The Butcher Baker — Restaurant in Rodney

My Butcher Baker experience

Helensville residents have been raving about the new local eatery, The Butcher Baker, commenting “finally a quality restaurant in our region to go to.” I will extend that invitation by saying “finally something that the wider Auckland community will hear about and frequent to Helensville for.”

In my travels around Africa I was fortunate to have the most memorable food experience to date. A little village at the waterfront of Lake Victoria was a humble café, one man cooking over a ‘cheko’ (open fire) in what can only be described as a wooden shack. Dining alone I ordered a whole Lake Victoria fish, served with African greens (cabbage fried in lard). The natural salts of the fresh water fish along with char and smoke from the open burner infused flavors I’d never experienced, the unpretentious method of cooking and limit of ingredients afforded the beautiful protein the attention that it needed. Hence I returned to the café for whole fish every night that week.

Stepping into The Butcher Baker for dinner I was arrested by a fragrance that took me right back to the waterfront café at Lake Victoria Tanzania. An open kitchen, wood fire grill and a whole fish carcass hung by the fire perfusing the most incredible sea salt scent throughout the room. It’s not often you’re caused to salivate prior to eating but this magical sensory experience tickled the taste buds and excited anticipation of our meal.

Only two chefs work the kitchen, their heads don’t raise from beginning to end of service, a dedication and intensity that is reflected in the food. Each plate contemporarily presented. Unmistakable pairings of herb remoulade and black garlic, charred vegetables and smoked condiments arranged with meat that’s cooked to perfection!

In addition to the aroma of burnt rustic smells, visuals are tantalized with shelves glorifying the art of pickling, cookbooks and ingredients that invite the traditions of food culture. This place is an all-round dining experience.

A nostalgic charm that is The Butcher Baker won’t disappoint with its winsome environment, friendly staff and accessibly priced food. I am fortunate to have such a rare find at my front doorstep. Enjoy a night away from the city madness, drive along a moonlit countryside and romance yourself with this...

I went with a group of senior ladies, for lunch, on Wednesday 25th October ‘23. Our group of 10 had been told this cafe had received good reviews and we were expecting great things. Unfortunately, we were not impressed with the food, or the way our tour operator was treated when she went to pay the bill. Firstly, we were told multiple times that some of the dishes we were trying to order were not available, this also followed with the wine list. After I heard ‘not available’ for the 4th time, I said ‘You’re joking’ to the staff member, as it appeared we’d stepped into a comedy episode of ‘Faulty Towers’. I’d ordered Gnocchi and Prosecco to drink but both were unavailable. I was told that the pasta they had was like Gnocchi, but a different shape, so I ordered this instead. When the meal arrived and I tasted it, it tasted like a rather dry, salty chicken stuffing. I sent it back and ordered fish instead. I did like the fish and the fries were good. I felt the menu was very limited, and a bit pretentious, others found the lunch platter meats too spicy or fatty. Maybe if they allowed the ‘All Day Breakfast’ option, that would have saved the day, as it would have allowed our group to order something they knew what was being eaten. I would add at this point that these ladies have eaten at some of the best restaurants in NZ and the World, and know the difference between good food and mediocre. When our Tour operator went to pay, they tried to force her to pay for the meal that had been returned, but which was really unforgivable, they charged her $98 for 7 scoops of ice cream! These scoops were of homemade ice cream about the size of a small egg. They acted like they had done her a big favour by giving her something which wasn’t normally on the menu, but they charged her for a macchiato coffee which was $14. Our tour leader learned 2 things from this experience…… One was to always check the cost of everything being served before ordering. The other was that she will never take another group of clients to Butcher...

This was the second time we had dined at Butcher Baker. The first time was amazing, but this time it was very average. Our meals were served 20 minutes apart, so I had finished my meal and the side dishes were cold before my husbands meal arrived. Unfortunately when we complained, a new waitress was blamed, but the waitress was great and it definitely was not her fault the food was ready at different times. We go to dinner to have a meal together, not separately, and when we spend almost $300 for a meal for two we expect it to be amazing….which it wasn’t!

An update, to the owner, regarding your reply to our review…. When making the booking I indicated that I had dietary requirements,… that being a vegetarian/pescatarian (yes I eat seafood occasionally!), but not one of the three people dealing with us asked what my dietary requirements were. Had you bothered to ask you would have realised that we would not be sharing our meals, you make it sound like we HAVE to share meals to eat at Butcher Baker? I still don’t understand why the side dishes and my husbands steak were served 20mins apart…you stated the dishes are meant to be served at separate intervals, so you obviously think the steak is to be eaten on it’s own without sides? Or with cold sides??? Really! But that is what my husband had to do. What happens with the staff in your restaurant has absolutely nothing to do with us…if your chef is stressed and over worked, that is on you! And I can guarantee that the chef did not spend 16 hours on his feet cooking OUR meal…as you stated. Your reply presumed that we don’t understand hospitality, my husband has worked at Auckland’s award winning Game Restaurant so that is a very presumptuous statement for you to make. We were in no way disrespectful to any staff! We only complained that we didn’t get to eat our meals together, I fail to see how that is disrespectful. I think your reply is very rude to us as customers. We will most definitely not be back, and will NEVER recommend...