Tops: Excellent staff speaking both english and french. The food was superb. The escargot were not too oily, and had plenty of taste. The duck and the cauliflower were very good as well, and paired well with the wine. Tips: Toilet was not dirty, but...could be cleaned a little more frequently, and the cauliflower needs some carbs added (or a recommendation of added fries etc) The creme bruleé was to die for.More
Couples dinner Our second visit. Previously attended a king table at Le Chef. One partner had the duck, another the steak. Steak portion was woefully small, very very small. See photo. We won’t be back for dinner but we absolutely would do the long table...againMore
We booked and was pleased to see that it was very busy when we arrived for lunch. We had the Garlic Prawn Skewers & Gremolata and mushroom Tart for entree. Don't know what happened as the advertisement in the 'Heart of the City" was for...tomato tart tartin. Regardless, they were both delicious, prawns were just cooked and still had a bite to it which showed it was fresh and the tart pastry was real flaky. For the main we both had the Bavette Sauce au Bleu & Frites: beef flank served medium rare with blue cheese sauce OR shallots sauce & fries. Hubby had the blue cheese sauce and I had the shallots. The fries were crunchy and we have to say the best fries we have eaten for a while. However, the beef (we both asked for medium) was abit chewy and tough. Maybe we should have chosen medium rare but had too many experiences when you ask for that and it comes out blue i.e more raw than cooked. For dessert, I would have had the cheese but as it was blue cheese that day, I opted for the creme brule. We both had the Classic French crème brûlée and the waitress flamed the sugar top at the table. Creamy and not too sweet. Overall was not bad and food 'french' enough in flavour.More
**The Good:** Le Chef stole my heart with its enchanting French haven. The ambiance swept me away to Paris, and the staff's warmth made me feel like family. Each dish, a masterpiece; each bite, a revelation. The wine selection danced in harmony with the flavors,...creating a symphony of taste that still lingers in my memory. **The Bad:** In this whirlwind of perfection, a few moments fell slightly short. Pacing between courses wavered, and popularity brought longer waits. Yet, the staff's swift response smoothed out these wrinkles, highlighting their dedication to excellence. **The Ugly:** No "ugly" exists at Le Chef; only moments that fade against its brilliance. It's a haven where every detail is crafted with care, and any hiccups are eclipsed by the exceptional experience. In short, Le Chef isn't just a restaurant; it's a love affair with French cuisine. Every aspect, from the setting to the service, paints an unforgettable picture. While minor flaws exist, they're mere blips in a sea of perfection. Dining here is an immersion into culinary artistry that will leave you longing for an encore.More
Saturday evening 22nd July, having enjoyed a wonderful night out, my husband and I decided to walk back to our apartment via Vulcan Lane. We both became very distressed to see, an appalling display of behaviour, directed at the manager of one of our favourite...restaurants. This particular individual, who we recognised as the chef from Le Chef restaurant, was visibly intoxicated and aggressively screaming at the top of his voice, at the female manager. Several members of the public passing, including ourselves, witnessed this childish tirade that appeared to have begun on the public thoroughfare outside the restaurant. The manager who we have seen several times was incredibly professional and calm, yet naturally very taken back and embarrassed by what was clearly an unprovoked and unwarranted attack. The managers decision to move inside the restaurant, in an attempt to end the abuse was in vain, as the staff member followed her inside while continuing to curse and scream abuse at her. This escalated even further to him kicking and throwing stacked chairs around the restaurant. Thankfully a member of the public interjected and due to the rather large size of this ‘Good Samaritan’ finally aggressor began to calm down and was asked to leave the restaurant. My husband and I have never seen such a display of inexcusable behaviour and disrespect in the workplace. We feel for the manager Nadia, having been placed in this position and made to work alongside such colleagues. Bitterly disappointed with Le Chef. Di NewmanMore
Excellent food and wine in a quaint French style restaurant, recommended to us by a local shop keeper, so good we went back for breakfast didn't disappoint again.
I've been wanting to eat at this restaurant for a while, and when we had friends visit from the Mt I figured that it would be a great time to give it go. Reading the reviews, we were really looking forward to it... However the...food was not just awful, but some unedible. We started with snails, squid and pork terrine. The snails were lovely, the best dish we would have all meal. The squid was overcooked and rubbery. The pork terrine was okay - but nothing special. But the mains! Well we have two steaks (1 medium rare, and 1 rare), confit duck, and the black pudding and mash. The medium steak was okay - came with very little veggies, which wasn't stated at the time of ordering as we'd have ordered another side. The rare steak was burnt on the outside, to the extreme that it actually tasted metalic, inside it was just raw - not rare. I can cook this better myself at home. I left most of it. The duck was something I'd never seen before in a confit duck dish... it had a thick layer of fat over the top of the duck leg so obviously hadn't been cooked long enough. There was hardly any meat on it, lots of gristle and it was quite tough. The black pudding looked okay, but was just sausage and mash so I'd hope it'd be impossible to get wrong. Overall we left hungry and extremely disappointed. It was as though the chef hadn't turned up for work and they were trying to 'make do'. I highly recommend going elsewhere unfortunately. :(More
This hidden gem tucked away in Vulcan lane has a great ambiance, wonderful food and friendly attentive servers. Both the fish and eye fillet were cooked perfectly. Thank you for a lovely evening.
This is an excellent place to have an authentic French experience and create wonderful memories. We had an early dinner and it was simply amazing. The restaurant exudes a cosy atmosphere and the service is outstanding. Moreover, the food and wine menu is next level,...offering a wide range of delectable options.More
We had a very good dinner and we’re so happy we came back for breakfast. I had the confit duck for dinner. This was great. We shared a starter of cold meat and pates. We all enjoyed this and the pate was great. The chocolate...dessert was a bit dry but very chocolatey. Breakfast was very enjoyable. We had great coffee and croissants were on offer. I had the pain Perdue, which was very tasty. The place has a very nice feel and service was friendly. I’d strongly recommend it for breakfast, lunch or dinner.More
What a hidden gem, tucked away at the O’Connell end of Vulcan lane. Wonder food, sensational service, perfect night, thank you. Now we have found you we will be back
Attended the Long Table dinner last night and it was wonderful.can’t fault the service or the food. The beef was cooked to perfection for all of us.
- very good dinner Good points - great outside experience, good company - long table really makes for great conversations Not so good points - surprisingly the beef was undercooked! -
There's a lot of restaurants in Auckland but a lot of them offer the same things. This restaurant serves a niche of (mostly) foreign foodies some excellent Italian and French dishes. We enjoyed an excellent burrata with cœur de bœuf tomatoes and a goat cheese...salad.More
$11 for two poached eggs on sourdough toast. What more needs to be said? You won't be disappointed. Loved it!
