Bar Magda — Restaurant in Waitematā

I recently had the pleasure of dining at a restaurant that offered a fantastic ambiance and a great vibe. The atmosphere was perfect for a memorable evening. However, when it comes to the food, I have a few mixed feelings. While it was decent overall, I'm not entirely convinced it was worth the original price. Thankfully, we discovered a hidden gem called "the first table," which allowed us to book with just $10 and enjoy an early bird dining experience with a delightful 50% discount on the meals (beverages and desserts not included, and a minimum of one drink per person required).

Now, let's talk about the highlights. The souffle we had was nothing short of extraordinary. It was the best I've ever had in Auckland, and it left me craving for more. The drinks served were also top-notch, leaving our taste buds satisfied. However, the appetizers fell a bit short in terms of flavor balance, and the main courses ranged from okay to good.

In terms of service, I must commend the staff for their warm and welcoming nature. They truly made us feel valued as customers. The cleanliness of the restroom was also worth mentioning, as it added to the overall pleasant experience.

Now, here's where the evening took a slight dip. The EFTPOS terminal at the restaurant left much to be desired. It seemed to struggle with reading various types of cards, accepting only PayWave and sliding transactions. This proved to be quite inconvenient, as we attempted to pay our bill using different local and overseas credit cards(we have tried ANZ, ASB, 2 different overseas card). This issue definitely needs attention and improvement to ensure a smoother experience for customers who prefer different payment methods.

Taking all factors into consideration, I would rate this restaurant 4 out of 5 stars. While there were a few hiccups, the ambiance, excellent souffle, and great service balanced out the shortcomings. With a bit of refinement, especially regarding the payment system, this place has the potential to become a true dining gem in the city.

EDIT: I think your mindset is admirable, especially in the New Zealand restaurant industry where customer dining experiences are often compromised due to staff shortages. That's why I've decided to change my rating to 5 stars. Such experiences are truly rare. If it's true that your main dish wasn't as impressive as the drink and dessert, it's a pity. Honestly, it's hard to find a perfect place from start to finish, as I've explored various establishments. I consider outstanding desserts to be one of the charms. Our stomachs aren't large enough to try every menu item simply due to the lack of restrictions, lol. Jokes aside, events like First Table actually relieve the pressure for guests like us, allowing us to explore multiple places without feeling burdened. And we like to compensate for the discount we receive with a tip if we're satisfied. That's how much this country's restaurant industry is so ruined compared to others, haha. Your prompt action in fixing the EFTPOS machine is impressive. I hope you don't take offense to my review as your foods were on the delicious side. I'll come back next time for another tasty soufflé. Hope you are happy now, yeah? Have a...

The aftertaste of the lamb tacos was unpleasant — tough, chewy, and barely edible. The entrée shrimp, wrapped in dough, were extremely dry, and if not for the dipping sauce, they would have been hard to swallow.

The focaccia bread had a good taste but was soggy on one side, likely because it was placed on the plate while still hot. The spread that accompanied it felt cheap and uninspired — a well-made liver pâté with something pickled would’ve been a much better choice.

The artichokes were extremely plain, lacking any flavour or seasoning. There was also a Filipino-style cold dish with roughly chopped onions and scattered bits of fish in a gelatinous topping — the texture and taste combination simply didn’t work for me.

The highlight of the meal was the beef in soy and vinegar sauce. It was tender, perfectly cooked, and well-balanced in flavour — truly the only dish that stood out.

Unfortunately, the gnocchi portion was very small, and the strong lemon flavour overwhelmed everything else. The white cup mushrooms served alongside were undercooked and felt out of place on the plate.

For dessert, we were given a single scoop of chocolate ice cream with kumara chips. The ice cream itself was creamy and delicious, but the kumara chips were far too oily and salty, completely overshadowing the sweetness of the dish.

On a positive note, the atmosphere was nice. The lighting and artwork inside created a pleasant vibe. The service was attentive, and the staff looked after us well. However, there were only a few customers that evening — just two other groups besides us. Also, the casual appearance of the waitress didn’t give the impression of a solid, fine dining restaurant, which took away from the overall experience.

Update after owner’s response:

I’m leaving this update because the owner has been messaging me privately, trying to justify their food and even making personal remarks about my evening.

Yes, I ate the food because I don’t like wasting what I’ve paid for, but finishing a dish doesn’t magically make it good. Instead of accepting feedback, the owner chose to harass me in private, which is extremely unprofessional.

If you’re considering visiting this place, be aware that any criticism might lead to you being personally messaged and guilt-tripped. I would recommend spending your money somewhere that values honest feedback and focuses on improving, not arguing...

Short story : Waitress & atmosphere is great. A bit dark but you could pass it as ‘cozy’. Had to leave even before being able to order food because of the unfriendly owner/chef who tried to almost scam us.

Long story : I originally booked 4 people through First Table at 6pm to celebrate 3 people’s birthdays. I read their First Table special T&C thoroughly. The important thing was their special item called ‘Magda Feast’ their specialty $55/$75pp item is not included in the first table discount.

After booking, we wanted to bring some plus ones to join, so I emailed Carlo (owner/chef/manager/whatever) via website if we can bring three extra guests and they would order the Magda Feast at non-discounted price so it could be a win-win on both sides. Carlo promptly replied and very kindly accommodated to the request. He replied “Hi, Yes we can do that for this one time but May we request if your party can arrive at 5:30 instead so we can give you the table for two hours instead on 1 hour 30 min” Great! It was going to be an awesome night !

No it wasn’t !

We turn up at 5.30pm and the waitress says we need to leave the table by 7pm. Coincidently saw a next group was booked at 6.30pm on their computer system 🤔 Gives us a completely differently different menu to their website menu. They limited our food order to 8 items. Chef/owner says we have to pay $85 pp for Magda Feast which wasn’t even on the menu. When I showed him the online menu and also the prearrangement we made via email correspondence, his justice was “online menu is just a sample”. We asked what exactly was inside the Magda Feast item, and was told that it’s just a double portion of the food we order. After having that back and forward discussion for about half an hour, we decided that we could no longer tolerate this near-scam experience and was quite scared he might spit on our food so didn’t get the chance to try their delicacy. Left after our first drink. Carlo didn’t put on any customer service tone and that wasn’t a pleasant experience.

Lastly, I just came here to review our experience and saw the most recent review posted by someone named ‘Sam’.. looks like Carlo replied to Sam thinking he/she was one from our group. There was no Sam in our group. Sorry Sam for taking our blame 🥶 we don’t wanna mess with Carlo...