The Bunker Restaurant — Restaurant in South Island

Have a lot of constructive criticism for this place. Booked here thinking it would live up to other 5 and high star rated restaurants I've been to.

The menu could do with work - so much of it is "to sell" and there are components that don't pair together as well as thought to. Or there is no sauce/dressing that pulls your meals together??

My scallop entrée was overcooked. I ordered the horopito gnocchi for main & while I didn't mind this I don't think the witloof was a good pairing choice.

My partner ordered the "leg of duck" which also stated on the menu it was a "lollipop" and the meat came out sliced - no lollipop to be seen. Most likely the same amount of meat; but you can't advertise it as this if that's not how you're serving it.

Dessert was definitely better but wouldn't rave about this - chocolate & créme brûlee.

Staff telling us what was in each meal was definitely appreciated.. but this needs to be stepped up more - checking if the plate is correct and asking if patrons would like other drinks; this is something we experience in EVERY restaurant and with it being exempt takes away from our kiwi "friendliness" in business.

Bathrooms need re - done. These feel like a public toilet with the stainless steel everywhere..

The experience in the restaurant turned the night on a sour note; but what made it more so was that - when I went to pay the bill for dinner. I went to tip due to the knowledge your restaurant waiters have.. but when I did your system wanted to charge me 4% to leave a tip? I have never come across a surcharge to tip?? This already an experience that costs more based on the "higher" end experience, so surcharging your patrons when they select to "tip" is overkill.

We had a couple more drinks up stairs after dinner.. these were good and while the staff knew how to make cocktails on offer they didn't seem to have knowledge about the stock that you carry.

Big lover of food and I have been working with people - around the food & hospo scene for several years; so when I took someone out and this is what we experienced - we both left highly disappointed.

So sorry but your marketing doesn't live up to the product. With improvement.. this place could be fantastic. The dining...

• Management please read *

As a restaurant owner myself I feel very conflicted about leaving a 4 star review, usually I'll leave a 5 star regardless of my experience + leave some constructive criticism and feedback.

However in reality this was more like a 2-3* experience and leaving 5* would be very misleading to potential diners 🤷‍♂️

Positives - Great staff and service, barman was lovely/knowledgable and cocktails were great! You don't mind paying a premium as a result.

Atmosphere was very dark and we were right next to a very hot fire, this was nice but trying to stay awake through the 3 hour (5 course) tasting menu was tough. Music was not to our liking as it was a bunch of average lounge style covers, but each to their own.

Essentially, the food was just not up to scratch, fish seemed old and smelly and had a funky texture, lamb was tough and lacked flavour and other diners were just not impressed either.

I'd honestly recommend checking how long fish and other ingredients is being kept in the kitchen as it all just didn't seem fresh.

Presentation was nice, portions small and well presented as you'd expect for this kind of meal but the food needs to be of a much higher standard (especialy when we spent over $800 between the 4 of us).

I really hope management/ the owner reads this and checks with the kitchen how long stock is kept and also sit down and taste the menu themselves and have a honest chat with the them on what level of quality you expect.

If your unable to get fresh or high quality produce, change the menu!

I know it's a very awkward chat to have - so just print off this review and all the other recent ones which contain the same issues!

I think a few minor tweaks and this restaurant could be great but you definitely need to have a sit down with your chefs. I always want restaurant owners to succeed as it's such a difficult way to make a living.

However, looking at your recent reviews (all echoing the same issues, also none replied to) I'm concernedyou'rer heading in the wrong...

I came with high expectations, but I never imagined the restaurant would be this disappointing.

I made a booking for one person through First Table. However, when I arrived, they told me that solo diners must pay full price, even though the booking was originally for two. In my previous experiences dining alone, most restaurants weren’t strict about this rule. Still, I agreed to their condition and chose the 8-course tasting menu for $175 NZD.

Only after finishing the meal did I realize that the 8-course menu had only one main dish—lamb—whereas the 5-course menu includes two mains. The rest of the courses were essentially small snacks. The fourth course, a sorbet, was rough and unpleasant—hard and unattractive, as if it had just come straight out of the freezer.

After the lamb, the last two courses were both desserts: one was just a hard biscuit with a bit of ice cream, and the final dish was literally a piece of cheese with two crackers. I’ve never expected an upscale tasting menu to serve something as ordinary as cheese and crackers for the final course.

The service was mediocre at best. The older male server at least explained what the dishes were, but at one point, a female staff member just dropped the plate on the table and walked away without a word—completely lacking the service you’d expect from a fine dining restaurant. And all of this for $175 NZD—I felt scammed.

The pacing of the meal also felt rushed, like they wanted me out as quickly as possible. By the end, I was the last customer in the restaurant. After serving the cheese, the older waiter came over three separate times to ask if I was ready to pay—clearly trying to push me out the door.

I’ve never had such a disappointing experience in any restaurant. This was, without a doubt, the worst value for money I’ve encountered in New Zealand. I feel ridiculous for...