sails restaurant

i would not set foot inside this snotty "fine-dining" wannabe. 

called to make a booking and i said that my 2 year-old child will be accompanying us. 

this was what i was told over the phone and i quote verbatim: "we do not appreciate children in our restaurant. people do not realise that ours is an upmarket establishment and we cannot have children running around. we have been getting a lot more bookings from grabone and these people (read: riff-raff) bring their whole family and spoil the ambience".

well, you can stuff your ambience up your proverbial.

what a let down new year's eve dinner turned out to be at sails. we have previously enjoyed two wonderful nye experiences at sails and were looking forward to returning. the food as usual was delicious and exquisitely presented. however, they were clearly determined to serve us the courses as quickly as possible and did not seem impressed when we asked them to slow it down. the service was so bad it got to the unbelievable point. was seated upon arrival by a sullen manager (?), offered the bubbles served with the dinner and when we asked for matching wines for the degustation menu he said "we are not doing that tonight but i will get someone to advise you". a wine list was provided and then from then on no service for drinks unless we called for it, no waiter designated to the table and we only managed to catch the sommelier when he walked by during dessert. he was apologetic and had not been told we were seeking wine recommendations. overheard two other guests complaining about the rushed food and poor service so we decided to mention that we were disappointed with the service (we are not usually complaining types) but no improvement. in general the service gave no impression of a special night and there was a general demeanor of not being impressed at having to work. my advice to anyone wanting a special occasion dinner - don't risk it - for the money you can get better in auckland.

sails restaurant really captures the essence of auckland is – from the name, to the gorgeous panoramic view of the auckland harbour, and it wouldn't be complete without a nod of approval for the food.

i couldn't get enough of the cauliflower soup - the photo was taken before i sank my hungry fangs into it so the crumbed scallops was really teaser for everything ahead.

i really would've thought the salt and pepper squid dish as a shared platter rather than an elegant entree dish. why? there was too much salt! i found myself downing glasses of water half way through the dish – which was a great pity, the coriander and mint worked really well with the calamari. salt aside, this dish does represent auckland quite well with the salted calamari, while dusted off with refreshing herbs.

having seen “rare” on the menu, i was expecting thinly sliced pedantic pieces of venison carpaccio to come. not to complain though, the two chunky venison pieces were more than enough for a normal entree. the cherries and cocoa gives the meat a dark touch and intensifies the flavour on the palate.

entering sails restaurant, it makes sense to order something seafood oriented and i chided myself a little for giving into the temptation of a juicy steak. but when i saw that perfection on the plate, that feeling was all gone. and don't worry, that was not a blood bath on the plate. even though we also ordered a side of beans, it wasn't n

ecessary at all. i'm not a complete meat monster so i thoroughly enjoyed the truffle onion flan which was the other highlight on the dish. there's nothing worse than dining out and thinking “i could have cooked this…better” and with this, there was no way i could have done it at home.

i was actually very happy with this fish dish, the only thing a bit off was that i saw a lot of prawn, but not much king crab. the terakihi wasn't too oily, skin was crisp – this chef clearly wasn't sloppy. risotto wasn't undercooked, working well with the prawn and crab. though my biggest impression off this dish was the scent of lemon – instead of smelling something greasy and heavy for a main, the lemon gave the whole dish a sense of refreshment – it really opened up the appetite for the dish itself.

well somebody had to order the chocolate option on the dessert menu! i've recently been in love with valrohna chocolate, having tasted a spectacular violet and valrohna creation from nick honeyman at the commons. this is great for chocoholics like me but i found that it melted so quick in the summer heat that i was sent scooping the chocolate dish up way too quick. and it wasn't too long before it got too overwhelming and sweet. it would be a great delight if we were able to enjoy it slowly while watching the summer sun disappear on us.

the second dessert  is one of those dishes where you desperately want to see what it's like but no one has the guts in case it's something so out of the comfort zone. i've been inspired lately by the sudden interest in adding herbs to desserts. this is of no exception. star anise is used widely in my kitchen for making one of my favourite comfort foods – beef noodles. seeing it hand in hand with mango and pineapple is something out of the ordinary. this is a beautiful dessert – your tongue is slightly numbed by the mango sorbet but the fragrant rice gently nudges away. the addition of the coconut and star anise is the winning combo in the dish that gives it the stand out flavours.

sails restaurant is a great overall restaurant. there's a couch area for drinks after dinner if you like, and the decor was posh enough to make it an occasion. the location is also secluded enough if a quiet evening is on your agenda. as a seafood restaurant, it didn't disappoint, almost all the dishes were close to perfection. we'll definitely be back for more.

i dined at a work social dinner recently.  it has been quite some time since i visited sails, for no real reason (i guess i've been spreading myself around all of the other new eating spots of late).  i have always had enjoyable meals here and tonight was no exception.  the dining room was essentially the same, the high ceilings, the big windows looking out at westhaven and the auckland harbour bridge.  i found the staff to be formal, but thoroughly professional (although it wouldn't have hurt the man behind the front desk to smile once in a while).  the food won't change your life, but good food doesn't always have to.  the food always showcases quality ingredients, especially seafood, cooked and presented to a very high standard.  they also have a deep wine list and the staff are knowledgeable in this department.
i started with the whitebait fritter, sweet beautiful south island whitebait in a batter that in no way lessened the flavour of the star of the dish.  add in the mayo, fennel and the sweet cherry tomatoes and this dish was gone, washed down with a glass of astrolabe sb.  my main, of john dory and scallop was tasty and perfectly cooked; the chef's first attempt apparently was overcooked, i was informed by the waiter and told it would take another couple of minutes which it did.  i appreciated the heads up and the desire to make sure the meal was perfect.  i don't always enjoy fruit with my meat but the raisins and capers all went well with the fish.  my better half had the lamb which was predictably tender and perfectly cooked.  churros rounded out a very satisfying dining experience.  if you have never eaten at sails, you really should give it a try

my wife and i had the seven-course tasting menu, which was a grabone special.  to my delight, sails stock a range of craft beers (unusual for a restaurant), so i enjoyed an 8 wired hopwired iipa with my dinner (which went perfectly).

to begin was goats curd in a crispy shell served with beetroot, medjool date and bitter leaves, this dish was a fantastic contrast in textures and looked wonderfully petite and tidy on the plate. this was followed by sashimi snapper with avocado, pickled cucumber, shiitake and ginger lime dressing.  the snapper was clearly very fresh, and the dressing was well balanced.  the texture and flavour of the shiitake was amazing.  next up was a beautifully seared scallop served with pea puree and parma ham.

mains were duck breast with star anise which was to die for (although mine was a smidge dry in parts, my wife enjoyed hers thoroughly) and beef fillet and short rib.  the short rib was slow cooked and then encapsulated within a crunchy coating, like a croquette.  this dish was the standout for me, the amount of flavour and the contrasting texture of the short rib croquette really made for something special, and with perfectly cooked steak, who could ask for more.

dessert came in the form of a baked lemon cream with meringue, passion fruit gel and sorbet, and finally a warm chocolate fondant with pistachio ice cream.  i polished off with an espresso, which was well made.

all in all we both had a wonderful evening, staff were attentive and knowledgable and while the fitout is crisp and modern, the restaurant manages to retain a relaxed ambiance.  sails has a great view of the marina and harbour bridge, especially as night falls, and they adjust the lighting according to the ambient light outside.  i did feel like there was a lot of puree throughout the menu but that is really nitpicking.  the flavours and textures were there throughout, and we both left well satisfied.

used a grabone voucher for a bistro lunch
yesterday and it was perfect.  both the food and the service was outstanding.  a
particular star was the beef carpaccio, but the lamb and the pork belly were both wonderful.  i loved the textures on the pork.  thanks gerard and the team :)

came for the july crayfish special. for a starter we had a thai-flavoured crayfish and coconut milk broth which was perhaps a little too spicy, and ordered their beetroot side dish as a second starter. beetroot was made very flavoursome by being slightly warmed and served with goats cheese and walnuts. generous size and the plate was clean when we finished. for mains one of us ordered the whole crayfish. ordered it cooked well done and unfortunately parts of it weren’t – sent those back, and surprisingly we received another freshly- and well-cooked tail in return. amazing! for the one of us who doesn’t eat crayfish the menu was a little more of a challenge, as it mostly seemed to feature choices from an older, less flavoursome age. settled on the crispy-skinned terakihi – requested lightly cooked, received fish totally cooked through. it kills the flavour and texture when that happens. it was served on a green herb and prawn risotto that was swimming with liquid and unfortunately killed the experience. the location is excellent for the views in daylight hours, the standard of service cannot be faulted, and the july crayfish special is hard to go past, but perhaps the menu needs a magic wand waved over it to get a few fresh and lightly-cooked choices on there.

we dined here as part of a degustation offering on grabone.

they were nice enough to give us the booking time we wanted despite being full up on vouchers for that day which was a good start. firstly the food. the food here is really very very good. most dishes were excellent, of notable mention were the atlantic scallops which were the best i can recall having in nz, and the tuna dish which was very well presented, well executed and even my wife, not usually a fan of raw fish, was pretty impressed. lastly the chocolate fondant which was exceptional. the duck and lamb whilst very good, failed to meet excellent, the duck wasn't quite strongly enough flavoured and wasn't quite as tender, despite being cooked to perfection, and the lamb was incredibly flavoursome, but also relatively tough, possibly due to the relatively fatty bit (being what makes up the flavour). if i had to choose between flavour and texture, i'd almost always choose flavour, but i guess i was hoping i wouldn't need to choose. it wasn't like either was very tough, just not fork tender as has been our experience in other restaurants.

service was on the whole very pleasant and professional, with two relatively minor hiccups.

one was that the restaurant was pretty chilly, (we kept our coats on all night and weren't asked if they could store them as i would have expected). this was largely due to all the windows and the huge storm that was blowing last night. the wind came through the gaps in the windows. they had heaters, but they barely made a dent. i would have preferred to be offered an option to move seeing as the place wasn't full and plenty of spaces were available elsewhere further away.

secondly, there was one very abrupt waiter. normally when fine dining, when the food is presented a short concise but appetizing description is provided, and this was the case with the other two waiters who delivered our food, but two of the dishes were delivered by another waiter and the length of his descriptions were "here's the lamb", plonked the food on the tables and walked off without another word. i did raise this at the end, so they were aware. it didn't ruin our evening by any stretch, but i am not sure i'd allow my staff to treat my customers in that manner.

overall we thought the meal was very enjoyable and would return again.

the best experience of fine dining. it being my first time with my boyfriend (it was his treat and also his first time experience) that all the staff did nothing but make you feel so at ease at tge same time so professional. staff were a definite 10/10 and the food was well worth the price and compliments to the chef. absolutely in love with this place and we will definitely be returning. smiles all around for this satisfy customer. p.s i have photos but my flash wasn't on so it doesn't do them justice but take word. pure bliss.

we have been to sails at least 4 times... sometimes on a voucher sometimes not and they treat us all the same. it is pricey but if you are after good fine cuisine, great choice of wine and elegant service then this is your place. fine dining at its best... never had anything to complain about... and the view is also to die for... very nice place for a special occasion

visited last night, for the second time. first visit was utterly sublime from food to service to wine. this time, we had a deal voucher. the food was amazing still, but the service was dreadful - he treated us like second class customers! so bad. was horrified. i think if you are prepared to do an online voucher deal, you must accept those who purchase them as equals to all other patrons.

without a doubt, every time we have gone there, we have both been impressed with the impeccable service and the mouth watering food. just devine.
simply outstanding.

dined here last night and it was fantastic. seated overlooking the harbour and enjoying a bottle of dog point was a great way to start. my wife and i both had scallops as an entree, one the coromandel and the other, the atlantic. we got more than we thought we were gonna receive considering it's fine dining, but the atlantic scallops we cooked perfectly. nicely seared and the outside and soft and creamy tasting in the middle. i had duck for my main and for me, this was the best duck i have eaten. nice and tender, matched with the sauce swimming around my plate, i wolfed it down. the only thing which i wasn't too keen on was the pannise? didn't do it for me but only a minor thing, each to their own. my wife's snapper was obviously good as i wasn't offered any. for pudd we had the churros, which gives disneyland a run for its money (and plenty on the plate too, even if they are deep fried dough) my wife had creme brûlée with sorbet and that plate got locked clean too! it's ok to lick the plate in a 5 star restaurant ;)
anyways, we had a great night, great wine and great food so we will definitely be back

i have to say, my first impressions of this restaurant were not very good. my group and i arrived for my uncle's birthday. my grandfather was with us, and he needs a walker to get around. unfortunately, there is no elevator up to the restaurant, only stairs. for someone waiting on a hip replacement, this restaurant is a no-go. it seems like the building is not compliant.

when we were seated, we were each given a food menu, but there was only one drinks menu for seven people. our food was delicious, except for the squid being really chewy. however the meals were a good size and the food was well presented.

the service was great for the most part, but between our mains and dessert we wanted another drink. we got a drinks menu, but no one came to take our order. we had to flag down a waiter and ask him.

it was really hot inside the restaurant, so much so that the staff were sweating. one guy had sweat stains on his shirt, and sweat running down his face. not a pretty sight, and not what you'd expect from a supposed 5-star restaurant.

excellent! cant fault a thing

*food was amazing,
(traditional with a twist, really enjoyed the john dory on spanner crab, sweetcorn and faro; my partners lamb was nicely done as well, did not seem as it died of old age hehe )
*staff was attentive without been annoying
*great views of the harbor and beautiful ambiance.

definitely will be back