cassia restaurant

a very modern and indian cuisine . it was a beautiful place with tasty indian flavoures. friendly and polite staff especially tom. good service . decoration was also good. highly recommendable place . i loved it

a very modern indian cuisine with zest of kiwi touch to eat. really tasty food with classy presentation. really enjoyed every bite. a very polite and friendly staff. tom was very good with his job and knows the detail of dish to order. great wow amazing. gone visit again.

it is definitely one of the best restaurants that i’ve been here in auckland. make sure to book a table for they are always busy. server was really friendly and explained every dish and recommended what to order.

food is superb! everything we ordered tasted so good that we finished it up so quick. you might think the size looks really small but the quality of each dish is amazing.

enough said. this is definitely a must visit.

just got back from dining at cassia tonight. definitely worth the hype! we had to book a week and a half in advance because only random dinner hour bookings were available.

between 2 of us we ordered 2 starters, 2 mains and 2 desserts as well as drinks. bill came to $165 which was definitely worth it.

starters we had the lamb chops and the eggplant. the lamb chops were impeccable. super delicious and cooked really well. the eggplant was really good too, but not as amazing as the lamb. serving sizes for just the starters were very large.

our waiter advised just one main between two (but we went with 2 mains anyway -though she was right it was definitely a push). we ordered the duck main and the seekh kebab. the seekh kebab was delicious definitely the highlight, and was quite spicy so be warned if you don’t like spicy food. the duck had a lovely sweeter taste and sauce was super creamy. i preferred the seekh over the duck but it was still very good. the naans were standard good naans.

for dessert the menu is slightly different from the zomato print. we got a pineapple dessert and a mandarin dessert. both desserts were very light and a good way to end the meal.

service by our waitress was polite and friendly. i did see other waiters who did explain the menu a bit more than our did, but it wasn’t an issue. everyone was super prompt and worked well together.

beautiful restaurant. great services and food! definitely recommend and would love to visit again! the dishes are for sharing, so it’s a perfect place for family and friends catching up.

staff were polite. ambience was nice. food were amazing. having the pani puri was a great experience. it was like an explosion of flavours in my mouth.the scallops (entree), beef shortrib (entree) and pork belly (main) are a must try!

we went for dinner a few weeks ago for our anniversary and the food was incredible! really generous portions and excellent in taste. the atmosphere is awesome and i loved the decor! the cocktails were very creative and delicious and the service from the waiters was great. 

the only reason i wouldn't come back is the very snooty service we got from the maitre d'. despite the fact that we had spent a large amount of money in drinks, entrés, mains, deserts and and a generous tip, he seemed to have a very snooty and disgusted expression when he handed me back my non-lable coat, pinching it with his finger-tips and holding it out at arms length. he even lacked to say good-bye or thank you...
we we dressed very nicely, but even so, we felt like we weren't good enough to go back.. very disappointing.  :(

please excuse the photos. i was shaking in excitement and did not want to waste time settling the brightness or focus!

down a dingy alleyway is cassia. if you did not know it was there, you would easily walk right past it. as you enter you are greeted by the host and taken to your table. reservations are a must.

this place is auckland’s top restaurant for a reason. the ambience, food and service are of a very superior quality.

to start, we ordered the lamb chops, tandoori fish, fried eggplant and chicken tikka roll. the portion sizes are decent. one could easy have an entree, with a naan and still have place for dessert. the highlight had to be the sauce served with the lamb chops.

for our mains we ordered the tandoori chicken, free range pork, paneer and parsnip, and lamb seekh kebab. the ingredients used are of very high quality. please let your server know your spice level.

the portions of the mains are very large. you do not need to have a main each. the menu is designed to share and so are the portion sizes.

we shared the feijoa sorbet for dessert and only had enough place for a spoon each.

the food definitely showcases their skill. you must dine here - a perfectly balanced meal awaits you.

keep in mind that your phone service/network will be down while you are in the restaurant. focus of the food and the company you are with :) happy feasting!

at one point my lunch companion put her head down and stopped speaking or eating. after a few moments i asked if she was alright. she looked up and told me he dish was so delicious she felt like she could die right then and there and it would be ok.

i wouldn't go that far but then she hasn't been to sidhart (yet).

service is impeccable.

i had food envy even though we had eaten way too much food.

the food is delicious. i had a most divine cocktail ( my excuse was that it was lunch time andi wasn't driving).

my standout dish was the scallop. it was served with scampi which was completely outclassed by the scallop.

my dining companion's standout dish was the cauliflower bhaji. she doesn't like cauliflower. that was before she had dessert...the feijoa dessert was something wonderful.

sorry no photos because i was too busy eating.

good food, didn’t blow my socks off but definitely makes you want to return back to have more. subtle yet consistent flavours fill your palate and the menu has a healthy range for vegans. my slight disappointment arises from not having any bread choice for vegans. both breads on offer has milk powder. it would be great for cassia to offer a aloo parantha which is vegan friendly :-) i will definitely be back for more, hopefully soon.

cassia offers an underground, chic atmosphere with modern fusion indian cuisine that is creatively presented. the lamb curry and eggplant dish were highlights! attentive staff.

very disappointed with cassia. mains came out stone cold including breads and side of broccoli. was charged for the rest of the meal and the maître d didn’t want to know us or understand why we didn’t eat the mains. no sorry which i would have expected from the manager.

my wife was still hungry and so we got a falafel kebab around the corner which was superb!

won’t be going back to cassia ever.

came here with friends and ordered the degustation which we found very reasonably priced for the amount of food we received - iirc it was around $70pp and we received another two courses, not pictured. really enjoyed the pani puri amouse bouche being poured tableside - adds a bit of ‘theatrics’ to the dining experience.

most of the dishes were well seasoned, well cooked and well presented (although presentation did range from good-average among a few dishes). however, overall it was a delicious meal and a very pleasant experience. all of the mains came with naan as well which was convenient.

the ambience is also wonderful, nicely tucked away underground next to the jefferson, with a ceiling adorned by fairy lights. very nice.

winning auckland's restaurant of the year 2 years in a row (2016, 2017) can do a lot to one's expectations. i've never dined at a michelin stared restaurant, but i could imagine my expectations being of a similar nature to my build up to dining at cassia for the first time.

i'd been wowed by sid sahrawat's restaurant, sidart some months prior. we used the tuesday test kitchen staff to experiment on us, and what an experience, 7-8 dishes of perfection. hands down one of the best meals i’ve had in this city, again, adding weight to my expectations of cassia. 

it’s fair to say with all of my built up excitement, cassia didn’t really stand a chance of exceeding expectations, it was going to brush them, or fall well below. all a bit unfair really…

the sliding door off forte street opens up to a long underground, brick bunker styled environment, low ceilings and lighting creating enough dark spaces and corners to encourage infidelity or a briefcase transfer, intriguing.  a simplistic and uncluttered atmosphere that leads to a lot of reverb, not a quiet restaurant by any means.

we started with the pani puri, an indian street food snack. a bite sized crisp bread hollowed out, filled with potato, chick pea then topped up with a mint dressing. down in one bite. s#!t ….. i said to myself. that is magic in a mouthful.  

2nd dish, scallops and scampi with goats curd and almond relish. jeezus! ….. i said to myself, i’m going to need a cigarette after this. this is turning somewhat sexual ....

3rd dish, lamb chops with a parsnip puree, these were of adequate flavour and texture, i feel i could've bought these at one of many restaurants …… please cassia, don’t let the magic end here i pleaded.

4th dish, snapper in a coconut, curried sauce. oh lordy lord, the magic was back and i was willing to stab anyone with my fork who dared suggest i share this with them.

5th dish, delhi duck, heavy on the cardamon, light on the duck, far too much sauce, a stagnant dish which left me a wee bit puzzled, it did provide an appropriate mopping bed for the naan i suppose.

the bottle of zinfandel was a great accompaniment to the richness of the food.

to summarise ...... the light, textured dishes were the standout of the night, seafood and vegetables shine here. the lamb and duck dishes getting bogged down, stuck in the mud, they could do with some lift.

thanks again sid, will see you again soon to sample more of your magic.

recommended by friends, this place definitely does not disappoint. my boyfriend and i had the 5 course tasting menu.

for drinks, we both ordered the mango gin fizz - yum!!

we had the pani puri as the amuse, and it was awesome! the shell was super thin, and all the flavours were so great in my mouth. favourites - tuna and pork belly with the garlic naan. the best naan i’ve ever had. we were not 100% impressed with the carrot and kumara, but everything else’s was delicious.

the great food is complemented with attentive service. atmosphere was okay - we felt it was slightly dark. for $80 per head, it is great value for money for the amazing food you’re having. i would highly recommend this place. we will definitely be back!!