I had a fabulous night perched at the kitchen bar sampling all of the trolley treats. I often dine alone as I travel quite a bit so evenings like this one are a stand out. It ticked all the boxes - great staff, fantastic and innovative food, fabulous location and warm and inviting setting. I almost felt like family as I chatted to the chefs and wait staff. The cuisine was spectacular and the dark and stormy was delicious (and appropriate given the weather). This place has definitely been added on my 'must repeat' list. Thanks team. Great work!
Was really excited about visiting Culprit and they did not disappoint. From the friendly welcome and smiles from all the team to the amazing food. Usually there's something on the menu you don't really rate, but not in this case. You get to try most of the menu with their unique style of shared plates and yum-cha small plates and everything hit the mark!
On our last restaurant review I mentioned it was our second time dining outside after the lockdown here in New Zealand was lifted, where we splurged on a staycation date with the Mrs. That last review was our teatime and this post was our dinner. Our place of choice is Culprit, a restaurant in Auckland CBD with an amazing concept.
We celebrated my daughter 16 years birthday here and we ordered 4 course Jet Set they designed for August Auckland Restaurant Month which was $40 per person.
We had kimchi salt chips to start and shiitake mushroom stuffed bun, cauliflower soup and raw fish with tomato jelly appetizer. Next followed by Rose kaffir lime sherbet to cleanse our mouth. Main we had grilled fish with butter porch potato and crayhead bisque sauce. As we do not like lamb we did not try the lamb. The dessert was soft pavlova.
Overall, we had a very good experience and the food was above expectation.
Love to return...
Been to the restaurant twice. Once for a New Years menu and another for a support local menu. Also attended their Akai Doa 2.0 event. All times I’ve been really impressed by the food. Would really recommend giving a range of dishes a go because many of the dishes are tasty, light and leave you thinking about them for days to come. The doughnuts with pate were a match made in heaven. Yams are usually rendered a side but in this case they shine in their own way. Would go to any event this restaurant is involved in.
Came here for a work function and the food was amazing. Perfect portion sizes to be able to try everything. Full of flavour and unique tastings. Great service too.
We went to Culprit because it had been so strongly recommended by family, particularly the smashed pig face and doughnuts and pate. So we went ready to be delighted and adventurous and were not disappointed! Each plate was an absolute feast for the eyes and tastebuds. I loved all the different flavours and sauces. My top favourites were the sashimi and lemon meringue.
Our waitstaff were really warm and friendly while being completely professional. They lead us well through the yumcha style and all the new and interesting dishes.
At the end of the night we were amazed that there wasn't a high end price for such a special experience.
Thank you Culprit. I'm already telling friends to come!
Ambience 4.5
Service 4
Food 3.5
General 4
Food is the most important to me, so yeah not a lot impressed.
Thoroughly loved the TV dinner concept and their use of pickled watermelon with their oysters. Awesome hidden little location. Service could be more enthusiastic and cocktails can be improved. Other than that, thoroughly loved the meal!
When you go up the flight of stairs you’re instantly greeted with a classic and sophisticated vibe. The open kitchen and bar balances the atmosphere by creating a more relaxing style. The tables are nicely laid out and you don’t feel crammed between other diners.
A complementary kina pate sort of dish was served, which is interesting and so worth trying! We chose a few entrees as they came out, sashimi dish (refreshing), wagyu tataki with radish (must order), Octopus pepperoni, a savoury peach with blue cheese and roast lamb (almost melted in my mouth). For main, we chose the Courgette Flowers (it was like a tempura dish) and Pig Face (meat was so soft! And the crackling on top is delicious).
Service was professional and attentive, and each dish and the whole dining system was explained very well. I liked how we didn’t have to be served as there were always someone available.
Love the concept of this place and the fact that their menu changes with the seasons. For my first time trying bone marrow, I was most impressed with the flavour and incredible bread it came with. The staff leave a little to be desired, but if you can look past that, Culprit is well worth a visit for delicious and creative food.
Have been to Culprit many times for their trolley service, restaurant month (best value RM menu in Auckland) and most recently for the Taste of Culprit menu. Amazing food every time.
Order:
Chicken liver pate
‘Bread and butter’ (bone marrow butter)
Roast duck
Lamb shoulder
Kumura fries
Wow what an incredible experience!! Delicious food, the younger staff could be a little more eloquent.. rough around the edges and could have more of a softer touch but food was great !
Thank you Zoe! From the Lai family, MELBOURNE 😎
What an amazing experience!
We have been "foodie-ing" around Aukland and this is the best restaurant of this trip.
We opt'd for the extra seafood option, duck option and a whole bottle of wine and ONLY spent $600 for 4.5 people.
Pricing is CHEAP for what you get.
Portions were VERY generous, sophisticated yet simple.
Very deserving for the chef hats for this restaurant.
Service as good as the food.
When we visit AUK again, we will definitely be back!
The dining experience at Culprit is like no other. The care and thoughtfulness from the staff was felt throughout the entire evening, the atmosphere was phenomenal, and the food was out of this world - both in terms of flavour and texture. 10/10 would recommend!
Highly Recommend if you’re looking for a tasting-style menu highlighting local fare. I recommend you get the duck for 2, well worth waiting for!! The add-on you can get is great for seafood lovers. As a table of 4, we got it for 2 people as not all of us were that hungry.
Set menu was delicious! Some that really jumped out as something different was the Shitake Milk Bun with Mushroom Butter and the Salt & Vinegar Brussel Sprouts which was served with small pieces of Salt and Vinegar chips. The dessert was also delicious and well sized in relation to the set menu
Would have to be one of the best restaurants I've been to in a very long time.
Service was fantastic, they explained everything to you.
The food was wonderful, full of flavor and texture.
You go to this place knowing that your in for a new food experience and you definitely walking out happy.
Amazing NYE dinner! Service was 10/10, catered to coeliac with the best tasting GF bread I’ve had in a while. We sat at the kitchen bar which a fantastic experience watching the chefs in action. Our favorite were the wild paua and pork sausages and the heirloom tomatoes with the tarragon leaves.
Loved this place. Enjoyed the tasting menu and the bar seat experience was excellent with the fast-moving kitchen giving plenty to see. Food was also plentiful as we ended up taking some of the duck away to eat later.
Fusion-style restaurant. It's inspired by Asian cuisine especially Japanese and Indian.
Recommended for pre booking course menu. You can enjoy a different variety of dishes, taste smell, chewy and umami.
They have stolen my heart, let us be followers for Culprit's way.
Culprit are one of those OG suggestions that everyone was telling us to go. We live withing the area so we didn't really rushed on a weekday we suddenly thought of going out and having an impromptu date night. We were lucky to actually get a table within the day. The service was great we had the set with the duck add on. My win is the asparagus with filo pastry and gruyere dip, that is something i will remember and go back for. We had a couple of cocktails but I sticked to my godfather. No fuss here ambiance service and food compliments each other. If you dont feel like having a full meal go check our little culprit such a delight.
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