Two Grey - Bar Cafe & Eatery — Restaurant in North Island

We celebrated the last day of school holiday (well, I celebrated anyway) and went for high brunch at Two Grey. They have been doing high brunch for a few years now, but we have never been, it was the perfect time to go because they have just reopened for high brunch a few weeks ago after a revamp. We splurged a bit and went for the Aperol spritz 🥂 I completely missed this in the video but they have a set of tongs at every table for you to use, that was pretty cool, and kind of makes one feel classy 😜 The bottom tier were a variety of cheeses, chutney, quince, and cured meat. The middle tier was screaming at me because everything looks so good, I was super impressed with the avocado toast! The avocado was velvety and creamy, and completely melts in your mouth, the flavour was so beautiful and the omelette on the side was very well seasoned as well. The halloumi on the skewer was not rubbery, and rest of the skewer was cooked just right. The corn fritter was cooked the way it should be done, with a little chili kick. Being a pastry buff, I had to go straight for the pastry in between my savoury bites! The croissant was a slightly unusual shape being more long and slender, but it was very flaky and fluffy on the inside so looks did not really matter in this case 😆 I absolutely loved the custard Danish, pity there was only one to share between the 2 and the pain au chocolat was nice and flaky as well. The waffles were a good addition and were nice and crunchy, with 4 slices of toasted sourdough, which worked well with the smoked salmon from the bottom tier. I was very happy with the chia pudding with mango, coconut yoghurt and pomegranate sprinkled on top, it was very creamy and the crunch of the pomegranate was a good contrast. Overall very impressed with their high brunch! Would be keen to come back once they change the menu (cos I always like trying new things)! Also I am secretly more of a savoury fan so was very happy this high brunch was not piled high with cakes! Available everyday and Sunday until 3pm, vegan, vegetarian or GF can...

WOW Set Menu The Good A few dishes truly stood out and showed the kitchen’s potential: • Popcorn Tofu: (Great flavour and texture) This was the clear highlight of the meal. The tofu had a perfect crispy exterior and the flavor profile—featuring togarashi, sesame, and cashew—was well-balanced and satisfying. • Coconut + Lime Cured Fish Salad: This dish was genuinely tasty. The cure was bright and fresh, complemented well by the cucumber, chili, and the satisfying crunch of the kumara chips. • Staff mostly friendly. The Bad and The Ugly • Sticky table – say no more. • Maîtred needed to be asked by another staff member to seat us. Unfortunately, the majority of the meal suffered from severe quality control issues: • Battered Fish Brioche Rolls: This was a major letdown. The dish was soft mushy oily, and flavourless. • Garlic Focaccia: Not Foccacia - While the Buffalo Ricotta, Honey, and Pine Nuts were fine, the bread itself failed to meet the basic expectations of the dish’s name. • Brown Butter Roast Pumpkin: Two chunks of roasted pumpkin with some cheese. • Satay Chicken Salad: This was, regrettably, mostly inedible. The chicken was incredibly overcooked, dry and tasteless. The addition of a few carrot ribbons hiding the chicken did nothing to save this plate. • Pork + Shiitake Dumplings: The dumplings were tough and lacked freshness. • Iceberg Wedge: A piece of Iceberg with what looked and tasted like bottled Ranch dressing on top no sign of any Kimchi was present. The Verdict Two Grey presents a menu with appealing ideas, but the execution is inconsistent and, in several key dishes, frankly poor. While the Popcorn Tofu offered a brief moment, it was not enough to salvage an overall disappointing meal marred by overcooked protein, mushy texture, and poor preparation. Its clear from other reviews that consistency is an issue. At this point I would not recommend...

Two grey looks really nice from the outside looking in, so when we found ourselves staying close by while passing through, we were looking forward to trying Two Grey for dinner. It was a quiet Monday night. There were a few people in there when we came in, but by the time our plates eventually came out, we had the place to ourselves. Sometimes it can feel uncomfortable or even boring to dine in a deserted restaurant, but the a certain member of the waitstaff decided to entertain us with an avant-garde performance art; a contemporary dance piece that used dining implements as instruments to juxtaposes the celebratory sounds of dining out, with the monotony and tedium of working in hospitality.

This virtuoso used a heavy heeled shoe on the wooden floor to march out an unyielding rhythm as they walked in apparent circles around the empty dining room, further emphasising the cyclic nature of their work. This base line was enhanced with frequent rummaging through the cutlery draw and the ringing of water glasses carried from the kitchen. CLACK CLOCK CLACK CLOCK CLACK CLOCK JINGLE JANGLE CLINK CLUNK CLACK CLOCK CLACK CLOCK JINGLE JANGLE CLINK CLUNK. What really impressed me was the persistence of their work. It continued on for what seemed like half an hour. This was the real achievement; the transformation of common background noise to an almost oppressive and all enveloping unignorable sound invading my thoughts, and really putting my nerves on edge.

By turning the exercise of privilege that is eating at restaurant into a genuinely unpleasant experience, I was forced to face the twin realities of both my own personal shortfalls of empathy and tolerance, and the way in which capitalism grinds workers down. This performance reached me in a way that a meal alone really could not. Which was fine by the...