masu by nic watt

i went twice. will never going back there again.

first time round was a friend of a friend's hen's night dinner. thefood(especially the sashimi) i enjoyed. everything else was overpriced (imo) which was expected but the disappointment was the approach the waitress try to sell me the "special cocktails".

i expected when a customer say "i'm still looking can i have a minutes please?" waitress will come back after a good 5 − 10 mins. but she went on to say "but can i just mention the special cocktails we have tonight?" i replied "i think i will order a wine thanks" she came back with "can i tell you anyway?"

terrible service!!!

the story doesn't end here.

i took my parents for their anniversary (my father wanted a up-market japanese restaurant). we ordered 5 different dishes (were planning to order more) and a bottle of craggy range sophia ($150).

the waitress this night, forgot my bottle. two dishes arrived and when i asked a waiter who was just walking by, i saw he walked to her, she looked at the monitor (i assume that's where they enter all the orders) and after 5 mins later came over with the bottle with no apology for forgetting…and did't know how to open the bottle!! (is corked) she went away and had help, tried to save the embarrassment "corked bottles are tricky…most of the bottles are screw tops anyways…" no knowledge of good wine, should be corked to keep the wine 'alive'

i expected a place like masu would train their staff! if you are trying to sell an image of "high end" dinning. total disappointment.

the only good thing came out of the dinner was sashimi and the robata beef fillet. we also orderered fish (was wrapped in a leaf and cooked on the robata grill) it was warm and way too sweet.

the manager of the night came over to talk to talk to us … definitely need that to keep customer happy and perhaps collect feedback/criticism to improve the dinning experience. charging three people for $500+ for a meal with this type of service?? i feel robbed!!

if anyone reading this review hoping for an authentic japanesefoodand service - go to a different japanese restaurant.

i expected big things from masu, but was severely disappointed. while thefoodwas good, the service was terrible and detracted from what could have been a really nice evening.

i went as part of a group of seven, midweek. it was busy and although there seemed to be plenty of wait staff, the waiters at our table were slow and sloppy. on several occasions, drinks were spilt on the table while the waiters attempted to pour them; their knowledge of the wine menu was poor; and our cocktails, ordered on arrival, arrived at wildly different times. one was forgotten completely.

also, two bottles of sake were ordered for the table, but the waiter could not say which one was which when he delivered them.

equally as bad was the fact we were seated at a rickety table, which wobbled from side to side when pressure was exerted on it.

and, in a dining first for me, i watched in amazement as the chair of one member of our dining party collapsed underneath him and he fell to the ground. he was then left standing for a few minutes before another was brought to replace it.

an apology wasn't forthcoming for about 10 minutes, after the manager had been requested – twice.

i mean, seriously, that's reminiscent of a scene in the dining room at faulty towers, not a restaurant that is purportedly auckland’s best.

the praise heaped on masu seems absolutely premature. if consistency is one of the hallmarks of a good restaurant, this one has a long way to go.

i've been to masu twice recently and have been impressed on both occasions.  thefoodis an amazing modern twist on traditional japanese (with plenty of options for those who don't eat raw food).  thefoodis also amazingly presented.

there is an extensive wine list with a choice for everyone and the mocktails are yummy for those who are driving.

i'll definitely be back!

3.5 at best for my friend and i at masu. it depends on what you are going there for. we were excited at first because of all the hype, left with a very disappointing experience. price, portion and food. we tipped the waitress because she was excellent. thefoodtasted okay, ordered rice, not even enough seasoning for the sad amount of $.90 rice. it was one of those places where you had to go to another restaurant to gain satisfaction, but like i said, depends on what you are there for. my friend and i have known each other for 10 years and hung out all day so we had absolutely nothing to talk about, while the people who appeared to be enjoying their expensive, tiny meals were getting to know one another and while my friend and i were starving, 1 and a half hours and still starving.

have dined at masu a few times and our visits have been great. service andfoodis consistent and fresh, one of the better japanese restaurants in auckland. there is seating around the kitchen area too so you can watch the chefs in action.

thefoodhere is unbelievably good! the soft shelled crab was so crispy, so were the tempura. the chicken skewers and lamb cutlers were amazing. and i still dream about the chocolate and hazelnut pudding! but it is a tad pricey.

this is not the place if your are looking for authentic japanesefoodexperience. this is for those who like fusion asianfoodwith a big price tag. if you enjoy interior and service then this your place. if you want true craftsmanship for japanese cookery than this is not the place. the daruma sushi place in botany is far superior when it comes to variety of fish

after rave reviews i was left very disappointed.

the seats for starters are too low for the table, making it difficult to relax.

thefoodwas ok, just ok. at $296 for two i was expecting excellence.

service was great however , although was a little strange that we had 7 different waiters/waitresses delivering ourfoodthroughout the night.

i will not be going back for dinner, maybe the sashimi though.

the french cafe is better value for money in my eyes.

the best in auckland! i went with three foodies and they all agreed. we rated it and three of us gave it a 10 and one gave it a 9.5 because "there's always room for improvement." we've been everywhere (french cafe, vinnies, clooney, the grill, the grove, etc) and this place beats them all. first, the atmosphere is great. very modern, chic but welcoming and relaxed. the bar is fabulous with cocktails to die for...very refreshing with surprising mixes. the azure sake was a revelation. google it! the black cod that they fly in (kept at a certain temperature and not frozen) from alaska was orgasmic. it's a must. all of us had sake, cocktails and heaps offoodincluding the dessert platter and the bill was only $140 per person. that is not bad at all for auckland and a steal for the best in auckland. the waiter was japanese and very proud and knowledgeable about thefoodand really enjoyed explaining the dishes as they were presented to the table. he added that extra something to the experience that put this place over the top. nic watt was there and we made sure to thank him. he was very cordial and seemed to genuinely appreciate our comments. this is the way dining should always be!

make reservations early because after winning the metro's best restaurant and best new restaurant this place is not easy to get in to.

came in to masu with the family for lunch and we were highly impressed. we didn't even know what to order because there was so much to choose from and something for everyone. the servers were extremely nice and made sure our table was always clean and that we were happy. we ordered the 'yasai uramaki' maki rolls which were vegie sushi rolls with - avocado, green bean, ginger, cucumber and carrot. they were so good we ordered another roll straight after. we got both of the edamame beans, the normal ones and the chilli garlic sesame ones. my parents had 2 beef tatakis and they were raving about them. we also had the 'crayfish tacos' and my dad ordered so many because he loved them. then we got: the steamed rich with masu seasoning and the seasoning was incredible!!!!! we got ginger miso eggplant, bbq'd green beans, teriyaki glazed kumara, chicken skewers &  lamb cutlets and shared everything and it all tasted amazing. for dessert we got the famous 'cedar roasted marrou- chocolate and hazelnut pudding, umeshu ice cream' and the 'shiromiso pavlova' and they both were nice but the choc pudding was amazing. thefoodis also so pretty and so good for photos. 100% recommend :)) friendly staff & amazing food. definitely going to be back very soon.

went to masu with my wife to celebrate our wedding anniversary. it was a faultless evening! thefoodwas amazing as we sampled from throughout the menu - sashimi to start, then red chilli tiger prawns, scampi tempura, eggplant, black cod and the beef fillet. no wonder the black cod is the signature dish - it just melts in your mouth. the tiger prawn was my favourite so i had to order a second one. on to desserts where we tried the chawan mushi and maccha to banana no pafe - both very original but highlighted and complemented by the sparkling sake mio which was recommended by the waiting staff ((who by the way were exceptional). overall, a perfect evening hence my rating of 5.

outstanding!
just got in on shared table without booking on a friday night! in a hurry to make a show anfoodwas surprisingly speedy!!
we ordered the signature blackened cod with miso; was delightfully tasty an succulent centre with a charred outside cooked in a banana leaf although eater overpriced for the small dish. also got the hapuka which was also tasty an cooked perfectly an accompanied by a small salad garnish an avocado. the eggplant miso was delicious an juicy an the broccoli nice, the prawn leg was a little overrated as wasn't a fan of the sauce/cheese like stuff on top, however other whole king prawn with chilli was very very tasty! all round very deliciousfoodbut a little frustrating how everything comes out separately so some dishes begin to get cold. a little pricy but never the less very tasty good quality find!

a group of us went to masu one sunday night for dinner. the place was busy and there seemed to be plenty of staff to look after everyone. a friend whom had eaten there before chose the table. it was suggested to the waitress to give us a mix of dishes and we would say when we had enough. we were disappointed with a number of the dishes especially the prawns as they had so much chilli it was super super hot and not enjoyable at all. most of the other dishes were average. tempura veg were nice as was the spinach salad. when we said that was enoughfoodwe were told there is more coming and it can't be stopped. lesson learnt don't do that here at masu. couple of bottles of felton road pinot noir 05 went down well. certainly won't rush back and if we do we will definitely order ourselves and not get their help. not sure why they won restaurant of the year.

masu is an awesome place to celebrate! the decor, vibes, service andfoodare all awesome. i always enjoy sitting at a table where i can watch the kitchen staff prepare the food.

came here on a busy saturday night with a group of friends. it is very noisy in this restaurant and i was unable to have a proper conversation with the people on the other side of our round table. i also didn't like where we were seated in the middle of the restaurant, even though there was a large gap between me and the pole people kept knocking me from behind ( mostly the wait staff) which was annoying. my husband and i decided to share 9 dishes together as there are so many to choose from that all sound amazing! we got the  spicy crayfish taco, beef tataki, snapper and prawn gyoza, pork and kimchi gyoza,  ginger miso eggplant, teriyaki kumara, chicken yakitori skewers and miso chicken wings.
almost everything was amazing, perfectly cooked with beautiful flavours and i liked the contemporary twists to traditional japanese food. the onlyfooditem i did not enjoy was the crayfish taco. there were only two tiny pieces of crayfish in it which i searched for after taking my first bite and realizing all i could taste was what seemed like packet coleslaw. it was a shame to ruin a beautiful delicate meat like that by hiding it under heaps of cabbage and not worth the price. otherwise the two dishes that stood out for me above the rest were the miso chicken wings and the miso eggplant. the chicken wings were juicy and the spices on them were amazing, i could eat a huge bowl of them! the eggplant had slightly caramelized with the sauce that was on it and it was stunning, i'd eat that everyday. i really look forward to coming back to masu again :)