Atelier Shu — Restaurant in Waitematā

TLDR: Terrible service. Don’t bother wasting your time or money. You get better service at the Maccas drive through.

Wow.

The service was atrocious. I’ve never quite experienced anything like it.

Don’t waste your time or money like I did. Whoever owns this business must be rolling in cash, because the way they’re denying me the opportunity to spend my money on their overpriced beverages tells me they don’t want or need it, even during a recession. But I guess I’m the idiot for going in the first place.

While their opening hours clearly state they close at 10pm, I have come in twice, on two separate occasions, between 9pm - 9:15pm and have been denied purchasing a hot beverage both times. The first time, the reason was, “the coffee machine is shut down.” The second time, the excuse was, “we just started cleaning the coffee machine”.

The first time this happened, I thought ok, I can see the barista cleaning up the machine and she’s almost done. Before 9:30pm. She had finished cleaning the coffee machine a full 30 minutes before their stated closing time. I mean that’s 30 minutes worth of sales of hot beverages on a very chilly winter evening at one of the few places still open at this time in Newmarket, that they very clearly showed they didn’t want. Instead, they attempted to make money in a very strange way by suggesting I order an iced beverage instead (which costs more than a hot beverage by the way),and they could remove the ice. It was less than 10 degrees outside that evening. These guys are clearly out of touch.

The second time this happened, I’d just walked up to the counter to start ordering, and could see the barista behind the teller had JUST removed the coffee beans from the grinder. So obviously, when I tried to order a hot beverage, the teller rejected me again saying that they had just STARTED to clean the coffee machine. The beverage I wanted to order at the time was a Houjicha Latte. It has no coffee in it, and only required some milk to be steamed by the steam wand on the espresso machine. Which the barista hadn’t even got to cleaning yet. But hey, what do I know. Maybe they do it different and spike it with coffee or something?

Placed our order for dessert only and were told that they closed at 10pm. Which we were already aware of. It was only just past 9pm for crying out loud, and we’d ordered one cake and croffle to share between two, not their entire dessert cabinet with a group of 10 people.

This wasn’t even the end of it. After getting our cake and croffle, we watched as a table beside us got up to leave. Two of the staff rushed out all in a hurry to clear the table and stack the chairs so that no one else would sit on them. Then after they’d put those dishes down in the kitchen, they came back out and started to go up to each table with pairs and groups trying to enjoy their dessert, and started very aggressively asking to clear any plate or cup that looked anywhere close to empty.

So unless you enjoy being treated like an unwelcome customer (cos maybe that’s what floats your boat), try going anywhere but here for your dessert and...

They are a French-style bakery with a focus on Asian flavours. The shop is fairly hidden away in the block of shops, just keep an eye out for their shop sign. They sell cakes, pastries and other specialised goods like caneles. The cakes come by slice while the smaller desserts come as a single portion. They also have some tables but it only fits a couple of people, similar to the roadside cafes in Paris. I grabbed some of their treats for takeaway. The peanut Paris breast was almost like a peanut butter eclair. The strawberry tart was quite light and tasty. The yuzu matcha mousse had a hidden yuzu center which added some tang to the bitter matcha. For me, that was my first experience with caneles since I haven't seen them in other French places in Auckland. I like the crunchy exterior with the slightly chewy center. Their almond croissant was also quite moreish. Definitely, a place to stop by if you have a sweet tooth and like interesting flavours. The pastries were made really well and tasted as nice.

Edit: they move to Newmarket and they have a larger dining area and offer other items like soft serve. Edit: The soft serve was nice but the croffle wasn't. The outdoor area out back was nice to...

I had been looking forward to visiting this place for a while, but unfortunately, the service left much to be desired. Upon arrival, the restaurant wasn't overly busy, but the lady serving me gave me uncomfortable stares as I placed my order. I opted to dine in, but was handed two plates and left to find my own seating, which felt inhospitable.

Throughout my visit, the same elderly Asian lady continued to give me uncomfortable stares, making the experience even more unpleasant. The other staff seemed preoccupied with chatting amongst themselves, further detracting from the atmosphere.

To top it off, the black sesame cheesecake I ordered was already melting by the time I got my coffee, adding to the overall disappointment.

In summary, while the restaurant may have potential, my experience was far from inviting or comfortable. I left wanting to escape as soon as possible. I doubt I'll ever return, and I can't confidently recommend it to others unless they're prepared for a similar experience – or perhaps it's not open to the...