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 frenchbistrofeel, 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 cookedbistrofood. 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.

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 streetbistroinstantly sets itself apart in setting. it's a beautiful victorian cottage with a classicbistrodecor.
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 excellentbistroin 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 thebistrothe next day to have another one.

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

boulcott streetbistrowas 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.

i first came here when it was "plimmer house" - all starched linen silver service and crepe suzette flamed at the table.

the vibe these days is more relaxed but the standard or food, service and wine list is top of the class.

classicbistrodishes expertly prepared and a relaxed, unhurried atmosphere makes for an excellent experience every time i have been.

my wife & i visited boulcott streetbistrodeliberately for the calf livers. to our disappointment, they were not available. we resorted to "surf & turf" -  angus sirloin, garlic tiger king prawn, hand-cut fries with red wine juice, as mains. both of us had onion soup as entrée. i must say, it was one of the best onion soups we've had for a long time  - hot & rich in cheese. king prawn was of a good size & delicious, while steak was medium rare & matched well with red wine juice. coffee was hot & lovely to finish off our lunch. (food - 4.5/5; service - 4.5/5; ambience - 4.5/5)

fabulous fine dining
wanted to take our italian visitors somewhere special in wellington and boulcott stbistrocertainly delivered. food was excellent, from whitebait starters to blue steaks served warm or cold. great menu and great selection of wine. service was excellent and helped that our wait person was also italian.

rex morgan, head chef of boulcott streetbistro, will be the final chef rattling at the pans at the wellington pop-up restaurant in sydney . we were fortunate to visit his restaurant, a charming gothic cottage wedged amongst office blocks and cement buildings, during last month's trip to wellington, nestled behind a white picket fence, the cottage is a surprise but welcome sight in the inner city jungle. the house was originally built in the late 1870s, a wedding gift from a well-heeled wellington lad to his lucky bride. in 1991 it opened as boulcott street bistro, and has attracted a legion of loyal diners ever since. we hang our coats on the coat rack under the stairs, feeling like we've just entered a family home for dinner. copper pots hang gleaming in the open kitchen, and after unwinding with locally brewed tuatara pilsners at the bar (the wine selection is particularly impressive), we're escorted to our table, a frenchbistrostyle dining room that feels straight out of paris.

sorry for the poor rating but we are well travelled and have dined at some amazing restaurants around the world. we know our food.
i was delighted that on our recent trip to wellington that my husband offered to take me to boulcottbistrofor our evening meal.
frankly i wish we hadn't bothered. first of all i must say that sam the bar manager was professional and friendly. we enjoyed sitting at the bar prior to dining until the foul mouthed language just became a bit to much from a group of 3 gentleman(?) beside us,. then to find out that the foul mouth man was one of the owners was quite a shock. we should have gone then and there. ok i'm not a prude. i can over look the occasional slip and lets face it sometimes the "f" word is just somehow appropriate. however every 2nd to 3rd word is what you expect down at the local public bar or gang headquarters. not a supposed top of the line restaurant. we moved ourselves away to our table and the foul mouthed part owner. (incidental it was not rex morgan doing the swearing)
we shared a calamari for starters. we often do this at other establishments but we were surprised that the starter was only 7 small pieces for $22. it was ok, nothing spectacular. i then ordered the lamb shank and my husband the steak. the lamb shank was frankly terrible. it had no flavour and little colour. was it steamed? it tasted like it. it came on a bed of uninspiring mashed potatoes and peas. i must send them my recipe...they need help with this dish. i would rate it a 3-4 /10. husbands steak was perfectly cooked but again rather mediocre in flavour. he rated it 7/10. we decided then and there that we would not be staying for dessert and coffee. they weren't getting a $ more from us. what a terrible disappointment this meal was. in finishing i must comment that the service was very good from our wait staff. the following week we traveled to auckland and ate at euro. now that's a restaurant that delivers!. it was faultless , would give any top international restaurant a run for it's money and the prices exactly the same as boulcott. maybe boulcott street chefs need to take a day trip to euro in auckland and see how its done. sorry that is sarcastic but boulcott street you need to take a look at yourselves.

wow- this was an amazing dining experience! service was quick and prompt- attentive, yet not overbearing or stiff. food was amazing, although we already knew that would be the case when we saw rex in the kitchen. great classic flavours- nothing too ott, just good classicbistrodining.

once finished our 4 course woap menu- we took a place at the bar for a bit of banter with the barstaff- sam, you are a legend- this man knows how to make you feel comfortable and partook in conversation with us- we felt like we had known him for ages. a++ champ!

wine was delish- gisselbrecht pinot gris was fantastic.

our entire evening was such a success, not a single thing was out of place- it all deserves 5+

well done- we now know why you have been around since 1991 and are still going strong.

took the daughter and son-in-law from sydney to the boulcott stbistroon wednesday - they were very impressed! we knew that the food would be fantastic. don't know how they do it but it is always absolutely superb. coromandel scallop entree was sooo good. fish of the day was yummy and beautifully presented. classic lamb shank and ox cheek were just as they should be - succulent and delicious. finished off with creme brulee. as always, staff were attentive, well-informed and very pleasant. we love this place!

perhaps the most consistently excellent restaurant in wellington, i've been here several times and swear by it. if you feel like qualitybistromeals, cooked by an award winning chef - rex morgan, then treat yourself here. it isn't cheap but is a great way to celebrate in style.

i recently had the fillet bearnaise and my partner the fish of the day. both were amazing, the fish was trevally. we also shared ravioli and calamari for the entree.

the service is particularly good, and helps as they wine range is broad and matches the food perfectly. if you haven't been before then make a date, you won't be disappointed.

you know it's been years since you've been to a restaurant when the last time you went was with an ex-boyfriend and you're now married with a child. having said that, my boulcottbistromemories were good, so i was excited to be going back!

we had the calamari to start. it was perfectly cooked, and the tartare that accompanied it delicious, but missed the magic zing that would have made it great.

for mains my husband had the beef with handcut chhips. it was absolutely incredible. melt in your mouth tender, perfectly cooked and seasoned and the bearnaise was the best i've ever tasted. i had the ox cheek which fell apart at the touch of the fork and served with a gorgeous gravy. one point to note here - it is advertised as being served with gnocchi. don't make the mistake that i did and assumed that would be the carb component of the meal - with only four of them to be found, in my book that's a garnish. fortunately, we'd ordered a delicious side of carrots and parsnips which, along with the lovely complimentary house made bread, rounded out the meal.

dessert. i wasn't going past the creme brulee. it was listed as being served with poached fruit so i was a little bewildered when it showed up accompanied by a lonely little perfect slice of fresh orange and a little jug of mandarin jus, which was bland and watery. my husband had the chocolate tart which was decadent and smooth.

service was attentive and polished.

highly recommended.

this stylish littlebistrohas a big personality and is a gem in the crown of the wellington restaurant scene. we eat there often, and enjoy the cosy atmosphere, the excellent service and hilarious barman, sam.
a five star establishment. highly recommend it.

we had a lovely meal at boulcott stbistrolast week on our way to a christmas function. arriving early, there was no waiting for a table and we were served quickly. the poisson du jour was tarakihi poached in lemon butter nage and came with peas and a large, single saffron and prawn ravioli. it was absolutely delicous! the ravioli was unusual and completely filled with prawns. my partner had steak florentine, a medium-rare sirloin grilled in herbs, garlic and lemon with potatoes and a roasted tomato. a really enjoyable meal with pleasant service in a villa-style environment. we will definitely be back when we're not in such a rush and look forward to sampling more of the menu.