodles

With Greywacke Marlborough SB

Over The Moon Camembert from Putaruru | Mt Eliza Blue Monkey from Katikati | Te Tihi premium 3-year-old cheddar from the Kapiti Coast served with handmade crackers | Kinloch honey | preserves | sourdough toast

The service was quick and everything was beautifully flavoured and perfectly cooked. The beef in particular was outstanding as was the wine. Couldn’t fault the cheeseboard and the addition of honey and preserves was inspired. I will be trying this back home in the UK! Jude was enthusiastic and welcoming and we could not have enjoyed our experience more. The best meal in Taupo. ...