boulcott street bistro

for a long time boulcott used to annoy me lots - it was one of those restaurants where you couldn't book. that seemed ok if it was somewhere in the cbd and you could walk past and move on if it was full, but not boulcott. parking is ok in the car park opposite, but its still not a walk past. it is also a restaurant that really is special, and therefore if you have a special occasion, birthdays etc or you're taking out elderly parents (who well remember plimmer house), you can't guarantee a table and that is a pain. so its usually off to logan brown.
after some years however i returned with a new strategy - go early. and that works - i am actually happy to eat at 6.30pm and as a consequence i now go reasonably often.
apart from the beautiful victorian house , the restaurant interior has been done up very well. the old house is divided into smaller dining spaces which add interest and cosiness. the cream-lemon walls add to that and give it a french bistro feel, but perhaps a little more upmarket. my only irritation is the single round table between the entrance and the bar - its a bit like a roundabout and not particular feng shui - but other than that the interior is great.
aesthetically this isn't a "cool" modernist restaurant, its white table cloths and professional service make it more classic establishment, but the atmosphere is relaxed with a warmth that tops logan brown. 
the menu isn't large which is a good sign, but i find it easy to choose something that i want. nothing is pretentiously overworked, it is simple honest well cooked bistro food. for entree i've recently enjoyed the english pea soup as well as the perfectly cooked calves liver. ignoring cholesterol, i'll often go for the aged beef fillet, rare with bearnaise and french beans on the side - (and yes fries). the roast parsnip side is gorgeous. dessert last time was the pinot noir chocolate mousse - seriously delicious and beautifully presented.
the wine list is excellent, you can get champagne and many good reds and whites by the glass. i really like the fact that they have half bottles which for two sometimes is all you need.
this is one of wellington's best restaurants - its just a pity that i can't book for the special occasions that the restaurant warrants.

returned 18/05/15:
excellent evening with superb service:
excellent fried squid - tender, moist
short rib - slow cooked - good , found the sauce on the verge of cloying but not quite..
tomato tart - subtle delicate - excellent.
kings fish - a little dry but the anise flavoured rice base arresting, delicious
eclair - delicious but no match for the pinot noir mousse.
three excellent wines - tattinger/ palliser pinot noir / waiheke man o war claret - all delicious.

wow, what a busy little bistro! with the winning combination of prompt friendly service and fresh delicious dishes that so many restaurants seem to neglect these days it's easy to see why this place is so popular.

i saw rex morgan cooking on tv and really wanted to dine at boulcott street bistro. i loved his prior culinary haven, citron and wanted to check out his new residence. similar to citron, boulcott street bistro instantly sets itself apart in setting. it's a beautiful victorian cottage with a classic bistro decor.
as i had hoped our meals were perfect, a great combination of traditional and unexpected flavours.
i really appreciated our service, the waiter was chatty and attentive without being over the top.
i'm not a big drinker, but my friend (who is!) was really impressed by the range of nz wines and boutique beers on offer.

overall, i'd definitely recommend a stroll up boulcott street to check out this gem of a bistro.

an excellent bistro in wellington. i had the french onion soup to start with and then the lamb rack for the main and the pinot noir chocolate mousse to finish off. patric had their calamari as a starter, the aged fillet as the main and the creme brûlée for dessert.

the only letdown was the calamari. it was chewy and the sauce was bland and underwhelming. otherwise all the other dishes were cooked perfectly and well seasoned.

the highlight for us was with no doubt the chocolate mousse. it was rich and velvety with a note of pinot noir. the brittle and wafer lifted up the mousse, providing a layer of different texture. it was so good that i made it my personal mission to come back to the bistro the next day to have another one.

yum love this place, will come back the next time we are in town.

my birthday dinner here was exquisite. bluff oysters, french onion soup with gruyere, pork cheeks, unbelievably good lavender shortbread... immaculate service from our waiter. still the best in wellington.

nice atmosphere, great service. steak cooked perfectly.

awesome waitresses, friendly manager, incredible food. definitely coming back next time we come to wellington!

we popped in here on a whim and were so pleased we did!! excellent food. the service was a bit slow to start but they were busy. tables are pretty close together so not the most intimate of places but the food was just delicious. we will be back

an absolute delight of a place. top notch service, an excellent drinks menu, and a crafted food menu. i ordered the market fish with desert and it was absolutely perfect. i had food envy for their steaks - also looked delicious.

we began with southern alps venison. medium yet very tender. put a couple of those together and it would be a meal. for mains, he had aged fillet of beef with bernaise medium rare; i had tender braised wagyu short rib cauliflower gratin and twice cooked fries for sides.

why don't we come here more often? the traditional sunday roast is also phenomenal.

my friends and i had high hopes as we approached these inviting premises. the restaurant on first impressions looked relaxing and we were guided to our table. our experience was soon to be made memorable and not for the right reasons unfortunately. the young camp waiter who was serving us made a rude remark that we found quite insulting. the food was really nice but we didn't enjoy it after this horrible experience. we won't be back.

we went for the wow pre-show set menu. the service was great but unfortunately the food was quite unpleasant. the flavours were totally off. a shame because our expectations were every high.

excellent dining. started with cocktails for pre dinner. lambs liver for an entree was great then onto the lamb shank. finished off with a coffee and benedictine. service was ordered and pleasant. i like being able to see a kitchen work so i enjoyed that. this was calm and well organized. i’ll be back.

many friends have recommended this restaurant because they are known for excellent food and service. we had friends visiting from out of town so we wanted to treat them to a nice lunch. my husband and i settled on the sweet potato gnocchi and when it arrived it looked beautiful. unfortunately the taste wasn't good. it wasn't gnocchi but rather a bland, pasty dumpling. my favourite parts of the dish were the blistered tomatoes. one friend ordered chicken pot pie which was delicious, and my other friend ordered snapper. it was perfectly cooked, but also very bland. our server was polite & professional and he suggested an excellent wine for us. i think we caught the chef on a bad day because our other friends were shocked when i described our experience.

boulcott street bistro was a may. it's not often i hand out a 5 star rating, but this place really deserves it. the food, setting and service was excellent. i had the mushroom ravioli, roasted snapper fish and shared a creme brulee. my wife had crumbed calamari and aged fillet steak. we tried to be critical, but couldn't. all the dishes were delicious and full of flavour. if i had to pick a favourite, it would be the ravioli. try it! the truffle aroma and flavour were strong and punchy. wish there were more than 2 piece cos i could've eaten more. the fish was generous and perfectly cooked. most restaurants overcook their fish, but not here. steak was smoky and melt-in-your-mouth smooth. creme brulee was best we've ever had.

the young man that served us was casual, friendly and very helpful.

we really enjoyed our evening here. well done to all involved. we'll be back.