The Vineyard Bistro @ Okurukuru — Restaurant in Taranaki

Enjoyed the time here... The staff was really friendly and great to communicate with...the wine I had was amazing...I'd definitely go back for the wine(😩😌) As for the food, I might sound picky but I do enjoy food(bit of a food connoisseur) and definitely will give an honest review on that...The king prawns were amazing....I was looking forward for the mains... The beef cheeks and the veggies were underseasoned... Maybe add a bit more jus as the whole dish was dry and the veggies didn't have any sauce to go with... I think roasting the veggies will change the whole dish to another level. Steamed/boiled veggies just didn't go very well with the meat...the potatoes on the other hand was just amazing(chef's kiss)... Perfectly cooked and complimented the meat very well...some parts of the meat was a bit overcooked... would have taken the dish to the next level with a little bit of seasoning and sauce...for the price I paid, it was quite underwhelming... would definitely come back to see if the chefs stepped their game up. Hope y'all take this extensive review as a positive opportunity...

Finally got to see for ourselves why our friends from Auckland raved about this restaurant. Delicious food and excellent wines. I chose from the set menu and had the king prawns for entree, there were a generous amount of prawns (i found the sauce a little over salted, but I think only because I don't like too much salt and definitely didn't make it unpalatable!) Then the pork belly....devine!!! The good sized piece of pork was cooked to perfection and the crackling was how crackling should be, again perfect! The mash and pickled red cabbage also a highlight and perfect accompaniment to the pork. Sticky date pudding followed.....YUMM! Restaurant was quite busy but staff were exceptional and friendly and food didn't take long to arrive at our table (well done Chefs😁). Will be back for sure! Such a gorgeous location so will come for lunch or early dinner to check out the spectacular views and more of the other dishes available as menu has a lot to...

I wish I could love this place because the setting is spectacular. But the woman who greeted us was distinctly unpleasant both times we ate here in the past month. Other staff were quite charming, but on our last visit this woman ushered us to the one table in the place that didn't have a lovely view, told us that all the empty tables were "reserved" and made no effort to make us feel welcome. It was very much take it or leave it. Very strange. But we were with visitors from overseas and I had been telling them about the lovely setting so - we took it. The meal was fine, if a bit over-priced. I can recommend the poke bowls but not the risotto. Beef cheeks looked dry and the fish was nothing to write home about. I'm not sure what was going on, but I guess when we have international visitors next month I'll take them someplace that will make them...