For me, I had the perfect lunch today at The Shed. Every course was cooked and tasted to perfection. The smooth chicken liver parfait was full of flavour; the lamb shoulder with smoked potatoes should be a NZ signature dish; and the feijoa sorbet with coconut tapioca was a refreshing end. Even the Waiheke sparkling water was a nice touch, it meant we could take the lovely bottle home as a souvenir. Final mention would have to be the friendliness of the staff, attentive but laid back if that makes sense.
How could we not rate this five stars? The staff catered to us perfectly, with an amazing meal and fantastic wine pairings. Great way to spend a birthday.
I have to specifically mention the Californian guy who talked us through the wines. Very knowledgeable and made night one to remember.
Sensational and not to be missed :-) A number of colleagues mentioned how fantastic Te Motu was, so we had to check it out for ourselves. The first day we did the Wine Tasting, where you sit at a rustic outdoor table and for $20 you get to try a solid sampling of 5 of their wines (mostly red) including one sweet late harvest (The Nectar) dessert wine, all the while getting an interesting narrative rundown. The next day we came back to try the restaurant, which is built in and around an old converted goat shed (it used to be a goat farm), but very well appointed and superbly rustic. The kids had their own nearby table and had toasties, while we ordered one of everything :-) All dishes were exemplary and beautifully presented, a culinary symphony. Nothing could be faulted and now we know why Te Motu is the food connoisseurs favourite on Waiheke.
Just wow! My new fave on Waiheke. Fabulous food; service and of course wine. We arrived a little early (20 minutes) and unfortunately they couldn't;t seat us so they sent us up for a wine tasting. So...this is the first thing that stops me giving them a 5/5. We were charged for the wine tasting (actually - we bought wine so it was waived). And I understand why they charge for tasting - but there could be a way to do a "discounted" tasting for those who dine and spend significant $'s. It also meant that after w enjoyed the tasting we were late for our table - which wasn"t a problem for the restaurant , but it was for us as we had a Ferry booking that couldn't be changed. So...we rushed. and you can at this place but I so want to go back and do it leisurely . The food was fabulous and so was the service. It is "family friendly" and there were a few badly behaved children but as a parent I appreciate really nice places that I could take my kids to...I just wish those parents managed their kids a little better!
The Octopus small plate...we shared. It was incredible. I will go back just for that. The one is hugely expensive but awesome. Not a "cheap date" but not fine dining. Really really recommended.
Saturday lunch. Our first time here. Unfortunately time was short so we didn't get to indulge fully. My SO shared the beetroot salad and lamb shoulder with a friend. I had The Leigh fish which came with smoked pork cheek and oysters. Just perfectly delicious. We shared a carafe of Te Motu 2004 red. Marvellous accompaniment.
Worthy of a much longer repeat visit me-thinks.
Great service, great wine and outstanding food!
We joined a friend celebrate her birthday here yesterday and had such a great day. The staff effortlessly made space for 20 of us and our glasses were never empty.
The food was sensational we had the lamb shoulder which fell apart served with the most amazing cauliflower pilaf if ever eaten and the Kahawai with white bean was delicious.
The only thing missing was dessert!!
Good service with a relaxing atmosphere. We came here after wine tasting to enjoy some light snacks. There is a nice courtyard and also live music the day we were there.
Such a nice place to have a wine and some sharing platters. Food and wine really hit the spot for us. :)
Hands down the best food on the island...if not the world. We just shared 3 dishes from the entree menu with a drink late in the afternoon. The food was inventive and inspired yet unpretentious, really on another level. The service is spot on and real, the staff were knowledgeable and passionate.
The location is very serene and still. Bliss.
God knows what the mains would be like if the entrees are that good. I'll be back to find out. This place is one of Waihekes secrets.
Had the most impeccable lunch here as part of a wedding last weekend. The food is the complete opposite of pretentious and oozes wholesomeness and freshness. Highly recommend, the view is also spectacular!
Wow, food was amazing, a real foodies paradise. Service excellent (Luke I think looked after us), made us feel very welcome. Great location, not pretentious, reminded me of Stoneyridge of 2 decades ago when it was fun to visit.
Went here on Mother's Day for a set 3 course menu. Food was amazing and the service was outstanding. Staff friendly and efficient with the restaurant in a awesome location.
Waiheke's lush grounds provide prime opportunity for vineyards and thus accompanying restaurants. One of these is The Shed at Te Motu winery; a tranquil lunch destination. The menu is designed for sharing with small and larger plate options, and we followed in suit. My favourite dish was the braised lamb shoulder; the meat was exquisitely cooked to tenderness while the accompanying tabouli and mint yoghurt gave a delightful Mediterranean twist. My least favourite was the beef tongue; but maybe because I couldn't get over the fact that I was eating tongue. The salmon itself was beautifully cooked; however the sweetness of the exterior glazing was detrimentally overpowering. Though the smoked potatoes were a perfect side choice. Overall, the dishes are kinda expensive ($16-$22) for the small portioning, but you can taste the high quality of the ingredients. Service was fantastic with a cool ambience, however the views could be better for a vineyard.
Lovely feel in amongst the vines, terrific service, interesting menu great food and wine. A must when visiting Waiheke. Desert is a particular treat got to try the Dolce.
Amazing food! great menu! very polite helpful staff! I would definitely go here again. They have a very interesting menu here but it is all sooo good! I chose the pork trotter for main and was blown away! AA++
This restaurant had a lovely view of the vineyards. Steak was beautiful. Food a bit pricey but wait staff were friendly, especially the guy waiter there but didn't catch his name
Waiheke....such a little gem, one of my favourite little gems anywhere, & only a 40 minute ferry ride from Auckland. Just 40 minutes & you are away from the hustle & bustle of the big smoke. The minute you step off the ferry you just slow down. I always want to come straight back, even just after one day. I just want to up sticks & move over there. Maybe grow some olives or a little wine...see sounds idyllic right? And in my head it most definitely is & I do love a little day dreaming. Stunning views, white sandy beaches, cafes, restaurants & vineyards; lots of very, very good vineyards.
After a little ticky tour around the island it was time for a little late lunch & we headed to The Shed at Te Motu nestled among the vines in the afternoon sunshine. To start some olives & a few small plates. Chicken liver parfait with peach & ginger chutney & melba toast, a bright & fresh & ever so tender venison carpaccio with nam pla, palm sugar, shallots, coriander, lime & chilli. My favourite though was the panelle with parsley, olives, caper, lemon & Pecorino. Panelle is fried chick pea polenta...now you can see why this was so good. Crisp & the parsley, olives & capers the perfect topping alongside the pecorino.
For mains the fish of the day for some, which they said was delicious & for me broad bean fritters, labne, roast carrot hummus, cucumber & flat bread. The fritters were crisp & light & the hummus lovely & sweet. On the side a kale slaw with toasted seeds & a pomegranate dressing….this may well be the best way I have ever eaten kale! Bright, fresh & just a little tart. And being at Te Motu we were able to savour some quite delicious reds. There was even just a little room left for dessert. The star the dulce du leche ice cream, with macadamia brittle & caramelized banana…a heavenly dessert, crunchy, nutty, sweet & caramelly.
All in all a wonderful afternoon amongst the vines, delicious food, wonderful wine, friendly & attentive service & great company….what more could you want?
For more on Waiheke you can read about it here…http://www.toast-nz.com/2014/02/wanderings-waiheke-island.html
Restaurant of Te Motu.
They were busy but it was a nice dinning experience. Some food combinations were interesting. Loved the marinated kingfish.
We have visited most of the Vineyard's on Waiheke and this is up there with the best in terms of quality of food. The location is nice and pleasant and is beautiful on a sunny day, but the location does not have the sweeping views of some of the other vineyards. Back to the food, it was delicious and of high quality. The waiter who served us was great and had excellent customer service. I believe the head chef even came out and spoke to us about the food, he was a cool dude. I have one piece of constructive feedback, which is about the one waiter that seated us. He said to us we needed to sit at the tables that are closer to the kitchen as there were only two wait staff working . This seemed odd as the entire serving floor area was quite small and when outside you wanted the best possible view. As the day went on the place was quite full and people were sitting everywhere, so in the end it would not have mattered where we sat. In the end we moved where we wanted as the other staff had no problem with it. So for this last reason, I would give the Food a 5 out of 5 and service a 4 out of 5. I do recommend coming here for delicious quality food.
We select the menu, trust the chef selection! amazing food, service and atmosphere! It is a highly recommended place, all the food is produced by them in their garden, even the wines! They have an amazing selection for vegetarians, I really want to go back! 100% RECOMMEND!
Enjoyed the food here very much. Vertical tasting with the Te Motu Cab/merlot blend also great value
the shed, rose, 2020 was a winner. nicely balanced
the Te Motu vertical is a lot of fun and a great way to explore aging.
the service is excellent and the tastings are far more hands on than several of the neighbors.
the setting is cozy, with indoor, covered , and al fresco options.
I can't speak to the cuisine but the olives were a well balanced snack and the pickle bright
It was a bit of a ways to get here (50 minute ferry from Auckland, 20 minute taxi from the Fullers pier), but it was certainly worth it. The service was great, and you could tell that they really took pride in working at a family establishment. The third wine in our tasting (all 3 were delicious) was even served by Paul, the owner himself. We loved the ambience of the place, especially as the sun started to set. Definitely more low key (in a good way) as compared to the more party-centric Stonyridge next door.
Dining in such beautiful vineyard was an amazing experience! The staff was welcoming and patient giving us good recommendations:) The food tastes wonderful! But The portion wasn't big and was a bit pricy😛 The location of the vineyard needs a bit of walk, and it feels pushy when cars and trucks go by, kicking up a huge cloud of dirt...
A magical hidden gem! We did a wine tasting here and they had the best wines. Their staff were very friendly and the restaurant was clean and it had the best views. The atmosphere was very calm and it was a nice 10minute walk from the road.
We stumbled upon this gorgeous vineyard by happy accident and we are so glad we did! We had missed the wine tours (due to our flight and the limited opening hours of many still due to winter)
The staff are lovely, the food was delicious and the atmosphere is cool and relaxed. We did the wine tasting, got lots of interesting information, tried some fabulous wines and had a lovely relaxed afternoon.
Couldn't have wished for a better first day introduction to beautiful New Zealand.
Great service. We were moved from the blazing hot corner to the cooler side of the restaurant. Had the gnudi and beef tartare which were delicious. The dry aged fish at $42 was a bit disappointing as it lacked flavour for our taste. Otherwise a very pleasant experience
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