Gemmi — Restaurant in Waitematā

Went for lunch for my partners birthday today and we were super excited to try Gemmi out since we had seen many reviews online through social media expressing how amazing their experiences were. We had the complete opposite experience and found the service and food horrible. Firstly the restaurant was not busy at all. There must have been only 4 - 6 other customers at the time and yet we were not greeted with a smile or anything. Maybe she was having a bad day or something, but this continued throughout our entire experience. We were made to feel as though we were a nuisance and just didn’t feel welcomed. The food was also terrible. We had ordered spaghetti and meatballs which I had finished eating only because I hadn’t eaten since the previous day. This was the only dish that was served hot. We had also ordered the fettuccine Alfredo which was inedible. The pasta was raw and there was no sauce as it was basically covered in cheese so the undercooked pasta was clumped together rather than each noodle being seperate. Finally we got the steak frites. This dish was mediocre at best. The steak and fries were cold however, the sauce it came with was surprisingly good! Back to the service, after I had explained to our server that the fettuccine was raw she proceeded to still try and charge me for a fish where I had only eaten a bit of. There was still a substantial amount left on the plate because the pasta was still raw. When I had asked her about why I was being charged she offered a discount however, why would I pay for something that I had barely touched and there was an issue with the food? I had asked her to remove it from my bill entirely which she did do, but she made it very apparent that this was an issue and made the already uncomfortable dining experience even more uncomfortable. Overall, the food was bland and don’t believe everything you see online, but still try it out for yourselves. You might have a better experience than myself...

My partner and I were back home in NZ on holiday from Brisbane and had seen a TikTok video on Gemmi at Commercial Bay so we really wanted to visit especially for the burrata. Unfortunately on arrival we’re told they had a new menu and the burrata was no longer on it. Nevertheless this place came through with the goods all round from food, service and atmosphere along with a great view. The food was ridiculously flavourful. I was trippin out at how flavoursome the little tomatoes were that came out with the Raw Tuna dish which was 10/10 I pretty much licked the plate with all the leftover dressing. We were Greeted and taken care of by a lovely staff member Vivian if I remember her name correctly, that lady deserves a raise, she was refreshing friendly, patient and made the best Velvet Sour Cocktail. We ordered 2 main pastas, fettuccine with added Chicken but the star of this dish was definitely the Ganciale, next time I’ll be requesting much more to be added as these were the tiniest flavour bombs I have ever tasted. Secondly we had the Mafaldine, beef cheek ragu, this was my favourite and one hundred percent outshone the Fettuccine Alfredo. I’ve never been a fan of tomato based pastas as they just seem to taste pretty basic like regular can tomato sauce but not this time round, this sauce with the ragu made me want to go to Italy whilst we were eating with Italian music playing in the background was such a good vibe complimented with a couple Velvet sours was the perfect lunch date. We will definitely be visiting again when we fly back in...

We opted for the set menu, though the food took a bit longer than expected to arrive.

Entrée:

• House Focaccia: Unfortunately, this wasn’t the best focaccia I’ve had. It lacked freshness and was overly fluffy for my taste. The dipping sauce was quite underwhelming as well. • Kingfish: This was a pleasant surprise—light, refreshing, with subtle flavors that worked well together.

I paired the entrée with a wine that complemented the dishes beautifully.

Main Course:

• Squid Ink Spaghetti: This was the standout dish for me. The pasta was cooked al dente, the flavors were rich and packed with umami. Though it had a slightly fishy aroma, the taste was outstanding. I would highly recommend this dish. • Meatball Spaghetti: My friend had this, but I didn’t try it myself. However, one of the meatballs was undercooked, which was disappointing.

The wine pairing for the main course was also fantastic, and at just $20, it felt like great value.

Dessert:

• Tiramisu: A solid end to the meal. It was creamy, flavorful, and exactly how a good tiramisu should be.

Overall, it was a pleasant dining experience with excellent value for money.

However, my friend and I unfortunately felt unwell later that evening and the following day. We suspect the kingfish was the cause, but thankfully, it wasn’t...