Blue Ice Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in West Coast

We arrived for dinner quite early, just after 5 p.m. The mix of Filipino and European food on the menu caught our attention and convinced us to choose this restaurant over the other options in Franz Josef. There seemed to be two people working on the floor and one chef in the kitchen. The server attending to us was fairly decent. However, there was another woman who had a very loud and grating voice, and she kept talking in the dining area for the entire hour we were there.

The issue was that she did not even acknowledge us or say hello. Instead, she wandered around the dining area, speaking loudly about various topics, claiming she was the owner, and chatting with a couple at the adjacent table. It was incredibly frustrating. I honestly wanted to ask her to be quiet because it felt like she was torturing us with her incessant talking—it was completely inappropriate for a dining setting, especially with paying customers trying to enjoy their meal. Adding to the cacophony was the loud music, which only made the experience worse.

As for the food, we chose a Filipino dish, which was fantastic. Unfortunately, my lamb shank was probably the worst I have ever had. It was bland, the plate was excessively dry, and the shank itself was over-roasted, leaving the lamb far too dry and completely lacking in fat. Regrettably, I made the mistake of ordering an additional shank before tasting the first one.

On the positive side, we chatted with our server and managed to have a decent conversation when possible.

Despite the loud and disruptive woman and the poorly prepared lamb shank, everything else was pleasant. The restaurant’s temperature was comfortable, and the views...

We left our ❤in New Zealand. Amazing country and such wonderful people. We had dinner on New Year's eve @ Blue Ice which is managed by the family, who have put their heart & soul into this place. They were extremely welcoming and warm. Our dinner there was the highlight of our trip. We were graciously offered their limo pickup & drop to our hotel by the gentleman himself who owns the place. Where in the world will you find such courtesy. The beautiful hostess who is also a family member and had come down over her Christmas break to help out at the restaurant, was absolutely charming and made everyone feel like they were at home that day. We were at no point rushed through our dinner, though we had arrived there by 7pm. We ended up staying well past midnight enjoying the music & merry crowd dancing into the New Year at their upper bar level. The meals are also prepared by the family & are heavenly. We had the Camembert Parcel, the Stuffed Chicken Breast & Duck Confit & can't stop raving about it. And, nothing is complete without dessert. We greedily polished off the Apple & Blueberry Pie to the last crumb. No trip to Franz Josef would be complete if you haven't dined there. Visit them to warm your hearts. I wish the Blue Ice Restaurant family the best for 2019 & for...

On our first night in Franz Josef, our small group of seven was a bit late to the game as far as dinner plans. A few of the restaurants right in the small "downtown" were packed, so I ran up the road a bit to check to see if Blue Ice was still open. There were no outdoor diners so my expectations of availability were low, but upon entering, the manager (I confess that I never got his name), was quite welcoming and warmly stated that they would still serve us. I ran back down, got the group to follow, and what ensued was a lovely, relaxed dinner for the seven of us which included great food, friendly and fast service, and (most importantly), a sense that we did NOT have to rush out. I cannot recall exactly what I ordered, but as a vegetarian, I was able to secure a healtful meal along with stellar red wine...and that is what matters most! Thank you so much to the (unnamed) manager who turned what could have been a disaster into a memorable evening for all...