Selera Delight — Restaurant in Waitematā

A Disappointing Experience at Serela

Upon visiting Serela, a local restaurant that had piqued my interest, I regret to report that the experience fell significantly short of expectations. While I had hoped for an enjoyable dining experience, several aspects of the establishment left much to be desired.

Culinary Offerings

The food, which is arguably the cornerstone of any dining establishment, was unfortunately mediocre at best. The portions served were notably small, reminiscent of children's meal sizes rather than satisfying adult servings. This left me and my dining companions feeling unsatisfied and still hungry even after completing our meals. For a restaurant charging $30-$40 per person, one would expect to leave feeling comfortably full, not contemplating the need for additional sustenance.

Service Quality

Perhaps the most disheartening aspect of the visit was the subpar service. In the hospitality industry, attentive and courteous service can often elevate an average meal into a pleasant experience. However, at Serela, the service was notably poor, detracting further from an already underwhelming dining experience. The staff seemed ill-equipped to handle customer inquiries and lacked the attentiveness one would expect from a restaurant of this caliber.

Ambiance and Interior

The interior decor, while not offensive, was unremarkable. The average ambiance failed to create a memorable atmosphere or enhance the dining experience in any meaningful way. A restaurant's interior should ideally complement and elevate the culinary offerings, but in this case, it merely blended into the background of an already forgettable visit.

Menu and Pricing Concerns

One particularly frustrating aspect was the confusing menu design. A well-designed menu should be clear, concise, and easy to navigate. However, Serela's menu left diners perplexed, making the ordering process unnecessarily complicated. This lack of clarity extended to their pricing structure as well. The corkage fee of $15 per person is, quite frankly, exorbitant and out of line with industry standards. Such a high fee discourages patrons from bringing their preferred wines and feels like an unjustified attempt to inflate the bill.

Room for Improvement

It is evident that the owner needs to take a more hands-on approach in managing this particular branch of Serela. The combination of mediocre food, poor service, and confusing practices suggests a lack of oversight and quality control. A thorough review of the restaurant's operations, menu design, portion sizes, and pricing structure is urgently needed to address these issues and improve the overall dining experience.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while it pains me to write such a critical review, I feel compelled to share my honest experience in the hope that it may lead to improvements. The culmination of small portions, average food quality, poor service, and confusing practices has led me to the reluctant decision not to return to Serela. For the price point, there are undoubtedly better dining options available that offer more value, better service, and a more satisfying culinary experience.

It is my sincere hope that the management takes these observations to heart and implements necessary changes. Until then, I must regrettably recommend that potential diners consider alternative options for their dining pleasure. As it stands, one might indeed find more satisfaction in a simple home-cooked meal than in an...

Eighteen of us celebrated a friend's birthday here. We called twice beforehand to inquire about the corkage fee and were told it was $15 per bottle. However, when we opened a bottle, the waitress came over and informed us the corkage fee was actually $15 per person, totaling $270. We explained that this wasn’t what we had been told, but she simply responded, "Sorry, that's the fee." This was outrageous.

The food was average. The main dishes were around $26.50, but they didn’t include rice or roti. I had the fish dish, which was okay, but the spare pork ribs and sweet and sour chicken were too sweet. The coconut rice didn’t have any noticeable coconut flavor. One of us, who is vegetarian, ordered a dish from the "Vege Dishes" section of the menu. There was no description of meat, but the dish arrived with pork mince. When we complained, they said that dishes with a leaf icon are the vegetarian options. However, even some of the dishes with the leaf icon contained meat. Eventually, they offered a 50% discount, which we thought was unreasonable. After more complaints, they said they wouldn't charge for the dish at all.

When we asked for forks for the cake, the waitress said, “I’ll charge you next time.” Well, there won’t be a next time, especially after being treated this poorly. We spent about $50 per person and were disappointed by the terrible customer service.

We wanted to support our local hospitality, understanding the challenges they’re facing, but there is no excuse for this kind of service. We won’t be...

Visited Selera Buffet today for the first time, and it was a fantastic experience. There were four of us, and Selera kindly accommodated us last minute, which was especially appreciated as my brother was flying back to Christchurch.

Here’s how it works:

Seating times: There are two sessions, 11 am and 1 pm.

Payment and seating: You pay for your group, then get seated.

First round: All food items are served tapas-style, allowing you to sample each dish, regardless of whether everyone in your group has arrived.

Reordering: You can request more of the dishes you enjoyed.

It’s essentially "eat until you’re satisfied" – a great...