New Zealand Herald

Reviews for Nuffield Street Cafe, Bar & Bistro

by Emma C.
12th March 2013

Had friend’s birthday dinner here. It was nice, relaxing atmosphere and service was great. Loved their specials !!
Scotch fillet perfectly cooked with great flavours and risotto was nice too. Highly recommend.

by Ella T.
1st March 2013

Very slow service and no sense of urgency with the wait staff. We arrived before the midday lunch crowd at 11.40 and approached the counter when we were told we should take a seat and someone would come to look after us. Waited for about 5 minutes (where we noticed a few tables were still uncleared around us) before the staff on floor came over to ask if we were being looked after.

I ordered coffee first and she went away which I assume was to tell the barista behind the bar before coming back to take our order, but for the next 10 minutes I see them going around and cleaning tables and chatting with another male customer. Once we ordered our food and me thinking they had completely forgotten my coffee order, I hear the coffee machine start and I finally get my latte.

Food was average but my experience with their time management was to be desired. How was I keeping track of the time? Had limited parking time at a 1 hour spot which I ended up having to move in the middle of lunch

by Kristie Y.
15th February 2013

As soon as I walked in the staff seemed uninterested. I ordered a long black coffee, and no food.

I waited for 15 minutes in a cafe with around 10 patrons and 5 staff for my long black. When it eventually came, it was passed over with a lack-lustre apology and looked terrible. Watery, and no crema. Took a sip- burnt. Allpress coffee should not be served like that.

My train was due in 10 minutes so I needed to leave. Disappointing to say the least as I had seen that there were great reviews on here.

by Georgina G.
3rd February 2013

Colourful lunch menu which catered for the needs of every individual within our group. Quality, not quantity within the portions and presentation excellent. Previously I had dined on occasion for lunch and had enjoyed the atmosphere so bought clients for an informal lunch and it was a success. The cafe can be quite noisy when busy due to the high ceilings which can be a challenge if dining with more than 2 guests.

by Sammie F.
6th November 2012

I had lunch here today with a friend of mine.
We were walking through Nuffield Street and we thought that the Cafe looked interesting so we went in.
I must admit, the atmosphere and the interior design are stunning.

The waitress took a while to come and take our order. Nonetheless, we were still pleased as our food came really quickly and it was absolutely delicious. My friend had the mushroom and chicken risotto, whereas I had the Kumara Soup- both were reasonably priced. Both my friend and I wanted to come back again and try other dishes as were amazed at how good and how filling the food was.

by Marie
7th October 2012

We often eat out, enjoy fine dining, but more often are looking for reasonably priced European style food before the movies.
We have found quite a few restaurants where the food and service are good (sometimes even better) but we NEVER BEFORE have found any of them with anything but cheap or mediocre wines.
These guys have not one, but TWO very good quality chardonnays, and both were reasonably priced (for us this is definitely a first). We also appreciated a better than average New Zealand red, again, at a very reasonable price.
We enjoyed the food; the service was better than average, the decor and ambience also a plus.
We rated this 4 stars only because we could not figure out how to give it 4 1/2.
Can’t wait for our next movie.

by Karyn B.
23rd September 2012

One of my favourite places to eat when I am in Auckland, the food is always great and the service excellent. I have been many times for breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks and have never left disappointed. The banana tarte tartin is to die for. A great place to meet up with friends, and it is also very child friendly.

by Craig C.
18th September 2012

Love this place… Eddie and his team are excellent and it’s great to experience an owner who lives and breaths his business and is focused on his customers!

Had a great meal a couple of weeks back… Their eye fillet steak is first class and so this morning I decided to try their breakfast menu and their smoked salmon scrambled eggs is WOW!

Awesome place a must try!

I will be back!

by Bethany H.
10th June 2012

Forgot to write a review for this earlier but went here for Mother’s Day with my sisters and mother and it was such a great night. The staff are fun and make a huge effort to provide excellent service. The food was delicious and I was so full afterwards! The desserts were awesome. I’m looking forward to dining there again with my husband so he can enjoy the experience too.

by Jessica S.
19th April 2012

Had a fabulous lunch here. The Lamb Salad was just sensational, best lamb in a long time and perfect portioning as well. My friend had the Tuscan Beef which she also raved about. The service was spot on and the atmosphere was great. Definitely a must go to!

by Kathryn P.
16th April 2012

The decor is rather stark. Our waiter referred to us several times as ‘girls’ (two ladies in our late 40s) and ‘love’ which I felt were both a little inappropriate.

Our meals were beautifully presented and the service was good however the fish was overcooked unfortunately and a little dry.

This is not somewhere I would return.

by Sarah G.
8th February 2012

Came here last weekend for the first time with some friends for lunch. Awesome food and really beautifully presented for a great price! The service was quick and attentive. Recommend the panna cotta!

by Hannah
13th January 2012

We had our Christmas party here recently and I just wanted to say that the food was really beautiful. All the meals came out reasonably quickly and together which I know can sometimes be a nightmare with a really large group. The staff were efficient and freindly – even going to the point of tracking down the owner of a loan drink left on the bar

by kaybee
21st October 2011

Love this place, it has been recently renovated and looks great, and it has been getting a lot busier. Food is great, service faultless, and they now have a pizza menu which means I can go there on a Friday night without breaking the budget! I have now been there many times for brunch, lunch, dinner and dessert and it is always an enjoyable experience. They are also very kid friendly, happy to provide smaller portion meals for my 2 year old and there is a change table in the bathroom which has come in handy a few times.

by Nicky M.
17th October 2011

Although I’m not the biggest fan of their new interior fit out to turn into a night-time establishment it’s nice to have somewhere new to go to in Newmarket. Food is always nice here and staff here are very friendly.

by Sec
9th September 2011

The place next door was packed and we didn’t want to wait for our breakfast so we tried here. A gem. Bacon & eggs and the full breakfast were beautiful with many tasty touches such as a good balsamic drizzle around the plate.
Less expensive than it’s neighbours and a very warm welcome and farewell from the owner. Will definitely be back.

by Richard
28th June 2011

Kinda kicking myself for not going to this place sooner. The service is good, the food is good and the price is in line with everyone else. Deserves more patronage than its getting. Hard to set the mood when there are only 4 people in the place.

Some of the other places in Nuffield St have let themselves go but this ones a peach. You should visit!

by V n.
12th June 2011

There were the six of us for dinner. This is my second time. All of us agreed in unison that the food was great. Two of us had the lamb rack. Really tasty and the presentation with the accompaniment was excellent. I had the beef fillet earlier this year so recommended my friend to try. She remarked that it was very tasty and enjoyed it. However the presentation was no where near was it was like when I had it before. The disappointment was the chocolate creme brule. Heavy with none of the light creamy texture. O dear! much to improve on this. The very limited dessert selection needs to be extended. We would return for the mains and look forward to heavenly desserts.

by Lucy B.
5th May 2011

Have been having breakfast meetings at a couple of other places on Nuffield Street for a few years now, but the prices are getting outrageous. Thought we would try Kuzhina for a change and were very pleasantly surprised. The breakfast special of eggs, bacon and toast was perfectly cooked and well-priced. Plus the coffee was excellent. We have a new meeting venue!

by H G.
1st May 2011

I’m not one to usually write reviews, however I feel compelled to write one for Kuzhina today after having a truly wonderful experience for lunch today. The staff were attentive, but discreet in their service. The food was exceptional (yet half the price of the cafe directly beside them). Even the coffee was wonderful!
If you’re in Newmarket and want somewhere relaxing and tasty I would thoroughly recommend the lovely people and fab menu at Kuzhina.

by PatchNZ
1st May 2011

We have been several times for weekend lunches. The food quality is excellent. After a nervous start under the new ownership we have seen the restaurant develop well. Given the number of choices around Nuffield Street this is a gem. Tables are well spaced so that it’s private enough. Never disappointed.

by All F.
27th December 2010

High points: Venison
Heaven points: Crème Brulee
Low points: none

We went along for breakfast after buying one of those 1-day-deal vouchers where we got $50 of food for $25. We were impressed enough, that when we saw a similar deal for dinner we snapped it up.

Walking to Kuzhina early in the Sunday morning drizzle a few weeks ago, the café-bar is easy to spot at the railway end of Nuffield Street after a row of other cafés.

Later, when we went for dinner with a similar 1-day deal, Kuzhina is so discreet it sort of fades into insignificance on that street. Not sure why, maybe it’s because it’s narrow-fronted with only a few seats outside, and its neighbours are louder and more voluble with their seating and signage.

Either way, Kuzhina it was for us. The breakfast was the big fry up one – as an English girl I am very particular about my fry-ups, and Kuzhina’s passed with flying colours – everything you’d expect in a greaseless way of bacon, egg, sausage, tomato, mushrooms, even black pudding which is becoming a rarity in English cafes, certainly southern ones anyway. The flat-whites were to Auckland’s high standard of hot, coffee and arty foam.

For dinner, we were ushered to one of the prime window-seats. We’re all about the food because we’re hungry as a rule but the service was pleasant and just that right speed of no rush, no haste. We shared the chicken and mushroom starter and it was light and tasty, the onions probably were on the charred side of crispy but not enough to comment unfavourably. Sufficient enough for 2 to share. As my Grandma used to say, don’t want to be ‘over-faced’ before the main event.

My other half ordered the venison and I ordered the fish special – plump snapper with the some light flavoured mash potato and asparagus. Now, because the venison was so sexy, with the beetroot puree and the cherry & chocolate jus, it made the fish special taste average. Don’t get me wrong the fish was good, juicy flesh and the skin crisp. But in comparison to the taste-explosion of the venison, it was just good (what a complaint eh?)

The portions were on the healthy side – i.e., after a half-starter and a main, I was kind of full.

For pudding (that’s what we English call it) we greedily decided to have the chocolate tart for me and the crème brulee for him. But, thank God for Kiwi boyfriends, the chocolate tart was delicious but a bit heavy for me after all the other food so we swapped puddings. The crème brulee! Creamy and light, vanilla crème and that universal and ubiquitous satisfaction of the spoon snapping through the surface – the food equivalent of bubble-wrap – perfect. It was, in our experience of crème brulees, the best one ever (so far).

For the ladies, we secretly judge restaurants by their toilets: clean with attractive stream-line fittings. Not too hot (sometimes these little loos with no windows get way too sauna-like).

Kuzhina reminded us of the food alchemy of One Tree Grill / Saison (our walk-able neighbourhood) but at slightly lower prices and with slightly more food on the plate.

The crunch-test: Would we go back? Yes we would.

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