pasture

definitely a culinary experience. a very intimate setting with you sitting at the bar overlooking the chefs prepare all the food. they kept the food a secret until it was served which was quite exciting. definitely on the more expensive side but i’m glad i did it. has been for my list for the last 1 year

can i give 6 stars?! without doubt this is the best food experience in nz and based on my travels, would rival anything available elsewhere in the world. the imagination, the creativity, the understanding, the technique, the precision and the passion on show makes for an incredible experience. faultless.

went here with friends for the degustation meal. best birthday shout ever.a truly amazing dining experience that completely knocked my socks off. taste and presentation were superb. the staff were courteous and looked after us in a way that transcended the overall experience towards divinity. thank you for a really memorable night, pasture!

wow. how can one describe this amazing. the food is just outstanding! unexpected, fresh, seasonal. the highlights are the year old aged butter and fresh sourdough bread, then comes the crumpet that is so delicate and tasty. and then we have the dream wagyu steak that is best steak you will ever taste. service is impeccable. and love watching all the prep and cooking happening right in front of you

we've been lucky enough to eat in some really nice restaurants around the world and this absolutely stands out in our memory- new zealand dining really has come of age :)
not inexpensive (but still perhaps by international standards) but totally worth it as both "culinary theater" and for the taste experience - what a treat for the senses! 
for that special occasion we just couldn't fault this establishment - the ambiance was warm, inviting & very comfortable: the hosts at the very top of their professional game and the food (& beverage matches) innovative & magnificent.
just loved it!

sophisticated and mind-boggling brilliant. 
pasture is the only restaurant of its kind in auckland, if not new zealand, with a style reminiscent to japanese omakase, where you sit at the kitchen counter with the courses decided by the chef and not disclosed to you before hand.

i have been eyeing this place up for a while now, but have never been able to get a reservation due to the sheer popularity and the small size of the restaurant, however, i somehow managed to get a last minute reservation due to a cancellation, (otherwise the earliest available booking was in two months time). one thing to note is that upon booking a deposit of $50 per person is required and the drinks pairing must be picked during the booking.

i loved the ambience of the restaurant, it is cozy and rustic yet chic, as if you were invited to a chef friend's private kitchen. the counter only seats six and i wouldn't have it any other way. sitting in front of an open kitchen really enhances the dining experience as you can see the next courses being prepared in front of you. there is also something so visceral about sitting in front of an open flame and experiencing the changes in temperature and smell as the meal progresses and meats are being cooked over the fire. this multisensory approach to dining in my opinion really elevates pasture over its fine dining counterparts.

the service at pasture is also second to none. due to the small size of the restaurant, there are no waiters and instead you are served directly by the chefs. the chefs here are amazing - they are friendly, attentive and more than happy to explain all of the dishes and drinks and answer any question you may have. the pace of the meal was also excellent - in total there were 14 courses, lasting just under three hours.

in terms of the food, i do not want to spoil it by revealing too much about the menu as in my opinion the secrecy of the courses only adds to the dining experience. that said, the food at pasture really challenges your perception of food and flavours. the theme of the restaurant is modern fine dining, incorporating new zealand ingredients, however, the menu also has an excellent blend of japanese and scandinavian influences. two of the highlights for me were the diamond shell clams with persimmon and buffalo cream, a combination that seemed so foreign to me yet was absolutely genius and also the muttonbird (something i had never heard of before today and apparently only available for 2-3 weeks per year from stewart island) which tasted nothing like what i expected it. all the other courses were also of excellent quality - they were presented simply yet tasted wonderfully complex.

likewise, the non-alcoholic drinks pairing really challenges your sense of taste and worked wonderfully with the dishes served. the pairing featured a mixture of pressed juices, imitation wine and mocktails; utilising ingredients that i had never before seen in drinks such as artichoke, celeriac and hay. on paper, this might seem slightly gimmicky, but i thoroughly enjoyed the taste of each of the drinks and the complexity they brought into the menu.

one of the potential downsides to this resturant is that there is a particular focus around ageing and fermenting foods and drinks. this means that if you do not enjoy the subtle sour tang and umami that the ageing process incorporates then this restaurant might not be for you.

overall:
ambience 5/5
service 5/5
quality 5/5
portion size 5/5
presentation 5/5
value 5/5

pasture has set the bar extremely high when it comes to high end fine dining in auckland and i feel that the restaurant of the year title was well deserved. this restaurant is really pushing the boundaries of modern haute cuisine in new zealand and i hope more restaurants will follow in its path of downsizing and providing a more intimate dining experience with exclusively kitchen counter seats (one can only dream). that said, the experience does not come cheap - for us, the course menu with non-alcoholic drinks pairing came to $670 for two people, which is well above its competitors in auckland. even so, i still wholeheartedly think that it is worth experiencing the offerings at pasture at least once if you are into fine dining and modern cuisine.

what a unique dining experience... truly something you should experience if not on a special occasion then just for the sheer experience. it didn’t seem right to take photos so i didn’t but they did give everyone a copy of the menu as well as a sourdough to take home. didn’t realise we tried so much!!
with only 6 people at a time in this restaurant sitting in front of the kitchen was an absolute pleasure/delight to be part of the fine dining while taken on a journey of nz cuisine.

pasture takes your fine dining to the next level.

a deposit is required on reservation. the courses were confidential until arrival at the dining bar.

you are seated at the bar towards the open kitchen, where you observe the team preparing for the courses; whilst, the owner will indepthly explains the origins of the ingredients and the process of the preparation.

the owners of the restaurant certainly goes through the extra miles to maximize your palate. they source exquisite ingredients and use aging to intensify their flavors. the wagyu was probably the best i’ve ever had, rich and buttery with the perfect savoriness. the abalone was divine. we also tasted the white asparagus during its fleetingly short season. even the simple bread and butter tasted amazing, their sourdough takes a few of days to cook and the butter was ages over many month.

we went home with a satisfied palate and a sourdough loaf.

it’s a premium to pay but the experience and food you encounter is definitely worthy.

food taste: 10/10
food presentation: 9/10
service: 10/10
location: 8/10
ambience: 9/10
price $200 per person (excl alcohol)

10/10

the owners of this restaurant are truly special, humble and fantastically gifted people and their restaurant would easily be in the top ten list of any western city on the planet.

the food is sensational and experimental but at no point does it feel like a gimmick - these guys aren't trying to impress for the sake of it; they genuinely want to challenge conventions and provide a great experience.

whilst the food is experimental, its clearly based on michelin star levels of technique and respect for food. i do not want to say to much about the menu as it would ruin the surprise but one dish was simply two types of beetroot wafers with cherry blossom and almond oil and it boggles my mind with its excellence.

the non-alcoholic juice matching should be mandatory as each drink is just as good as the food – the strawberry and toasted buckwheat juice and the sough dough beer were of mind-blowing quality; and the others weren’t far behind.

 if there is ever a master of juice qualification laura and ed will be the first graduates in nz

i do have to note that they ask a lot of guests - unlike some other restaurants, deposits are required, the menu is kept secret until you arrive, you are asked to order your drink preferences in advance. however, do not be put off as your faith is more than rewarded with an intimate and exquisite experience that will last in the memory for months

the claims of nz food magazines that auckland is a culinary hotspot are way off the mark compared to au and european cities, but with restaurants like this we truly stand a chance. please support this restaurant and recognise ed and laura for the pioneers they are.

the food at pasture was unlike anything else i've eaten. they push the limits in terms of trying to bring out maximum flavour, like the triumphant tomato slow roasted for hours or the slow wood fired baby corn served in the husk. other dishes were fresh and light using tastes i've never seen before such as the cucumber apple and borage dish and the peach sorbet with tarragon. the main dish of beef shoulder was as well cooked a piece of meat as any i've had for a long time. soft and rare all the way through the slice with a fine dense smokey crust. along with the highs there were some dishes that i felt missed the mark, but that's what you get when a restaurant is trying to give you a new experience. serious grown up eating.

pasture is an amazing food and beverage experience where ed and laura care deeply for flavour, sustainability and experience. a unique point of difference is the beverage match of non-alcoholic drinks - they are incredible and so refreshing to have such a sophisticated option for the non-drinkers in the family (i'll be taking this option next time, the drinks were so exquisite).

every course was delicious, service impeccable. highly recommend pasture for a food experience unlike any other in auckland, probably new zealand.

went there a few months ago, really good experience. great service and fantastic food!
will definitely go back again on special occasions...

pasture is a unique restaurant with character, it is not like typical fine dining nor standard bistro style dinner. saying pasture amazing would be understatement, pasture's food are smart, innovative, and plesurable at the same times. very thoughful about texture and flavour, work with simplicity, championing the ingredients at its truest states, exceptional techniques involve fermenting, pickling, perserving, etc. it is really worth trying if you are foodie, at least once.

we probably would not eat pasture casually, without any special occasion due to its price. however we thought the price is fare considering how labour intensive and amazing effort are required on every food dish and drink pairing we had.

i should thank pasture for aging the butter from march, for grinding your own flour, for making the most delicious jerusalem artichoke dish, for giving an options of non-alcoholic pairing, for championing natural wines grown by amazing peoples around the country, for showing us how the snapper should cooked, for creating amazing dessert with quince (humble fruit that is unfortunately underrated), for cooking the best lambbbb ever! for creating beautiful food, for ensuring every little elements of our dining experience are perfect, and for setting the standards very high.

our atmosphere and service were great, we sat by the fire where we can see everything that happens during cooking and preparing which was interesting, then laura has been so kind helping us to take photos here and there.

the only thing we unsure about is the music in the restaurant.

my partner and i recently enjoyed an evening at pasture where we both were surprised and delighted with the offering of menu 003 with pasture match. the food was playful, innovative and unquestionably delicious, the homemade juices were just something else. we spent the evening wide eyed and grinning at the unique flavours we experienced enjoying every dish served to us. the venue is elegant and cosy and we felt at home straight away, the chef's were engaging and clearly delighted with our responses their dishes. after experiencing other notable high end restaurants  in auckland that follow a predictable pattern pasture was an epic breath of fresh air.

we dined at pasture recently and were impressed with the surroundings, atmosphere and ultra-friendly staff.  

at $140 per person, it matches the prices of top auckland restaurants. therefore, the expectation is an excellent experience.  everything was - except value for money. i don't like feeling like i've been had - and unfortunately i left feeling just that way (and still slightly hungry).

i believe that an increase in portion sizes or making better menu choices would provide customers with a far better value dining experience.