Review Trade Kitchen - Wellington

Our three-course-dinner was perfect - from the delicious and innovative food to the prompt, attentive and friendly service.

Great Hallumi Hash, wouldn't let me change out the egg for toast or anything without paying full addional charge which most places are happy to do.

The food was good, my wife and friends enjoyed the wine they picked. I was a little disappointed that they had run out of cider as I don't drink much else. They had Brussels sprouts as a side as they had run out of Sweet Corn, but that wasn't a problem as the Brussels were very nice. The steak I had was good. The Sundae with peanut butter and jelly (and chocolate and ice cream) was really, really good. The setting was OK, not particularly intimate bit a good evening with family and friends. I'd go back again.

I was very very impressed with Trade Kitchen. Every dish was well presented and tasted even better than it looked. But the thing that I'd highlight the most is the service we received. It was not just great service as you would hope for, it was so much more. The service was genuine and the waiter came across like he really enjoyed his job and genuinely wanted our experience to be a good one. So many times when using a grab one voucher I've been treated as a second rate customer.....not so with the service from Trade Kitchen. I really can't convey enough how simply great our experience was because of this. Great job!

I like both the food and the atmosphere of this place. Have been for bkfast lunch and dinner and enjoyed all 3 menus. Good wine choices / pairing. So yeah : they do not serve the biggest plates in New Zealand. It has never bothered me but if you're the type who needs a bowl of fries with everything it is probably not your ideal restaurant.

Absolutely fantastic food, cannot recommend highly enough. The presentation was amazing, wish I'd taken photos. Far from mediocre. Service was friendly in a really genuine way, not the canned politeness so many restaurants have their staff provide.

Delicious meal! Excellent friendly service (including bringing a heater closer because I was cold.) They happily gave me vegetables instead of the barley with the perfect lamb rump (main). The chocolate fondant (dessert) was amazing - great flavour and perfect texture with a gentle crumb and smooth centre, and the decaf long black was excellent. The seafood chowder (entrée) was OK but a bit much potato and not as flavoursome as I prefer (but hubby enjoyed the bread that it came with.) Hubby had the pork belly entrée which was divine.

Attended a business network breakfast here. In addition to the open plan seating, they have a private room seating about 18 or 20. The eggs Benedict presentation is a little different to what I am used to in a good way. It was tasty. Try it.

Had 2 three course meals with my wife and was absolutely stunned to see the quality of the food! Everything came out at the exact time needed and tasted fantastic! Will certainly be returning as the quality of the service reflected the quality of the food. 5/5

I had one of the best meals I've had for a while. Delicious goats cheese soufflé with a tasty dressed salad, followed by the lamb served with a light fried gnocchi and trimmings, completed with earl grey crème brûlée. Yummy. Staff were attentive, but not in our face all the time. Lovely.

Excellent food, good service. Meals were just the right size - not too small, not too big. The food was elegantly prepared - not fancy, but very tasty. I really enjoyed this meal.

My first visit to this restaurant to celebrate a work colleague’s birthday. There were 9 of us in our dining party. Found the whole experience underwhelming. Of only 3 choices of sides on the menu, was advised only 2 sides were available. Most of the main meals were delivered to the table lukewarm and one of our party had to return her meal to the kitchen for reheating. The risotto ordered by another member of the party was inedible. Only 2 dessert choices and presentation of these was poor. With all the choices of restaurants in Wellington, would definitely recommend giving Trade Kitchen a miss.

Let me just say that this place makes the most amazing crunchy hot waffles I have ever had. Booked this place for a breakfast work function and we were seated in the private room. Olly called and emailed to confirm my booking the day before and even organised a short menu for us so they can get our food out more efficiently. Overall, thank you for a successful work breakfast!

Dined at Trade Kitchen, and unfortunately I can't say I was too impressed. Their price range implies they're a firmly up-market restaurant (e.g. $18 for a scallop entree, mains at around $40). But for the price you pay, the food quality and atmosphere aren't up to scratch. My fish/mussels main was rather basic. However I must say, the earl grey creme brulee was definitely rockin'.

Loved loved loved the food. One in my party was very fussy about his steak and it was perfect, tender, soft, moist cooked perfection. Excellent service match.

Unusual dining but I really enjoyed the food. There's a level of unorthodox that transpires from the decor and it was sad that the waiter was working by himself. I had the Tirakihi with watermelon, feta, celery and a side of fries. Pretty costly at $38 for fish of the day and an extra $9 for a side of fries with Aioli. Overall, I can say that I enjoyed the food but the price and the quantity has something to answer for. I would recommend.

crap food, crap service and high price....need I say more.  Not recommending and never going back.  Dreadful place and a complete waste of money.

I have wanted to try out trade kitchen for quite some time.  The style of cuisine is modern New Zealand, I not come across this description elsewhere.<br/><br/>Had dinner here, which was fairly standard, nothing special..price wise, taste wise.  Trade kitchen isn't going to knock your socks off with any of their dishes.<br/><br/>*Souffle was cooked well, bit bland.<br/>*I didn't try the panfried salmon, can't comment.<br/>*I asked for my gurnard to be lightly cooked, slightly pink, though I cannot confirm the chef followed this.  I found it slightly too cooked for my liking<br/>*The cut of steak was fairly chewy with about a third of the pieces, I sampled one piece.<br/>*The apple crumble tart with cream and vanilla ice-cream was good<br/>*Panna cotta had too much gelatine, flavour wise was non-eventful.  The rolled biscuit was no longer crunchy, similar to the texture of biscuits having been left out in the open for a couple of days.<br/><br/>I commented on the panna cotta had too much gelatine, it tasted slightly rubbery. I make a lot of desserts myself, so my standards are fairly high when it comes to something I can make myself :)<br/><br/>The staff's service is quite attentive and I can't fault the service.  In fact the rating was only based on service I would rate this place a 4 out of 5.  I don't... in fact dislike being waited on.  Having experienced a couple of nine course degustation meals, I'm not a fan of overly ostentatious way some restaurants operate.

Food ordered:<br/>Toast & Spreads<br/>Bagel w/ Ricotta and Honey<br/>Hot Chocolate x2<br/><br/>Bill: $29<br/><br/>Big tummy: We were fresh off a 5am flight to Wellington, so were basically looking for the first place that sold hot chocolate. A few of my friends have always insisted that Wellington has the best cafes, so I went in with relatively high expectations... especially considering I was famished and half-asleep, so any food put in front of me at the time was likely going to get bonus marks. Sadly, Trade Kitchen still didn't quite hit the mark though.<br/>The prices were over-inflated, but you tend to expect that from a cafe. It was more that the food was so incredibly bland. Like for $10 I was given one slightly burnt plain bagel with a small amount of ricotta and honey on the side. To put it in perspective, just along the road, we found that we could've gotten a range of deluxe bagels with bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese etc for $6 - it left us wishing we'd skipped TK and just gone to the other place instead. It's not that the food was bad, but it was just poor value when compared to other options just a short walk along. The hot chocolate was nice enough, but again it fell flat when compared to options of a similar price at other places. <br/>The service was great, but personally I couldn't justify returning when there are better options for cheaper prices in the area. A slight adjustment to their prices or even a revamp of their menu is seriously needed. <br/><br/>Little tummy: This was our first stop in Wellington and to be fair, after hearing so much about the amazing cafes in the area, we were left incredibly underwhelmed. I ordered the toast and spreads, which turned out to be exactly that in the most minimal fashion - some toasted pieces of bread and two spreads. One of the pieces of bread was somewhat burned, which might've been a good thing, as there wasn't enough butter to cover three pieces of bread anyway. All in all, I would've been better off buying a gourmet loaf of bread and my own spreads at home.

Quiet place for dining. Interiors are a bit dark. The entrees were OKish. I particularly liked the grilled pear and blue cheese on brischetta. It was yummy! I also ordered the crumbed gnocchi and ricotta. The gnocchi was nicely crumbed but a bit disappointed with the sauce. It seems its lacking on flavour. My main I ordered grilled sirloin which was cooked medium rare! Caramelised onion needs saltiness. Dessert was superb . Bailey's cheesecake with berry compote was so yummy. Service was good but can be improved

Been here a few times mainly work coffee meetings and team breakfast etc... its OK... I have never found the staff particularly friendly and the food was OK... for my money I would rather go elsewhere but this place can rely on that corporate clientele. Im a soy flat white guy and it is pricey here.

First and last time visiting Trade Kitchen<br/>Went for breakfast - pancakes with seasonal fruit and maple syrup<br/>Seasonal fruit consisted of one strawberry cut in half and eight small blueberries!! Seriously?<br/>No yoghurt pottle or extra maple syrup if you wanted to add these<br/>Friend had hash brown with eggs and tomato - told me the hash brown was like cardboard<br/>Not impressed

Came here for lunch with a couple of colleagues and 2 others for a lunchtime catchup.<br/><br/>The lunch menu was different from the one on Zomato but still had more than enough choices to satisfy the table. <br/>I ordered the steak which was nicely charred and came with a chimmichurri. The steak came with chips which were well cooked but a little big for my liking. <br/>The rest of the table had fish or lamb and the feedback was excellent. <br/><br/>Will come again.

Sour takeaway coffee that took over 10 minutes to make and served by a snotty staff member with no apology for the wait. If you don't want to waste 75% of your 15 min work break waiting for a coffee that you will spit out upon tasting then don't go here! I wound up pouring it down the sink. Disappointing.

The steak was cooked just as I like. The service was quick and professional. Good selection in a he lunch menu. Looking fir and to come for dinner.

Went to Trade Kitchen today for lunch with colleagues at 12.30pm. We were booked into the private dining room.  I chose from the Wellington on a Plate menu. I had the Wairarapa lamb tenderloin with roast pumpkin, kale, foraged rosemary and a toasted sesame dressing.  Disappointingly, the lamb was overcooked - it was medium well done.  The pumpkin with dressing was delicious.  The waitress started clearing the plates and as dessert had not arrived we reminded her that we were still waiting for it.  The chocolate mousse with foraged fruits (4 pieces of mandarin) arrived - it was good but a little grainy.  After delivering my dessert the waitress then usshered in a new group to the private room - people were still at the uncleared table including myself who had just received the dessert.  So rather awkward moment.  I had yet to finish my dessert and wine - and we had people joining our table.  As we had no option but to leave, a couple of friends helped me finish the dessert in a hurry and I left my unfinished wine.  Olly discounted the $35 meal by $5.

Poor service, bordering on rude. It took over 40 minutes for our meals to arrive after ordering, which meant some of our group had to scarf down their meal and dash back to work. Food was fine.

Nowhere in Wellington should charge $5.10 for a soy flat white!!! Especially since Wellington has such a competitive coffee scene. Crazy!

Friend and I ate here Friday night. Friendly, efficient service and the food was lovely. Nice entree and I had the pork and friend had chicken for main which was yummo! One fault is the price of the wine. At $12 for the apparently "larger" glass this was really a rip off as it was the same amount I would expect for a $7 glass. Couple of sips and gone! Another fault is that ALL the toilets (I tried them all to get a clean loo to no avail) all were pretty disgusting, dirty and smelly

The food was beautiful but the service was the worst that I have ever received in all of my travels.<br/>We booked the private room for a dinner meeting and the first thing that was spoken to me once in the room was "be careful what you unplug." The second thing "you need to order in the next 15 minutes." Not a kind word or a smile was given all night and even though we were a large party bringing a lot of money into the business, I genuinely felt like we were a burden to them from the minute that we walked into the establishment. They didn't even give me a place setting or return to take our dessert order. When we asked if we could order dessert I was rebuffed.<br/><br/>Will never be going back and I don't think that any of our party will be. Thoroughly disappointed.

Just a quick note to say how much my mate from Melbourne and I enjoyed our meals and the general trade kitchen ambiance on Saturday night.<br/><br/>The food was superb – the houloumi pan fried in ouzo was so tasty and my gravlax and salad was light and fresh. We were both amazed how the chef managed to infuse the taste of the green salad into the terakihi and my scotch fillet was beautifully rare. And again the chefs have it exactly right with the desserts. The toffee layer on the crème caramel was delicate and the custard light and delicious. And my chocolate mousse was rich and heart stopping.<br/><br/>That should have been enough, but then we got to top it off with a splendid expresso and slice of cake from the birthday at the next table. Great.<br/><br/>And we had excellent service from the serving staff that looked after us very well – attentive without hovering and we enjoyed the engaging conversation. Top marks Trade Kitchen.

Nice friendly service - good food (some interesting combinations specially the warm salad ) and wine.

I took my father here for a birthday lunch a couple of days ago, and was quite disappointed by the experience. They were extremely busy (hey, it is Christmas) and the service was quite slow. <br/><br/>Our breads and dips got sent to the wrong table so we never got them, and when our mains arrived (we both had the house-made chicken tortellini), they were pretty bland and under-seasoned. Not what I would expect when paying $26 for a lunch main. <br/><br/>I've had good experiences here in the past, so I hope I just caught the kitchen on a bad day. I would have to be convinced to go back, though.

I have never liked this place. It just does not appeal to me. The few times I have been here I have found the staff unhelpful and the whole experience really rather indifferent. Others may have a different view, but I would not go here from choice.<br/>