Vault 21
Vault 21 things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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It was still early by the time we finished our tour of Royal Albatross Centre in Otago Peninsular. We even spent some time stopping by at a small community playground on our way back to Dunedin city. I had to meet my friends, Fergus & Audrey (whom I knew since my Otago days) at the famous Cobb & Co and we still have more than an hour to kill. The kids were hungry too so I decided to stop at the Octagon for a quick bite. The establishment was spacious with their own bar and tables + chairs.. enough to cater to big crowd. A vault-like room at one corner filled with wines for those looking for a good night out, but one thing that got me excited was the Speight's beer. Nothing brings back sweet memories that the beer that I consumed the most during my time in Dunedin. ◾Vault 21 Award Winning Dumplings NZ$12 - prawn, coriander, chilly & lime dressing ◾Fries NZ$10 - a huge basket of perfectly fried fries with spicy salt and chilly mayo ◾Korean Fried Chicken NZ$15 with gochujang chilly dipping sauce ◾Smoked pork spare ribs NZ$20 - grilled upon marination with sticky sauce, with chilly and crushed macadamia ◾Bang Bang Chicken Bowl NZ$25 - Korean fried chicken, broccoli, green beans, lettuce, sesame, peanut dressing, chilly jam and steamed rice ◾Fish & Chips ◾Dunedin's famous Speight's beer - a pride of this city, and it was as good as I remember it. Even she commented that the beer was smooth and flavourful. We like most of the food here, plus the service was impeccable despite my kids making noises. So good that we came back the very next day, our last lunch before heading to the airport to catch our plane to Auckland enroute to Malaysia.
Boon Loong LeoBoon Loong Leo
00
Vault21 kindly sponsored my blind date way back a few years (Street art for the first sight) and offered a free drink and small dish. I was definitely intrigued by their pretty extensive menu, decent pricing and ambience. I knew then I wanted to come back. Their menu was an asian inspired mix of small dishes and main kitchen meals, a very interesting take if you ask me. I got the espresso martini, my date got the Hangzhou cooler, and we both ordered the smoked ribs. Espresso martini for you coffee lovers out there, even though I'm not a huge fan of coffee, this was an icy blast! Couldn't finish it though, coffee is just too much for me! The hangzhou cooler was goooood, it was like sprite!!! Super delish. Smoked ribs smelt amazing, and they photographed really well under flash lol. The flavour was really exquisite, Smokey and sweet and sour with tang and spice. The meat was lacking a bit but overall quite tender and flavorful. They serve 5 pieces. The only con about the ribs were that some hits were slightly too charred. 4/5 Also a brief mention of their cutlery-they provide knife, fork and chopsticks. Very interesting. Found out that the owner was chinese, made more sense on the asian fusion twist of the menu!
RosieRosie
00
Great spot right on the Octagon and very nice interior design. The best was the heated concrete seats right by the window, which was definitely welcomed on a very cold night. Was pleasantly surprised with the Asian fusion menu selection. We had the Korean Fried Chicken and Halloumi as starters, which were yum. Then the Yuzu Miso Salmon and Southern Ocean Fish as mains with charred broccoli side dish. The mains were delicious, but probably a tad over-priced for what was on the plate (fish, rice and salad for $32-38). For desserts we had the coconut sticky rice and the sticky date pudding, which were beautfully presented and very tasty. The only reason I'm not giving a 5 star review was the terrible customer service at the end of the night. It was good to begin with, but when we wanted to order dessert around 9pm the waiter told us the kitchen was closed and all diners had to leave as the restaurant was converting into a late night bar on Sat night. I was shocked! I thought that was very rude to be kicking us out and not wanting our business if we wanted desserts. Eventually the waiter got permission from the manager to let us order dessert, but we had no pre-warning about the time the kitchen was closing and about diners needing to leave by a certain time to clear tables for bar revellers. Surely in these tough times the restaurant would want this extra business from diners? Not impressed.
Haydi FosterHaydi Foster
00
We had high expectations for dinner and were sorely disappointed. We had calamari with edamame bean pesto - calamari cooked perfectly and pesto totally tasteless. We both had the Pan Seared Catch of the Day - gunard with Little Neck Clams. The seafood was cooked well but all were swimming in oil. Worst part, my first bite of clam included a large chunk of rock. The owners response was "clams frequently have some grit in them". Sorry, but they don't when I serve them. We also sampled the stir-fried vegetables. Cooked al dente but also with too much oil and swimming in a 1/2 inch of sauce. To top off our experience, the venue was exceedingly loud due to a table of 12 male diners yelling at each other at the top of their lungs. When askwd about our experience, we mentioned all of our experience to our hostess/wait staff - a very nice and helpful young woman (she was not at fault at all). She quickly relayed our experiences to the owner against our wishes, which led to the owner compting us the cost of 1 main dish. While appreciating the gesture, it wasn't what we wanted. We wanted a great dinner and experience which sadly, just wasn't possible. The emphasis should have been on getting it right before the food went out to the paying customer.
C SchloederC Schloeder
00
Nearby Attractions Of Vault 21
Dunedin Railways
Toitu Otago Settlers Museum
Otago Settlers Museum
Otago Farmers Market, Every Saturday Morning
Lan Yuan, Dunedin Chinese Garden
Moana Pool
Olveston Historic Home
Rialto Cinemas Dunedin
Grand Casino
Dunedin Public Art Gallery

Dunedin Railways
4.6
(1.3K)Click for details

Toitu Otago Settlers Museum
4.7
(1.3K)Click for details

Otago Settlers Museum
4.7
(1.1K)Click for details

Otago Farmers Market, Every Saturday Morning
4.6
(676)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Vault 21
Etrusco at the Savoy
Lone Star Dunedin
Vogel St Kitchen
The Craic Irish Tavern
IRONIC
Joe's Garage Dunedin
Cobb & Co. at the Railway Station
Chopsticks 101
Vanguard Specialty Coffee Co
The Jitsu

Etrusco at the Savoy
4.5
(701)$$
Click for details

Lone Star Dunedin
4.2
(636)$$
Click for details

Vogel St Kitchen
4.4
(578)Click for details

The Craic Irish Tavern
4.5
(516)$$
Click for details
Basic Info
Address
21 The Octagon, Central Dunedin, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
Map
Phone
+64 3 479 2125
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Website
vault21.co.nz
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Reviews
Overview
4.2
(676 reviews)$$
Ratings & Description
Description
Transport hub and 8-sided pedestrian plaza, forming a focal point of the city's cafe culture.
attractions: Dunedin Railways, Toitu Otago Settlers Museum, Otago Settlers Museum, Otago Farmers Market, Every Saturday Morning, Lan Yuan, Dunedin Chinese Garden, Moana Pool, Olveston Historic Home, Rialto Cinemas Dunedin, Grand Casino, Dunedin Public Art Gallery, restaurants: Etrusco at the Savoy, Lone Star Dunedin, Vogel St Kitchen, The Craic Irish Tavern, IRONIC, Joe's Garage Dunedin, Cobb & Co. at the Railway Station, Chopsticks 101, Vanguard Specialty Coffee Co, The Jitsu

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