The French Cafe — Restaurant in Waitematā

If you're looking for a dining experience that's both elegant and delicious, look no further than Sid at the French Cafe! I had the pleasure of attending a fundraising event at this fine establishment, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. From the moment we arrived, we were treated to top-notch service and delectable cuisine. We started off with a welcome cocktail and a selection of canapes, all of which were delightful. But that was just the beginning. As we were ushered inside to our tables, we were pleasantly surprised to find that we would be dining with other couples and groups. This added a fun, social element to the evening, and we thoroughly enjoyed getting to know our fellow diners. And then there was the food. Each course was a masterpiece, expertly crafted and bursting with flavor. The Farmed kingfish with miso emulsion, smoked scallop, smoked eel pearls, sweetcorn, lemon myrtle, and finger lime was a standout, as was the Hapuka with crayfish beignets, dry mangosteen, soy jelly, perilla leaf, and pickled onion. And the Wagyu short rib with truffle custard, grilled leek, and macadamia sorrel was nothing short of divine. But let's not forget about dessert. The Chocolate, banana and cardamom parfait, whipped chocolate, blueberry, and elderflower was the perfect end to an incredible meal. Overall, I can't recommend Sid at the French Cafe highly enough. The food is of the highest quality, both in ingredients and presentation, and the taste is simply out of this world. So if you're in the mood for something a little fancier than your usual dining experience, be sure to give Sid at the French Cafe a try. You won't be disappointed! Oh and sorry about the lack of photos, I was caught up in...

We ( me and my my wife) plan for one fine-dining experience in every trip and this was our choice for our New Zealand trip in November 2024 (as they were accommodating to our dietary preferences - I’m vegetarian and my wife is vegan).

The restaurant has an elegant casual vibe and looked to have limited seating for providing premium experience. The service was impeccable right from the welcome helping us with storing our coats, guiding us to our table, confirming our dietary preferences and helping us with more details on every dish. We opted for a six course tasting menu.

Since it was a degustation experience, we were served dishes one after the other each with their own plates and cutlery. The first one was a palate cleanser drink that was very refreshing. The cold salad in the first course was just amazing. Each dish was presented perfectly and tasted great.

The overall experience took about 3 hours and since it was our first day of the trip, we were little jet-lagged and could not completely enjoy the experience due to the fatigue. We probably would have enjoyed 4 course option for our appetite, 6 felt a bit over stuffed at the end. The food had more influence on Indian flavors (kofta, naan, gravies) compared to French than I had expected and hence...

OK so I got the chef's tasting course and matching wines on Mar 1. Now the chef obviously has nice taste, as the food was very, very good. Some courses were EXCELLENT. For example, the crab risotto & the whitebait sandwich were two of the best dishes I've ever had. The whitebait was the best whitebait I've ever had. The main course (duck breast) was a bit of a let down, supposedly pan fried. However I found the fat and skin to be chewy (Ie fat not rendered enough) and skin a little soggy. Overall I couldn't bring myself to rate it higher than three stars. One star docked for the duck not being perfect, and the other star docked for the massive amount of food and associated price tag - it was simply too much for any normal person to enjoy. I'm 92kgs and thought I could nail the degustation, but I struggled, and so did my far smaller girlfriend. Added to that - a bit more variety in food types (first three dishes seafood - needed a nice game meat or something for that many courses), and variety in wine selection would be nice - especially...