Hare & Copper Eatery | Turangi Restaurant — Restaurant in Waikato

Me and my wife went out for a meal at Hare and Copper last night to try out there new menu. We were warmly greeted by the staff and sat at the bar. To start the evening off we we're offered the drinks list. My wife ordered the house Sav which she loved, and I asked for a negroni which was made beautifully with a nice orange ice cube to make a wonderful point of diffrrence and flare to the drink. We then got a menu and it all sounded so incredible. So we started off with a bowl of truffle fries which were perfectly seasoned, served with a yummy truffle mayo. My wife ordered the mushroom dumplings served in a chilli oil broth which was amazing, the amount of spice in the broth complimented the dumplings perfectly, not to hot at all. We then got the wild shot smoked hare empanadas with lemon fluid gel and chimichurri. The smokiness of the hare was perfect with the freshness of the accompaniments the flavours matched really well. Next we ordered the whole steamed prawns with a smooth sweet corn puree and a maple Chipotle glaze, we loved it so much we sucked all the flavour from the prawn heads and scrapped the plate clean. Next we got the grilled fremantle octopus with puffed wild rice seaweed and Buffalo fluid gel, the octopus was so juicy and cooked so well, the crunchiness of the rice and the spicy fluid gel made my mouth explode with wonderful flavours and textures. This was my wife's favorite dish of the evening. Next we ordered the nz braised wallaby tacos with plum and habanero salsa, pickled red onion and pickled samphire, the meat was so juicy and the taco shell was soft and perfectly heated, the pickled onion, samphire and salsa complimented the wallaby really well this is a must try. Next up was the fish of the day which was swordfish, served with a crayfish bisque, crispy prosciutto, amaranth and seaweed. The fish had an incredible texture, meaty yet so juicy and the bisque paired really well with it...amazing. everything was so good I couldn't stop ordering so next we asked for the pork fillet with morcilla crumb and a beetroot horopito relish. Again the meat was so juicy and tender, accompanied by the relish was perfect with the crunch from the crumb was amazing. Last but not least we ordered the south island thar meatballs with a rich tomato sauce and Thai red curry sago crisp. The meatballs had a nice gamey flavour but not at all overpowering, with the sauce it ate really well and the Thai curry crisp was incredible, a really nice way to use sago. At this stage we were to full for a sweet treat so we left it at that. The front of house staff done an incredible job making sure we had enough drinks throughout the evening and checking in to see how all the dishes were. So kind, friendly and easy to approach. The kitchen staff done an amazing job executing their new menu on day 1, they really have put alot of time and effort into creating this beautiful menu, it was amazing, the restaurant was full, the music was flowing and it seemed everyone was enjoying themselves. Everything was well priced and the size of each share plate was fantastic, perfect amount, an incredible evening thanks to all the team. Well done guys.

You have to go and try everything that's on offer, you won't be...

We went as a booked group of 11 for a girls trip. We had been advised to go for a set menu $50pp to share everything. We had a small table and when we asked for an additional table it was declined. we went for our 6pm booking and there was enough room for another table as there was only 1 or 2 other diners. We were served sad small garlic roll,small portion of truffle fries which we couldn't taste any truffles or see any truffles and we are all experienced in trying truffles.beetroot and feta salad, creamy prawns which we could have 2 small ones each unfortunately this wasn't enough prawns for us and we had to ask for more as 3 of the girls had no prawns. Popcorn chicken and some dry birria beef tacos with a very tasteless consume. It would of been better off for us to order our own meals. we didn't bother with dessert. the drinks were not great. our total bill for 11 of us incl drinks were $714. we were allocated a 2hour slot, when asked about the drinks menu ie:beer the waitress tried to explain but had no knowledge and did not seek further information to give us more info on the craft beers. We would of been happy to pay $30 per head as we didn't realise it would be basically bar food. it was not enough to feed us all. We had a beautiful weekend with the girls and were prepared to spend money on a beautiful divine meal and based on the reviews we had read it fell way below par. we politely had 2 whanau members articulate to our hostess our concerns about the total meal she was very polite but we still paid well above what we were served. We have left extremely disappointed. Beautiful fireplace...

Visitors passing through Turangi and staying the night. We visited Hare and Copper on the recommendations of its high ratings and positive reviews. The website does recommend booking in advance and I had used their contact form at approx 5:30pm on a Sat avro. We arrived and their friendly staff and told us they were fully booked and didn’t check the email so close to dinner service. Staff were very accommodating and sat us in the cafe corner of the premise! We were very grateful and lucky! The staff were very knowledgeable with their menu, recommending 3-4 dishes to share for a party of 2. We ordered drinks (their signature red and a local beer), truffle frieds, the pulpo octopus and short beef rib. The fries were a hit! Super fragrant and a very generous serving. Every fry was laced with the good truffle stuff and the dipping truffle sauce was an added luxury! The pulpo was unassuming. Super tender to bite and coated in this complex, luscious red sauce. The sauce had these little peppercorny/berries and occasionally you get one in your bite and it takes you too another place! Although the short rib was a little less generous in size, it compensated in texture and vibrant flavours. The rich cut of meat paired nicely with the chimichurri. After a brief intermission by the fire place lounge, we enjoyed a serving of the churros. The head chef was very generous and offered is both types of dipping sauce as we simply couldn’t decide! A wonderful dining experience in Tūrangi, beautiful venue, the decor was exquisite and paid homage to their name....