New Zealand Herald

Reviews for Banque Gastro Bar & Restaurant

by Sandra
18th May 2013

Meal and service okay but disappointed that they didn’t honour their voucher from the Entetainment book.

by Adeline
15th March 2013

Went for lunch. I was tempted to try the oysters but somehow you must have a minimum order of 3 oysters from the menu for them to bring that out, which I think is really silly since you’re charging oysters by its individual price.

Do the math. Having your customers order 1-2 oysters on its own vs getting put off by having to order a minimum of 3 and not ordering at all! Honestly. All I wanted was to try the oyster – I cant possibly manage 3 over lunch!

So we ordered the pizza (average tasting) and something else (I can’t remember – something with mushrooms, maybe? which is exactly my point – the food was so average it didn’t leave a strong enough impact on me to remember it!).

Overall, if I didn’t have my entertainment book voucher with me – it would have been a really really overpriced meal.

by Heidi
6th August 2012

My partner and I bought a voucher for the degustation menu and I had very high hopes for Banque.
We were seated at the back of the restaurant and it was so cold it was hard to relax and be comfortable, the waitress said she was putting us by the fire but because of where she seated us we couldn’t feel any of the heat from it.

First course – crab soup – was not to my taste but that is purely based on personal preference and I can’t fault the restaurant for that.
Second course – duck liver parfait – the parfait seemed to have melted, although it tasted pretty good it was too soft, almost liquid, and was very messy to try and eat.
Third course – seared kingfish – this part of the meal was good, very small but still enjoyable.
Fourth course – Lamb shoulder – This was terrible, it was the largest portion of the evening but it wasn’t very big and the meat was terribly dry. I had to keep sipping my water so i could swallow it.
Fifth course – Sauternes custard – By far the best part of the evening. The dessert was exactly what I had been expecting for the rest of the meal. It’s a shame only 1/5 of the meal met our expectations.

When we left I was still a little bit hungry and I am definitely not a big eater, I don’t think many men would find the degustation provided enough food to satisfy them.

Overall it was a very disappointing night, 2 courses were not nice at all, 2 were just ok and only one matched what you would expect for a place that states they provide an “outstanding dining experience”

by Amy
4th June 2012

I would like to differ with all the bad comments posted on MenuMania, I have had an excellent experience with both the food and the service.
We dined off the new voucher deal 5-course Degustation menu on Saturday evening and it was awesome!
So thanks Banque we will be back!

by veeric
29th April 2012

This was our 2nd visit to Banque. The first time was a couple of years ago when we were completely underwhelmed with the service. So when the $99 degustation menu was advertised we thought we would give it another try.

Sadly, once again we were completely let down and will not ever return.

We were seated at the back of the restaurant where it sometimes serves as an open bar area and has a fire place. It is also the coldest part of the restaurant when there isn’t proper heating. The ceiling heater closest to me was on low. I asked 2 different people to turn it up and nothing happened. It may have been faulty but neither of them came back to acknowledge my request. There were only 3 or 4 other tables occupied when we arrived so I don’t know why the back area was being used.

We ordered wine and when it arrived the vintage was different to what was advertised on the menu – a restaurant of this calibre should have informed us of this change!

The soup was absolutely delicious – for me, the best of the 5 course – but when I tried to compliment the chef, the tall attractive waitress wasn’t interested. She just whipped the empty bowls away without any acknowledgement or eye contact. She definitely did not want to be there.

The rest of the meal was fine, albeit very small portions, however the overall experience means we won’t try to make it 3rd time lucky.
There are so many restaurants in Auckland who provide good food and great service.

My suggestion to Banque? Withdraw your expensive advertising and get the basic right in terms of service first.

by donghong
30th March 2012

Haven’t read the last few stark contrast feedbacks I feel a bit nervous about it all. Nonetheless, I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt by having a first-hand experience tonight.

The food, wine, and service were excellent. The coffee was so good that I ordered a 2nd one. if only their serving size was reasonable my friend and I would have felt very satisfied.

I ordered seared tuna & crab meat in a main size from the entry menu. When it came I told the waitress that I actually ordered a main size. She apologised for the mistake and agreed to take it back to the kitchen. Shortly afterward she came out with the same plate and said that was the main size. My friend and I looked completely dumbfounded by how small the size of the main dish – there were 5 or 6 super-thin slices of tuna each in the size of the old 50c coin plus two scrawny crab legs of half chopstick length.

Reading the complaints from this site I’ve started to understand why there are so many dissatisfied customers. The main issue is the serving proportion – embarrassingly small. it is not hard to fix. I sincerely hope the owner will do something about it.

by Nadia H.
23rd February 2012

Appalling service! I was shocked at how unprofessional and useless their wait staff were. We had the degustation and the staff were so unaccommodating towards us when we requested something specific. The whole time we were there (about 2.5 hours) and we were not offered drinks once. I wouldn’t waste my money on mediocre food and terrible service when there is so much competition in Auckland.

by Mike T.
3rd August 2011

Very rude staff – the bar staff are extremely rude – I enquired as to why a “special” of Calamari with rocket and aoili consisted of only 4 small pieces for $ 13, and the reponse was “well you are in Remmers, what do you expect”. The staff need to learn some manners, and the bar snacks are very overpriced for their quality.

by Dion M.
13th August 2010

I had a wonderful evening at Banque last week. I was lucky enough to attend the Winemakers evening. I found the service to be very polished and the staff were pleasant and efficient. The ambiance was great. The food was deliscious and very well matched to Marisco’s Kings Series wines. A credit to the chefs. Overall, a delightful dining experience.

by shelly g.
11th August 2010

I had the pleasure of attending a wine makers dinner at Banque last week. The food was exceptional – cooked to perfection. The service was fantastic, with Oscar being as attentive as always.
The wines which were delicious (Marisco Vineyards Kings Series) were matched perfectly with each course. A real pleasure to dine at Banque and i have recommended to all my friends.

by Jason B.
4th August 2010

We had such a wonderful dining experience, the ambience was great, the food was just brilliant, the service was attentive, polite and well informed.
We were particularly impressed with the wine list which was very well thought out and delivered.
The food was a very clean mix of beautiful textures and flavours to a high standard of complementarity.

I would rate this establishment a 5* and have already recommended it to 5 friends and we only ate there last night!
Highly recommend to anyone wanting a beautiful taste sensation, great service and beautiful wines in a relaxed chic environment.

by KH
28th July 2010

I have always enjoyed eating at Banque….It has a great atmosphere, the service is outstanding and the food is innovative with interesting flavours, always cooked to perfection and presented beautifully.

by JayJay
25th July 2010

UPDATE 29/6/2011
**I find it a bit suspicious that suddenly after my review, 4 new ones magically appear giving great reviews by NEW members and this is their First and ONLY review to date!**

Oh Dear!..this Restaurant sadly does not live up to the hype or its steep price tag. The menu is very pretentious, the food is average for the price you’re paying and the portions are dwarfed by massive outdated plates!
Service is also average. Location is what this place relies on…

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