Ode Conscious Dining

We did the 3 course trust the chef - would have loved to have done the 8 course. Menu is mainly vegetarian, vegan/other dietary requirements can be accommodated with prior notice. We all loved the experience, 2 people at the table ordered the meat option but said when they dine again they be happy with the vegetarian menu. Nice people, great concept that I hope is supported!! For the food offering/experience I found the price reasonable. Looking forward to trying the 8 courses next time!

Worth the experience. We had the three course chef special ($55) which was a salmon sushimi entrée, a NZ beef main, and a green apple sorbet dessert. The staff were friendly and easygoing and the ambience is warm and cosy. I spent a year in Japan so I had high expectation for the sushimi, and although the presentation was immaculate, the Milford Sound salmon didn't have the taste and texture of comparable dishes in Japan (it was farmed salmon, but if you don't know what that tastes like then you won't notice). The beef dish looked and smelt amazing with the steaks cooked to perfection, but although the steaks were delicious they didn't melt in the mouth as I expected, and I was surprised to find stringy sinew in the centre. The dessert was also a surprise, we were told it would be an orange sorbet, but what came out was a very tasty green apple sorbet. Delightful presentation as we had come to expect, but they didn't really give a reason for the miscommunication about the flavour and we saw two others did have the orange sorbet. All up a delicious meal though, and a delightful exploration of complimentary flavours. The biggest disappointment came after the meal, when they brought out a "still hungry" menu and one of our group ordered the $8 burger. What came out was a grilled bun, a slab of battered chicken, mayonnaise and pickle. That was it. I understand they don't want people with larger appetites to feel they have to go elsewhere to fill up, but when the average takeaway shop does better burgers than a high class restaurant you know there's something wrong. So go elsewhere for the burger, but enjoy the rest for the flavourful combinations.

Had the most fantastic meal at Ode. Loved every aspect - the food was perfectly cooked, the flavour combos were amazing, beautifully plated and the staff were great. So much thought goes into the sourcing of the produce, it certainly is conscious dining using very high quality ingredients. Amazing wine options and they gave us great recommendation for pairing with our meals. We were lucky to sit near the kitchen and saw the chefs at work, so meticulous and interesting to see. The head chef was very engaging and we really enjoyed his explanation of the dishes and where the ingredients came from. A very special restaurant, definitely check it out!

If you are in Wanaka you MUST go to Ode. Exceptional quality, everything has a purpose. We were there for Test kitchen Tuesday where they test new dishes and you write your opinion. Nobody at our table could fault anything. The service was fantastic Lucy really knew her stuff and recommended some delicious wine pairings. A lot of thought and pride goes into every meal. Chef Liam's steak was one of the best I've had. Can't wait to go back.

Fantastic meal, highly recommend. Staff were extremely nice and went out of their way to find us a last minute table despite the restaurant being completely booked out. Every dish was absolutely superb and heavily featured local ingredients. Rare to find a restaurant so proud of their work, and it goes to show with how beautiful every dish was. Would strongly recommend eating here when in Wanaka!