Bistro Gentil — Restaurant in South Island

Chef Jesse’s food is very approachable and executed very well. We ordered almost the entire menu and the standard held through all courses. Oysters were plump and juicy with no stray shards of shell. The croquettes were crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. The parfait cigar was fun, most impressive was the thin and crispy tuile. Beef tartar was so flavourful! Wagyu hanger was dish of the night for me. It was masterfully cooked! Hard seared on the outside and still soft and tender on the inside. Not easy to achieve with a hangar steak. It was very well complimented with a truffle parsnip purée. Sword fish was also excellent. I have never had sword fish served in a tataki style, similar to tuna. Just as meaty but more delicate in flavour. We also had the venison which was also done very well. As venison is very lean, texture and flavour tends to be a challenge. But chef Jesse managed to keep it tender and juicy which allowed the venison flavour to shine through. We also had a side of Brussel sprouts that was expertly camarelised, and a mash that was luxuriously smooth and creamy. The staff were also friendly and hospitable, making us feel at ease. Thoroughly enjoyed our meal at...

We had a very disappointing experience with this restaurant.

The space was beautiful, the wait staff wonderful, and the food delicious. It would have been nice to have a couple of different options for the kids as they were all given fish and chips, but the ones who don't eat fish ate the chips and were happy enough with that.

The problem was, at the time of booking we were told we needed to have a set menu for our size group and staff handed us a physical menu with a 3 course Trust the Chef for $59 (photo attached), which we booked in good faith. When we paid the bill we were actually charged $92 per adult, essentially making our bill over 150% of what we were expecting. When we questioned the staff they told us that's the cost, and that we were wrong, and there was nothing to be done.

It unfortunately soured the whole experience, it felt deceptive and their treatment of our query felt dismissive. I certainly can't recommend anyone book without triple checking ahead of time what you're actually going to be charged for, and hoping the narrative isn't changed while you're at your table.

It's hard to remember a meal fondly when it ends with an an expensive...

Decent French dining restaurant in a sweet little town. Service was exceptional. I would think their wines and ambience were truly the selling point of the restaurant and food is acceptable, from a tourist’s POV (and also one who comes from a metropolitan city). We had their pork belly, lamb and ducks for mains. The pork belly was nice, but something we can consume almost everyday easily in Asia so there’s nothing too mind-blowing about it. The plating on the lamb dish was confusing with too many things happening at the same time but flavours were interesting. However, as one reviewer mentioned, the sausage was just too overpowering for the dish and I felt that everything together made up for the lack of lamb pieces that actually were on the dish. My partner enjoyed her Brussels sprouts on the duck main. Bistro Gentil is one of those places that you wouldn’t mind checking out if you are in Wanaka but I don’t think it’s...