the larder

these days, we’re roaming the mean streets of miramar in search of good food at the larder . my last larder visit was for last year’s woap burger- lambs brains in a bun; an acquired taste i think, but still well worth trying. this time we ordered a few tamer dishes- seafood, pasta, and steak. the food here looks good, everything is elegant and you can tell it’s been thoughtfully placed right there . but as we all know, looks are never enough… there comes a point when staring at your hot date becomes rude and plain boring. luckily, the food here came through- beauty and brains- hurrah!

went here friday 9th jan for work lunch. on arrival were not greeted and had to walk up to barista to enquiry about available tables, even though there were plenty of staff behind the counter. once table was sorted, after 5 minutes or so we were seated.
after being seated for 10 minutes we had to ask for menus. 3 menus were provided eventhough we were a table of 8. the items on the menu looked super tasty, especially the snapper fillet! we had the zomato app open looking at the photos of the dish when another waiter walked past, saw us looking at the snapper pictures and they advised they had run out of the snapper, shame we were not told about this or any specials at the time the menus were provided with 4/8 people wanting this dish.
once the orders were taken a nice gesture was the complimentary amazing piece of fresh bread and butter per person.
the 45 minute wait for the meals was a but dissapointing. on our table we had 4 steaks and 4 parpapadelle pastas. the steaks were cooked well although quite a bit of fat and the pasta was well cooked with delishish lamb meat balls! our table also ordered a side each of the hand cut chips. the chips were the standout. they were thick, crispy on the outside with a fluffy inside! the 2 types of dipping sauces were a nice touch.
overall an average experience, maybe too many tables for such a small place....

stunning! we went to larder for a xmas work celebration and were so impressed all round. most importantly, the food is fabulous. i had the twice-baked cheese soufflé, duck two ways main, and an richly decadent churros/creme brûlée dessert. each dish surpassed my expectations. i will go back to larder in heartbeat!

wednesday 27th august.
we booked a table for 7 for lunch at the larder for the wellington on a plate and wasn't disappointed.
for starters i had terrine, rillettes and ballontine of wairarapa pork with cornichons relish and toasted larder rye bread, (which was pork pate with toast and relish and a couple of gherkins) and it was very tasty.
then for my main i chose yellow brick road snapper pie with onion purée and petit salad, (which was a fish pie with a salad) and it was really yummy. we also received a free glass of white or red wine. i had the pinot noir 2011. very nice and delicate for a lunch time.
we didn't have dessert as we were abit full, even thought the portion sizes weren't really big.
and it only cost $35, perfect.
the staff were very attentive, filling our water glasses and asking if everything was ok.
i really enjoyed my time here, very nice atmosphere.
thankyou the larder staff.

excellent food and friendly service.
had the wapiti burger (wellington on a plate burger competition) which was absolutely delicious served with the perfect thick cut chips!!
i would certainly go back and try other things from their menu.

came here for dinner last friday night with my wife and son. it was to celebrate my wife's birthday. we have heard so much from friends previously about how great the food is here. and now having dined here, i can personally endorsed that. we were simply blown away by all the different flavors of all the yummy food that was presented to us on the night. evey dish including entrees and mains were "delicious". the entrees which shared included scallops, a delicious cheese souffle, and a whitebait omelette.
the mains included snapper fish with clams,lamb rack,and the venison dish. vegetables sides included the cos lettuce, gruyere cheese and bacon salad, and brussell sprouts and grilled bacon. contrary to public opinion, where many may have thought that we would be still hungry, the mains were actually quite large. and with the vegetable side dishes we ordered, there certainly were no hungry tummies felt on the night. so much so, that there were no room for desserts. every dish were immaculately presented. the place was very busy, with not a empty seat was seen. and the head waitress sarah was quite friendly without being too over-attentive. the chef jacob brown even came out to say "hullo" as we were about to leave. it was good to know that the larder support the local suppliers in miramar. having said that, they must have a very good local greengrocer there as all the vegetables on the plates looked so fresh and tasty. the whole bill came to $201 including food and drinks....so it wasn't over expensive for the whole enjoyable dining experience. summarizing, the larder in suburban miramar is a great place to dine out at and especially on special occasions.

the larder is a homely neighbourhood restaurant that not only makes a fine coffee, but the breakfast hits all the right places. twice cooked goat's cheese and gruyere soufflé with truffle oil, anyone?

we eat at the larder regularly and are always reminded when there what a fantastic eatery it is. great friendly service, welcoming atmosphere and absolutely outstanding food.

how very lucky we are to have such a great restaurant at our back door step. sarah, jacob and the team at the larder do an amazing job and it is very much appreciated.

service ridiculous. coffee wasn't hot enough and the waiters brought my scone 20mins after i had ordered it after all my friends had been served and eaten their food. when waiters bring out food/drink, they bring one thing at a time - completely inefficient!

service was slow to the point of annoying. staff kept filling up our water glasses but would then take ages to come back with their pads to take orders or return with drinks. we ended up piling up all the plates for the waitress to collect - she had managed to walk past them 4 or 5 times. food was decidedly average for the price, small portions and pretty bland.

judging by the rating and the other reviews, i'm prepared to accept it must have been a bad night, but we wouldn't hurry back.

i have been going to the larder for years and it is always a pleasure! 5 star food without the 5 star prices. every single dish cooked to the best standard. great service. more relaxed than the silver service that their kind of food would normally come with, hence the lower price. all round the larder is my first pick of great restaurants in wellington!

recently had wellington on a plate fixed menu with matched wines on first visit to this restaurant.
additional first taster course of cauliflower soap was nice but cold, needed heating.
next course of chicory needed more dressing being rather bland.
main course of beef cheek was very succulent; parsnip puree was very smooth and tasty; grilled kale was miniscule portion.
cheese course of aged gouda and toasted fruit bread was dry and disappointed, needed an accompaniment other than the jelly which added little taste.
pear tart tartin disappointed as one who prefers a 'cake' like base rather than a batter; suggest pear could have benefitted from being sliced rather than whole, needed jus; accompanying gelato was miniscule portion.
not convinced by some of wine matches particularly the chardonay, sauv. blanc and pinot gris.
ambience overall ok, chairs not very comfortable; background noise high when restaurant full due hard surfaces; service generally attentive. could have asked for feedback upon paying bill if genuinely interested in patrons experience. cost around $195 overall $65 each fixed menu; $5 per half glass matched wines plus coffee/tea.
nice to have proper large napkins but why not go to tablecloths as well.
overall, pleasant enough but would not necessarily rush back unless good reason to.

nice enough food but food portions are too small for the price. i know it's a happening place around here and i guess all those film execs can afford those price levels but we came for lunch. i had the pea and prawn soup. very flat bowl literally 2 ladles of soup and one half slice of bread for $17, fellow diner had the squid with salad for $18, consisted of a few pieces of squid with a handful of salad. meatballs with pasta was ok for $20 i guess about the right food portion to price charged. needless to say we had to get subway afterwards to fill ourselves up.

maybe if they split their menu up into subsections and put the entree sized portions under a heading 'entrees' and the main courses under 'main courses' people might not be so startled when they get their food.

we visited on a "theme" night being spanish. we opted for the accompanying wine with the meal.
our first impression was fantastic i have never been greeted at a restaurant like the lovely welcome we received at the larder.
the ambience was great with a lovely fire on a chilly wellington evening.
the food is superb and you can tell the love and passion for cooking that has gone into the food and presentation. the accompanying wine was also a perfect match for the food.
we will definitely go back.

we love the friendly service, the exquisitely combined tastes and textures of the meals and the warm atmosphere. our favourite wellington restaurant.

jacob's head to tail policy includes some animal parts i would try nowhere else but in his expert hands. we also love his and sarah's commitment to local farmers, and the photographs included tastefully on the walls.