Fine Dine
Sails Restaurant, Auckland For 38 years of living in Auckland, it was unbelievable that I had never dined at Sails Restaurant in Westhaven Marina. I had probably driven past it about 10,000 times on the motorway, yet I had no clue that this Restaurant had one of the most stunning seafood menus on offer in New Zealand. We started with an amuse-bouche, compliments of the chef - a beetroot and goats cheese delight. We then decided to select a number of entrees and share them; scallops, Bluff oysters (so much tastier than any other oyster) and prawns. Then onto the biggest crayfish I have ever been served in a restaurant in New Zealand, replete with a beautiful dipping sauce - I’ll be hounding Bart the owner/host/operator of Sails for the recipe in the next few weeks! It was divine, and the Craggy Range Chardonnay was matched beautifully. My compadres had the Market fish, John Dory and the lamb. It was a taste sensation and we all shared our meals, I even gave up a generous bite of the crayfish with the divine sauce to everyone at the table - regrettably in retrospect! The wine list was extensive, our normally quick-ordering friend was frozen with the numerous options on the list, but our helpful waiters stepped in quickly to solve this dilemma. We loved this restaurant so much that after dinner we all sat round and had long blacks, machiatto and special coffees, however the experience did not stop there, we decided to try a spirit on the menu - Broken Shed Vodka from Wanaka it was, to wrap up the night, and that it did. Excellence in wine, food and spirits, all night! 44
Overall Rating 6/ 6
The food was first class and fresh. The dishes were stunning - pretty and excellently styled. The service was fabulous. Our host Bart was jovial, fun and intelligent, with 20 years experience running this exceptional restaurant. The servers joined into the spirit of things all night. Helpful and friendly, they handled us very well. In fact, the whole team at Sails went out of their way to ensure our evening was successful, with swift service and a smile. The atmosphere was captivating. The lighting was perfect, views were great, although I must admit looking at the food was a huge distraction from the sparkling lights on the water. In summer it must be amazing with the bi-fold windows opening out onto the water. It would be like the food on our table had just been caught that day on the harbour... so fresh! The décor was gorgeous, comfortable and classy, with a private dining room feel, it was actually a large area, but the décor makes every table feel intimate. Sails Restaurant, Phone 09 378 9890, 103-113 Westhaven Drive, Westhaven Marina, Auckland