Culprit. — Restaurant in Waitematā

I recently revisited one of my older reviews and to my surprise, it had been deleted. It seems that the restaurant couldn't handle the truth about their food, so they resorted to manipulating reviews. Well, let me share exactly what happened that night, as it deserves to be heard.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, we were filled with anticipation for a delightful dining experience. Little did we know that our expectations would be shattered. We were made to wait an excruciating 40 minutes just to receive our mains, and that was solely for the mains! It felt like we were going through a never-ending degustation, only to be met with disappointment at every turn.

The food itself was nothing short of a disaster. My favorite dish of the day, if it can even be called that, resembled a lump of coal. Honestly, I believe a cup of cold water would have offered more flavor and satisfaction. Each bite was an assault on the taste buds, leaving me wondering how such a tasteless creation could make its way to the table.

To add insult to injury, the staff displayed a shocking level of laziness and apathy. Instead of attending to their duties and ensuring a pleasant dining experience, they were more engrossed in their own chit-chat and personal enjoyment. Not once did they offer an apology or show any remorse for the excessive wait or lackluster service.

It's disheartening to see a restaurant prioritize manipulating reviews over genuine customer satisfaction. Deleting negative feedback only proves their inability to accept constructive criticism and improve their offerings. It's a clear sign of their lack of integrity and dedication to providing a quality dining experience.

In a world where honesty and transparency are valued, it's disappointing to encounter such behavior from a restaurant. Customers should have the freedom to express their opinions and share their experiences without fear of censorship or manipulation.

I write this review in the hopes that others will be spared from the same disappointment and frustration that I experienced. Before considering dining at this establishment, I urge you to think twice. There are countless other options out there where you can truly enjoy a satisfying meal and receive the service you deserve.

To the restaurant, I hope you take this review as an opportunity for self-reflection and growth. Learn from your mistakes, value your customers' feedback, and strive to provide a dining experience that exceeds expectations. Only then can you regain the trust and respect of your patrons.

In conclusion, my deleted review speaks volumes about the restaurant's inability to handle honest feedback. It's a shame that they choose to manipulate reviews rather than address their shortcomings. As a discerning customer, I believe it is essential to shed light on such practices and encourage transparency in the restaurant industry.

P.s. Let's not manipulate reviews, as it is pathetic and disgraceful

Edit: I see that you didn't read my entire review from start to finish. Yes, you're right that the review and photos were from two years ago. But didn't I mention that? I deleted and re-uploaded my review because you removed it to boost your restaurant's rating, just as you wanted. Furthermore, if we follow your logic, then the $120 I spent on food at your restaurant two years ago should no longer be considered my money, right? Haha what a mindset you have. And if you truly couldn't find any areas where you need to improve based on my review, then it's clear that you didn't read it properly. I listed everything in detail. Also, if you wanted to say that things have changed since two years ago, why not invite me back politely with a welcome drink? That's what I would have done if I were you. Let's think before we...

An Unusual & Chaotic Evening at Culprit

Our recent visit to Culprit was, unfortunately, not the 5-star experience it appeared to be made out to be. The evening felt unusual from the start. Staff were very casual, no uniforms, no clear structure, and seemed more focused on drinking, dancing, and doing their own thing rather than providing a consistent dining service.

On the positive side, the instructions around what was included in the First Table menu were very clear, and we did enjoy the 2-hour seated dining experience.

The Hallertau offering was a highlight and salvaged parts of the night. I also really enjoyed their playful rendition of the classic onion dip and chips, albeit the onion relish was slightly overpowering for me. The jet planes with sherbet palate cleanser were a highlight, a solid favourite.

However, the food overall was a letdown. The main meal combinations didn’t work for me at all. The chilli oil with salami on fresh fish completely overpowered the dish and detracted from the beautiful fresh fish. I usually enjoy mussel fritters, but I couldn’t eat this one; the presentation was unusual. The Kai Moana platter was niceish, favourite would have had to have been the taco chip and tuna; however, some fish came out chewy.

The cinnamon infusion, which was recommended as a non-alcoholic option, was perhaps the most unusual and unpleasant drink I’ve ever tried, watery and lacking balance. It might have worked better with soda water or something fizzy to lift the flavour.

The atmosphere was busy, and the music was interesting. The only 90s track I enjoyed was Groove Armada, made more uncomfortable by staff constantly lingering around and watching from nearby. It would have been nice to be seated away from the staff area.

Overall, an interesting experience, while there were a couple of bright spots, the night was more inconsistent in a way than charming, and the food didn’t live up to the hype. Not somewhere I’d rush back to for a special occasion, but pleased to...

First time going here group of 7, walk-in 7:30pm Saturday. We saw reviews and expected a bit above an average resto. Therefore we gave it a go. However, Sadly it disappoints, Overall, We wont be going back but would probably do, if invited but not going to recommend to friends at all. Poor experience for me and my friends.

Good food, good ambience but slow service ( deal breaking).

Coming from Asian culture, we expected an yumcha experience but we experienced not much the a variety and tapa's come like 20-30 minutes in between and you wouldn't know if you like it or there isn't enough.

Nice concept but poor execution on our experience.

Took almost 2 hours and 2 followup to get our mains. After the last followup, my friend requested our frustration, and 4 of my friends wants to leave and just pay the tapas as it's getting late 9:15pm. Our server told the manager and she told us it's already being plated. Manager never came or gave us expectation or so but they did serve our mains. Being Kind and giving them a chance, we did tried our mains, as we're a bit hungry now.

We tried the 3xfish, 1xbeef and 1xpork around 30-40 per dish. Overall it was good but portion is for 1 person not 2 as stated. Not larger dish that we expect just large plates :) But yeah to be honest food is tasty

Overall experience: Not happy, not gonna initiate to go here again or be part of the word of mouth. Kudos to chef for good food , management...