cazador

cazador doesn't look much as you drive past on the way into auckland from the airport and you'd probably think it was just another one of those mediocre european numbers - this one billing itself as a "game restaurant" - yeah right. well that would be a big mistake. cazador is one of those secret treasures where the quality of the food outmatches its site or interior.
we had a brilliant dinner for eight , a lot of fun with food and wine perfect for the occasion.
occasionally though - very occasionally - you come across a dish which is unexpected and out of the ordinary. i found one at cazador - so simple in the extreme, yet the balance of flavours were so perfect that it left a lasting image and one that one day will get me back there. a baguette, halved and toasted, smeared lightly with vegemite, and served with a roasted veal bone, split to reveal the marrow. smearing the marrow onto the vegemite toast - the product - salty sweet rich with umami and the textural contrasts was truly luscious and i rarely use that word.

highly recommended

slightly ashamed to admit that i had no idea that cazador existed since a few days ago, when i was invited to a birthday dinner during the weekend. located on a quiet section of dominion road, there isn’t many other restaurants nearby, which could explain why i never noticed cazador existed in the first place. with an emphasis on game meat, cazador has been part of auckland’s dining scene for over 25 years and is currently on metro’s top 50 restaurants in auckland.

there were several different options for entrees including a couple of specials for the night. i opted for a light meatless start and ordered the courgette flower stuffed with a ricotta and anchovy filling. i seldom see courgette flowers on the menu, which is a shame because it is such a delicious vegetable which can be stuffed with so many different types of fillings. the ricotta mixture in this dish was rich and cheesy which worked well with the flower but i could not taste the anchovy. the crispy coating kept everything intact and i enjoyed the light airy crunch.

for my choice of main, i went with a conservative choice of venison and i was not disappointed. char grilled venison loin, cooked to slightly over medium rare, served with roasted carrots, beetroot and radish. this is some of the best venison i have eaten in auckland. this lean cut of meat was tender, juicy and seasoned to perfection. the finishing touch of freshly cracked pepper sealed the deal.

being the only specialised game restaurant in auckland, be expected to see meat like guinea fowl, rabbit and pheasant on the menu, most of them hunted and prepared by the staff who run cazador. they do have a fish special, but it’s not an ideal place to bring a dining companion who doesn’t eat meat. you will see things on the menu that you have never seen before and can be quite a surprise for the faint hearted. poussin hearts, calf tongue and rabbit lungs, this is the perfect place for one to open their culinary mind.

like this review? please check out my blog http://mydiningjourney.wordpress.com

great place, great food, great atmosphere and great service. this place is a little gem.

cazador was always a goodie but wow!!, what a transformation. cazador has always been a favourite for this foodies in the know but dariush and rebecca have dragged this gem of a restaurant kicking and screaming into the current millenium. they have made a few physical changes such as the now open view into the kitchen and the sumptuous toilet decoration. the lovely and private back garden is a really good addition too. but let's face it, this restaurant is all about the food. dariush pushes the boundaries for most of us. i'm a farm girl and have eaten lots of offal and wild creatures,but never before have i been confronted with rabbit lungs (apart from being buried in haggis of course). fabulous. the rewarding thing is that the name is much more frightening than the end product. pan fried with mushrooms and herbs this is the perfect autumn dish. mildly flavoured and an interesting texture...actually they were quite similar to the mushrooms. the little pre-meal starter of poussin hearts should not be missed. don't be scared, poussin is the fancy french name for young chicken, but the hearts actually taste more like the best and most tender beef steak. tiny mouthfuls of pure gold! our table of 6 spent a wonderful evening of sharing bites from each other's plates. we struggled to decide which were the best dishes but the consensus was the poussin hearts and the wild boar shoulder. slightly disappointing were the desserts. the over flavoured rose-water sorbet was too icy in texture and the poppy seed cake was just ok. the chocolate mousse was however excellent! i still give the cazador restaurant 5 stars as it is meant to be all about the meat dishes. portions are perfect in size and all are paired with plenty of vegetable garnishes. you really don't need to order side dishes unless you are a vegetable freak. a great wine list and a funky retro dacor make for a perfect evening. go there

love love love this restaurant . food was amazing, staff even more so. we didn’t want to order mains privately so ended up ordering a whole heap of plates and sharing them. was best experience ever. no wonder it’s been going for 30years. this place rocks!!!

if you want a good meal at reasonable price and excellent tasting then you must visit this place. we will definitely be going back. service is very good as well and the staff are very helpful with what there specials are and say instead of have pita bread try something else.

avoid the venison. no taste.

really liked the style of the restaurant, combining the new with the old. it was a busy night and service took a while to come, but when it did it was good, consistent and knowledgeable. some interesting game dishes on the menu and all the food was well balanced and interesting. the stand-out was the lambs tongue chips from the bar menu... divine!

i wish i had taken pictures. the food was lovingly created and described. the passion was evident in this iconic family restaurant run now by the next generation. i don’t think i’d been here forever 20 maybe 30 years. every mouthful a delight.
charcuterie that had been maturing for 4-6 months.
the venison was out of this world.
persian mess with baked rhubarb, pomegranate seeds and honey, topped with goat curd accompanied by a flare of sherry -one appropriately named nectar.
what a beautiful night - just in time before snapping back into lockdown.

hands down the most amazing dining experience i’ve had in new zealand.

i’d heard a lot of good things about this place from many foodies and bloggers, so i knew i had to secure a booking at cazador. yes, this place is pricey, but i wanted to make sure i lives the full fantasy, and let me tell you it was worth every penny.

my wife and i both shared a small chartussier plater which had the best duck pâté and assorted meats i’ve had since i was in france. then we shared a bone marrow dish. this was the most buttery and tasty marrow ever.

i ordered the venison and my wife ordered the pork chop, we shared the roasted potatoes, but to be honest we shared everything. the venison was cooked to perfect and the best i’ve ever had, i’m not a big fan of venison. the pork chop was also cooked to perfection and the potatoes were perfectly golden. at this point i was soo fully and didn’t need anything else, or did i?

we topped the night off with a chocolate mousse between the two of us, it was rich dark chocolate with salt flakes!

i couldn’t fault my dining experience it was seriously the best start to 2021!

initially spooked by the interior decor but quickly got over it with the insanely good food. got to try a lot of dishes i’ve never had anywhere else and i think about them from time to time because they were just that good. the staff was helpful in choosing the right quantity of food and all the recommendations were tasty and memorable so there’s a decent chance that the entire menu is just fabulous.

we recently went to cazador for dinner and the customer service was as good as the food.
to start we had the roast bone marrow with chimichurri and the chargrilled squid. the bone marrow was perfect but the squid really took the prize - best we’ve had.

for mains we had the pan roasted venison and braised rabbit leg. the rabbit was tender and the sauce complimented it perfectly. the venison was perfectly cooked, and we literally talked about this dinner for days afterwards. 10/10

good food, good vibe, excellent service. we ordered the cazador feast ($80pp course menu). it was good but everyone around us ordered from the a la carte menu and their dishes looked amazing!

this place is devine! the decor is awesomely unique- i came with a friend, but this would be the perfect date spot!
we have amazing service, our waitress was fantastic with her recommendations of both wine and food and also provided some good banter
we had the charcuterie board and some other nibbles..... the charcuterie board was a-m-a-z-i-n-g! their pâtés, etc they make in-house - yum!!
we loved their wine too!
can’t wait to come back!

perfection. food that makes you smile ear to ear, giving you happiness in each bite, because it’s that delicious. so much love has gone into this food that you can taste it. cazador know what they’re doing with their food, especially their game meat!
.
the road to happiness:
• charcuterie board for 2 - i always love finding a place that does a good charcuterie as it says a lot about their quality, and this one tops the charts. duck liver parfait was out of this world, so smooth and velvety and a tennis ball size serving of it to go with everything. venison pistachio terrine and hare/rabbit terrine both melt in your mouth and pack a punch with their delicate flavours, and the venison prosciutto is one of the most tender cured meats ever. add a bit of the wicked mustard seed sauce to hit the ball out of the park. huge selection of equally tasty toast and crackers to go with it all. i could literally have this for dinner, stop there, and be happy.
• chargrilled quail - whole quail cooked to perfection, this meat is so easy to overcook but this was tender, juicy, and packed intense flavour balanced out with the bed of corn mash underneath.
• grilled venison - again with the tender flavourful meat, eat it together with the labneh and sourdough crumb and be transported to food heaven.
• potatoes - pure gold, crispy on the outside fluffy on the inside.
• wild boar salami - this was the amuse bouche, really delicately flavoured despite being made of boar!
• fresh baked madelines - pinch me because i’m still dreaming about these, beautiful warm pillowy madelines straight from the oven, eaten together with the salty buffalo curd and fresh strawberries is like a whole new world. super light and fresh, could i have this for dessert every night?
• dark chocolate & brandy mousse - the texture is ultra thick, but when you taste it, it’s super light?! as if you could just eat it by the bucket, the rich chocolate flavour is all there but you don’t get the groggy feeling after. there’s an element of salt in there together with the nuts which makes it that much better.
.
what an experience. i might have a new favourite!