Hotel Ponsonby — Restaurant in Waitematā

I have some mixed feelings about this restaurant that I would like to express. Let's start with the positive aspects:

Pros: The restaurant provides a pleasant environment and offers a memorable experience. I particularly enjoyed the nostalgic vibes and the well-executed decorations. The staff members were satisfactory, although they could improve in terms of proactively informing customers about the daily specials that are not listed on the menu.

Now, moving on to the negatives:

Cons: Despite the appealing presentation, the taste of the food did not live up to my expectations. It seemed more appetizing than it actually turned out to be. The mushrooms dish, in particular, had a rancid taste which was quite disappointing. The burger was average, lacking any exceptional flavors or distinguishing features. Even the water had a strange fishy taste, which made me question whether it was due to the water source or the glasses not being adequately cleaned.

Overall, while the restaurant had its positive aspects, the underwhelming taste of the food and the presence of some unsatisfactory elements left me somewhat...

Love the fit out. It’s very shabby chic and has a welcoming vibe. The menu confused me a little. This is a pub with a bistro menu that’s designed to share. So, sharing plates with bistro-like options? We picked a few options to share, the best of which was the focaccia with goat’s cheese. You can have the focaccia with a few different options and the duck parfait also caught my eye. I selected the squid, as I’d read a few good reviews, but it was a little flabby and the sauce lacked a bite. The neighbouring table ordered the wagyu rump with fries and that looked really good. Might need to come back for that and the duck parfait. The service was great to begin, patiently explaining the menu and promptly bringing our drinks. While we were eating, though, it was a bit overzealous. Every time we finished a dish, the plate was promptly whisked away. It felt like they were watching us eat. If you lived nearby, this would make a good local. If they loosened up the menu a little, I’d...

We came by for an earlyish dinner around 1700. We didn't book but was able to get a table. The menu looked quite interesting with quite a large selection of items. We grabbed a few items to share. The chicken liver parfait came with a nice stack of focaccia. The flavour of the parfait and the focaccia also came with salted butter. I also quite enjoyed the fried bread layered with caramelised onions. The kina tagliatelle was quite interesting as it was salty and creamy. the duck breast was cooked quite well and the cabbage with it was delicious. The spice flavour of the spiced lamb was really nice. It had a nice range of flavour and a nice chariness to it. We got the sticky toffee pudding for dessert and that was quite rich and tasty. The food here is really good. It did get a bit loud as it filled up and the place was full when we left. It is a nice option for...