New Zealand Herald

Reviews for Le Garde-Manger

by Anita T.
14th February 2013

Service and food was fantastic and for a very reasonable price. I cannot compliment the waiter enough for his warm and prompt service. The chicken liver pate was delicious and value for money. I had the duck leg confit and my partner had the lamb stew and no complaints.

I would definitely come back and bring all my friends.

by Linda
7th February 2013

I came here with another friend, having bought a deal voucher. I work in town and have walked past this place many many times, always curious what itwas like, as it was a tiny French restaurant surrounded by other tiny Korean restaurants! Quite random location but it seemed like it was always full, so I figured it must be good. We were greeted as soon as we got in, and seated promptly. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful. I wanted lamb and they had two different kinds of lamb dishes, I had a little of trouble understanding her accent but she took the time to explain the different dishes for me. My lamb was great and my friend had the chicken, she said it was very yummy too. Food presentation wise it left a little bit to be desired. We had a voucher so it was only costing us about half their regular price, so can’t complain there, however looking at their full price I would expect their plates to not look worn and a better location for the restaurant – though I guess that is hard to change. I will probably go there again when I feel like French food since I can’t afford the French Cafe yet :p

by Margaret U.
4th February 2013

This is my new favourite restaurant for taking a class load of students since St Tropez is no more. They will do either a crepe menu or a fixed price menu for a really good deal. I’d recommend it to all French teachers and I will be back in 2013.

by Bridget C.
20th January 2013

Found out about this place on one of the daily deals website and glad we did. Food was pretty good I liked the steak it was cooked perfectly but the escargot was a little average. Hubby thought his French onion soup was pretty good (though not as good as Antoine’s but that’s a complete different caliber of restaurant)! It’s a cosy little place and I like the courtyard at the back. Service was nice and we’ll definitely be back.

by Ora L.
19th January 2013

Every time I have a relative come to stay in Auckland I bring them here, and every time I go, the service and food are Excellent. The Waiters are always cheerful and pleasant, I recommend the Duck…cooked to perfection!

by Sharon
16th January 2013

For its locality, there has been some effort made to make this a tidy, clean and bright cafe/restaurant. Our waitress was very friendly and informative. Thank you. We chose steak for our meals but was informed there was only enough dauphinoise for one of us. Mashed potato was offered to the other, and to other diners I overheard ordering similar meals. hmmm. Dont know what happened there but I would have thought that daupinoise would have been very popular anytime and not being hard to make (yes I do make it often) should not have been unavailable at noon mid week. Thankfully my husband shared his with me and it was very tasty, so it was such a pity it was not avail for other diners to enjoy. I opted for extra salad instead of mashed potatoes, but sadly this, while nicely dressed, consisted of fancy green lettuce only. However on the plus, your chef knows how to cook a good steak, (you would be surprised how many cant) and the blue cheese sauce was lovely, would have drunk it if there was any left over from my steak :) Thank you for the opportunity to try your cafe.

by Zoe T.
16th January 2013

My boyfriend, flatmate and I visited last Sunday. It was my first experience eating French food. I had a succulent rare sirloin steak with thick blue cheese sauce and creamy (but not sickeningly so, as I tend to feel ill after a certain quantity of creamy goodness) gratin dauphinoise. I shared it with everyone on my table and they all loved it too. My boyfriend had a rich red wine beef bourguignon.

The service was fantastic – an enthusiastic but not overbearing waitress was very helpful.

We were so pleased with our mains we ordered dessert and crepes. I had a lemon & sugar crepe which was fluffy but a bit bland, my boyfriend had a creme brulee which was nice but nothing to write home about.

On the whole, very impressed with our mains, crepe and desserts were alright. Would return again for the mains and pay full price (as we used a voucher this time round).

by Michael
30th October 2012

I loved this place on both visits. Both at dinnertime, service was fantastic and the food was the best I’ve had at a meal out. The atmosphere is brilliant – almost like being in a small cafe in France itself.

by Tracey
3rd September 2012

Went to check out the set menu for the August restaurant month. Everything was amazing, my fave being the chicken liver pate. Worth going back just for that. Little bit random that it is where it’s located. But will def venture back.

by Jess
24th June 2012

One of our favs in Auckland.

Authentic, delicious, great value French food. One of the best meals in France is the unpretentious bistro food with a fixed price menu. these guys have got it spot on.

Classic French atmosphere too. Just such a random location – a real diamond in the rough.

We will be back!

by Louise
20th June 2012

Decent place in Auckland for a French restaurant. Went there for lunch with a friend. Friendly staff with prompt service.

Steak was good. Loved the crepes there also.

Their prix fixe menus are very good value for money.

A Tahitian friend of mine used to French cuisine also went there and found their food to be really good.

Definitely recommend people try it at lunch times, since it’s quieter and has more chance of getting a table.

by Luke P.
19th June 2012

This place is a hidden gem. We popped in for dessert and found them to be absolutely delicious! Great authentic vibe and friendly staff. I highly recommend the pear, caramel, vanilla ice cream crepe!

by ellie
28th April 2012

I’ve been here 4 times, and its still hard to decide between 3 or 4 stars. Its good value for money, so hey. Just a classic french bistro, unpretentious, decent without being amazing food. Can be HARD to get a seat! The service is a bit below average. I think my sister makes better onion soup- but my partner, who lived in France loves it. Not fancy, but snug and satisfying. I’d usually pick it over Pastis and Torchon.

by Steven B.
27th April 2012

Great simple french bistro menu, excellent food and reasonable prices. If this place was in Ponsonby you would never get a table. MenuMania wants me to say more…..good food, reasonable prices, authentic french atmosphere, what more could one ask?

by Vinno
9th April 2012

One of our favourites. Real French food, genuine atmosphere, charming service. Amazing good value and a real gem in the Auckland restaurant scene. We keep coming back here. Had my birthday dinner here and everyone just loved it.

by Deborah W.
17th March 2012

Boiling onions in a pot of water does not make French Onion Soup! I have had real French Onion Soup and what I got at le garde-manger was Not French Onion Soup. The mains were ok, the fish slightly over cooked and the beef bournuignon watery and under seasoned. It is a shame cause the restaurant has such potential. The wine was really nice and the atmosphere was great. Thanks to the manager though for not charging me for the soup I didn’t eat.

by c-force
6th August 2011

We wanted to have dinner on Friday night, but this place was full, no tables left for us. went back on Saturday for lunch and had savory pancakes, and then sweet pancake with honey and walnuts. They were all delicious. Earl grey tea (tea leaves in a pot) was yum, and coffee was awesome. We will go back again:)

if the waitress was a bit more friendly, our rate could have been 5.

by Noe
24th June 2011

Had lunch here yesterday as I had a voucher, and I absolutely loved this place. The restaurant is so cute and cosy, and the food was lovely. First we had the galettes (savoury pancakes) and they were very nice indeed; mine was stuffed with egg, cheese and chicken. And then I couldn’t say no to dessert, so we had delicious sweet crepes (pancakes) for dessert. I had the honey and walnut crepe, and it was absolutely delicious, nice and sweet with cruchy walnuts on top – I highly recommend it.

by CherylM
5th February 2011

We have been here on a number of occasions, for brunch and dinner, each time fantastic. A great range of gallettes and crepes for brunch, with superbly made coffee to match. The staff are so pleasant they have let us mix and match items on the menu. For dinner, the black-board menu is reasonably limited, so between us we have tried all the mains. Each have been extremely tasty, and cooked to perfection. I personally recommend the duck, with a side of snails, and a glass of Alsace pinot gris to wash it all down. Tres bien.

by Elizabeth R.
14th November 2010

We ate here after the early performance of Rocky Horror Show.
We were lucky we had booked as the restaurant was busy. The food was delicious, very French. We all had the set menu which was reasonably priced at $30 a head for three courses. The staff were efficient and friendly. We will definitely be going back

by C B.
23rd June 2010

We recently had the good fortune to eat at this small restaurant at lunchtime and were very pleased we did. Initially we were the only diners but by the time we left the place was quite full and everyone looked happy. The blackboard meals which we chose were tasty and just the right size for lunch, presumably larger servings would be available at dinnertime. The dessert crepes were delicious. Again the size wasn’t too large so although we had two courses and drinks we didn’t feel we’d overdone it. The prices made the meal very good value and together with the pleasant staff made for a very enjoyable lunch. Recommended.

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