Wellington's best kept secret. The food quality is first class and presentation is fantastic as is the ambiance. The lady who owns the place provides top class service and knowledge which is second to none.
Went here for dinner midweek when it was nice and quiet, so the service was quick and our waitress very friendly. We had the lamb and steak with side salads and red wine. Good selection of wine and the food was fine, but we were expecting a bit more for that price range.
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This is a lovely little restaurant that, I think, hasn't realised its own potential. It has an attractive exterior, a nice, cosy, intimate ambience. It is a perfect space for an intimate French dinner.
We went yesterday, a spur of the moment decision on a Thursday evening. Apart from Hillside, in what was Charlie bills, I find Aubergine the most promising of its neighbours. I like the name, the exterior view, the menu, but the restaurant has intriguing issues.
Only two tables were booked and I always feel awkward and sorry for the owners when that happens. Feeling sorry in a restaurant isn't a good sign and a real sign saying "open 7 days including public holidays" made me guiltily put away my little notebook and consider the lot of restaurateurs, especially where there is one front of house and one cook (at least I think that was the case).
Our meals were the salmon, the terrine, and the scotch fillet with potato dauphine.
Everything was perfectly cooked - the beef excellent - the salmon tender flakes - the terrine nutty textural and meaty. Combinations worked and clearly each dish had been honed to near perfection.
We did have minor gripes however - the toast for the terrine was very ordinary, the potato dauphine (which was too obviously pre-prepared) in its china bowl shouldn't sit in the gravy - you want the potato to soak up the juices.
Dessert was a shared sticky date and walnut with vanilla ice cream - the sticky date was brilliant - the best I've had -, but the ice cream ordinary.
A cheese plate came with a nice blue but very ordinary commercial crackers.
The menu at Aubergine doesn't change - when I first went years ago it was basically the same. It's as if it has become fossilised, unchanging except for a few shortcuts being taken (crackers, toast, dauphinois, ice cream).
To my mind, and some would regard that of questionable value, Aubergine needs to be braver and climb out of a rut. The menu must change - French cuisine is seasonal as well as regional and an unchanging menu can't be seasonal. I think there needs to be a separate specials menu, and the extras like the ice cream, crackers and the bread for the terrine should be prepared in house - they don't take long to prepare in sufficient quantities and can be preserved to varying degrees.
Aubergine has been given a restaurant design gift and it needs to live up to it. It could be brilliant but it fundamentally lies in the doldrums.
WOW! I took a friend from out of town who wants to come back for the duck comfit! Crisp skin, melt in the mouth tender meat, luscious flavour and with beautifully presented, still with some bite veges.
Add helpful, friendly service and a restaurant where conversation is possible without raising your voice and you jave a wonderful dining experience. Thank you. Rosemary
Our meal this evening at Aubergine was exceptional. The waitress was friendly, efficient and unobtrusive. The food was well-presented and delicious. The restaurant is nicely decorated and the choice of music was excellent.
I will certainly be dining here again. Highly recommended.
I went for a romantic dinner with my partner and thoroughly enjoyed the best duck in Wellington followed by an amazing sticky date pudding.
I highly recommend dinning here and will be sure to return for another meal
We dined here on Saturday. We had a lovely three course meal. The food was superb, there was a great atmosphere.
The restaurant is small but very cosy and we would recommend the experience to anyone looking for exquisite food.
Our family dined here in early March and as with previous visits were not disappointed. It is a charming small restaurant with an emphasis on French cuisine. The service is friendly, professional and discrete. Our dishes ranged from the delicious Duck comfit, steaks and the surprisingly tasty Boudin Blanc. These delicious handmade chicken sausages served on white beans were incredibly tasty and would not normally be our first choice on a menu. The sides were fresh, simple and tasty without the usual sauces drowning the food as you often get in some restaurants. Let the food speak and it did. The creme brulee should not be missed either. Thank you to our lovely hosts Chef Joe and host Kate for a very pleasant evening.
Really enjoyed our dinner here last Saturday night. It was a rare treat (an evening without children) so we wanted a special dinner. The french food was beautifully cooked and the service was attentive without being intrusive. Loved that the food was great but the place (or the food) wasn't pretentious. For the quality of food, the pricing is good. Would definitely eat here again and would recommend.
We have been going to Aubergine for several years now. The food is always excellent, the steak is always very nice (according to my dining partner!), and the service is impeccable. But the ambience is another reason we keep going back, it is relaxing with some very nice music, sometimes jazz, sometimes classical.
We had a very delicious and enjoyable dinner. Nice, calm atmosphere with good classical music. Very clean. Loved the white cloth and fabric napkin detail. Everything we had (snails, soup, bread, lamb, red cabbage, potato gratin, steak, dessert) was amazing! Thank you for also making our baby happy. He loved the gratin and bread. We will be back 🤗
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I read through the other reviews before posting mine, and although it seems as if there might have been some QA issues associated with the place, its service and its food in the distant past, our experience seems to align more with other more recent reviews. It was our first time here, so I only have this one experience to go one - but here goes nothing. Apart form the carpet which looked a little warn, the place was really neat and tidy (the carpet was also clean, just wear and tear I guess - but still clean). The table was very presentable with a clean tablecloth, clean glass table top, clean cutlery and clean glasses. you've probably guessed it by now, but the cleanliness of a place goes a really, really long way for me, and you are free to read some of my other reviews to see how I score places that aren't! Anyway, the service was really good, and the waitron was really friendly too - she even picked up on the fact that my wife is expectant, and when placing our food order, took the initiative herself to assure us that all my wife's food would be properly cooked (my wife is a bit of a steak lover). Albeit so, the food orders arrived very promptly, but then I do also have to mention that it was a very quiet day in the restaurant with only one other table for a late lunch around 2 pm. The quality of the food was really good too, and the portion sizes were alright - not too small, but neither too large either (maybe this can improve slightly) as the glass of wine I ordered also felt a little inadequate to qualify as a "glass of wine"). Nevertheless, the food was really tasty and delicious, so the quality did make up for the quantity. For desert we shared a crème brule, which was also really good. The atmosphere in the restaurant was also very tranquil and peaceful, with soft piano music which made for a great quiet afternoon lunch. All things considered, I definitely would recommend having lunch or dinner here, as there is great selection on their all a carte - like escargot, which is a rarity in Wellington. Overall our experience was very enjoyable
Food so amazing, I didn't have time to take photos of the incredible scotch fillet i ordered. So delicious and cooked to perfection. My friend had the duck confit, which she said was just amazing. Tasty sides to go with the mains. Great, helpful staff, with good knowledge of what was available that evening. Loved joining in with the family that were celebrating their daughter's birthday, as we sang happy birthday. Definitely a restaurant that I will have on my list when I come back to Wellington.
This restaurant has the best confit duck in the world. And everything else is excellent too. The braised red cabbage side dish has become a favourite, it's delicious. Lovely for a quiet dinner with friends and family, or even just to treat yourself :)
Food is always delicious and beautifully presented. Very attentive service, and intimate atmosphere.
Great food, and a really nice staff member serving us tonight, who was very accommodating to us. Reasonably priced too.
Cute little restaurant with upscale yet cozy atmosphere. The food was delicious and service was prompt and attentive. I had the scotch fillet, my MIL had lamb, and my husband had pasta aubergine and we all thoroughly enjoyed our meals. The goat cheese toast appetizer was A-plus, as was the sticky date pudding. If we ever visit Wellington again, will be back!
My wife and I were visiting Wellington and out for a walk when we noticed this restaurant. We decided to give it a try and were very impressed with the food, service and ambiance. The crispy duck confit with duck fat baked potatoes was amazing as was the herb roasted lamb rump. Give this place a try and you will not be disappointed.
The confit duck was delicious paired with duck fat potatoes. The soup of the day was very enjoyable. Service was very attentive. Will be returning!
My partner and I live nearby and have had many wonderful meals at Aubergine. The food is always good and the service is excellent. We recently had a family Christmas lunch at Aubergine and were very impressed at how organised things were given that the restaurant was very full. There were ten of us but all our meals arrived in good time and everything was as delicious as when it is just the two of us eating there. I particularly enjoyed my starter of goats cheese and tomato crostin, and my duck main course is an old favourite that I never tire of. Having lunch prepared for us made our Christmas relaxed and easy and we plan to do the same thing next year. Also, $75 for a 3-course meal of such good quality is hard to beat
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