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As I descended to the basement I wasn't sure, was this the place? Maybe I was taking the staff entrance? It was a secret food wonderland hiding behind that door, a secret that I was now in on. I used to be a real "foodie" living in Auckland in our childless, both working days. But alas life has changed and this was the first time we have been out in months. In 2 years all I've tried is chim choo ree and madam woo. Palate surpassed expectations. The duck entree was sublime, the persimmon a beautiful match. My eye fillet was cooked beautifully and was tender and melted in the mouth, no chewyness here! The beef cheek ravioli was a nice extra beef touch, adding to the richness and tenderness. Dessert? We couldn't choose! We had to order 3! That icecream with the donuts, at first bite I was very unsure of the flavour. By the second bite I'd decided the unusual flavour was a perfect accompaniment.
Needless to say I made some unusual faces of enjoyment and some awkward moans as I savoured all the flavours that were cooked to perfection. The walk to the car was needed!
Thank you Palate, for reminding this stay at home mumma of the wonders that a great dining experience provides. Ps. The server was brilliant at his job.
Went with a group of 12. Meals came out at the right time space so that you were not too full. Having gluten & other food allegeries the chef was willing to cater for this. Some of the other diners at our table were rather envious of my specially chosen, by the chef, gluten free entree. Great food & service. Highly recommend this establishment.
We went for dinner last night at this fabulous restaurant. Wow. The food was amazing. They even catered for me as a coeliac. Customer service was wonderful, as well as the great decor throughout the restaurant. Would thoroughly recommend this place. Would definitely go back again.
Thank you Mat and all the team at Palate for an amazing dining experience.
9 incredible dishes matched with amazing wines from all over the globe. My husband can’t choose a favourite and I’m finding it difficult too, but on my next visit I’ll be ordering the Quail with a glass of Man O War Pinot Gris from Waiheke Island.
If you entered the competition (or not) and missed out I would recommend booking yourself in for a night you’ll never forget. I for one won’t be waiting to win a competition before I head back.
Life is short, if you’re going out make it worth your while. Eat the good food.
Travelled from Auckland again for a beautiful weekday lunch. The service is excellent, the setting pristine and relaxing, the food as always amazingly tasty. Great value for that special occaision.
I would rather drive an hour south for this experience than sit 2 hours in traffic heading into Auckland City for unpredictable food any day of the week.
1 of my favorite places to eat... Ate everything on my plate! Servive was Top notch and ambience was relaxing!! Definately recommend! ⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧
Booked the kitchen table for my husbands 50th had the 7 course degustation menu, it was away from other diners and we were served by the chef each and every meal was a flavour explosion. Thank you to the chef you surpassed our expectations will be back.
Outstanding service and the food to die for!! definitely found our home for fine dining
Amazing food and service. More than just a meal, but an incredible experiance. Thanks Mat.
The second visit for myself and family on a busy and ambient Saturday at palate. I have travelled and tasted food from around the world but you cannot beat the fresh yet complex flavours of locally sourced produce prepared with precision found at palate. Every course was exceptional. I will be back very soon to work my way through the menu. Thankyou
Every course was superb from the oyster starter to the Hapuka main. The cocktails and coffee were delish as well. Couldn't fit desert. Highly recommend this restaurant 👍
Had one of the best meals I've had in a long time here. ...great staff , great service and great food with an excellent wine match
Stunning meal, great wine list and top service.
Amazing food, amazing service - the chefs table
Is a fantastic experience! Loved every course and the wines to match ... happened to watch the country calander episode tonight about the pyramid wines too! After having tasted them it was great to learn a little
More about them. Will defo be back! 😊
The food as usual was impeccable and totally delicious. Food here is extra special. I had the lamb and my husband had the filet steak.
Wine list is good too.
Only negative was the absence of smaller forks for the oysters.
We will be back!
Our best dinner in New Zealand. Amazing food and great wines. Service top and careful.
Food n service was definitely up to par. Had a table of 10 tonight and all of enjoyed everything being a busy Saturday night. Food was spot on but the chocolate tart everyone thinks is abit too sweet. Other than that everything else was spot on. Thank u guys for a memorable night...
Came here for lunch on a weekday. Very peaceful environment except when the screaming banshees entered...... ordered the $25 express lunch menu and got an entree and a main. The calamari was amazing, the spices on it lifted the flavour and it was cooked to perfection. Can never go wrong with some pickled daikon. Main was a veal steak don’t eat it often enough to know how it’s meant to be cooked but it tasted great! There was a tangy sweet molasses along with a purée and kumara pieces to die for. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. All in all I’d definitely go back everyday to try the rest of the lunch menu cause it was absolutely worth it!!
Delicious food. Everything was really good. It's a bit pricey, But worth it. The restaurant had a nice atmosphere. My favourite plate was the fish. It was really good.
Lovely atmosphere.. would be a perfect date night restaurant.
The menu looked so good it was really hard to decide.
I had the lamb and it was cooked perfectly.
I also had the brioche for desert which I also enjoyed.
I will definitely be back.
Express lunch. Shared the beef croquettes and kingfish entrees both very good. Mains were battered moki and the lamb shoulder cutlets. The lamb was superb and the fish okay. Will be coming back for dinner at some point.
Absolutely outstanding fine dining restaurant in Hamilton. I had a gorgeous eye fillet that was cooked perfectly. The chocolate jus and the blue cheese pudding really lifted the steak to the next level. If I must fault it, it would be perhaps a touch over seasoned, but far from being unpleasantly so. The Jerusalem artichoke creme brûlée on the other hand, was simply divine. Smooth like a jar of $200 face creme that promises youth, the thyme scented merengues and candied figs were perfect compliments. The shaving of truffle lifted that dish to impossible heights. Easily the best desert I have had all year.
On top of that, the service was excellent, with wonderful ambience. I will definitely be returning!
Most tranquil place to have lunch sitting outside on the deck watching the Waikato river. The staff are all professional and polite. $25 lunch is a good price for fine dining. However compared to most fine dining, the dishes here are less complex and more simple things you could make at home if you tried. But again, still good for the price!
Consistently delicious, beautiful setting, excellent service, but I do miss the French waiter. What was his name? Oh yes, Kevyn. I will return again and again. Definitely recommend. Matt be nice to your kitchen staff. I hear you are a hard man.
Friendly staff, reasonable price, lovely place. Just a little not really happy is the main dish a little bit small portion. Otherwise is perfect !!
Reviews say that Palate is one of the best restaurants in Hamilton. I really could not say anything to debunk these views. It is significantly up the ranks in terms of service, food quality, ambiance, menu and wine choices. The lounge area is upbeat, cozy and modern. It's worth every dollar! Awesome place to be at.
Nice fancy place for dining. Great menu with interesting options and wine pairing suggestions. I had a fish with white wine and loved it. Good service too
Came in for dinner, food was great for our entree and main but the dessert was not really a dessert, the creme brulee was rock solid. And the girl serving us was really sour and obviously didn't wanna be there. That being said, everyone else was great, and the food was incrediblUpload Photoe.
A modern restaurant with a menu to suit modern patrons. The place is outstanding and the food along with its presentation is superb. Friendly staff. Will go again.
I heard alot about Palate. It is touted as one of Hamilton's finest restaurants. We started with cocktails, not a great selection. We were given a drinks menu and had to keep looking around to get noticed so we could order. After drinks we went to our table. We were parousing the menu for starters and I decided on the rabbit and pork Risselette with walnut toast very nice. We ordered accompanying wine. Winelist and suggestions were very good. Onto mains I had the steak it was divine. Then more accompanying wine. The staff were very helpful and friendly. We finished off with dessert I had the brioche and almond pudding extra yummy. Then a nice coffee to fininsh the evening. A great night with fine food and wine. Highly recommended.
Palate used to be Tables and that was the last time I was there so great to see what the Palate team has done. Palate now would be by far the best Hamilton restaurant and would make 9 out of 10 in my book with only a couple of small things that could have been better.
Food was very very well prepared and presented with only the calamari of the entree not having a crispy coating, the main the small pasta/chocolate parcels were a bit undercooked.
Service was attentive if not a little too attentive, but helpful and friendly except the poor guy delivering the coffee was shaking like a leaf.. Oh and the coffee was BAD.. really BAD.
Inside the restaurant rather nice and newly decorated but the outside needs some TLC as do the restrooms.
Food Adventures With AnnaJ
+4
We went to lunch to celebrate my birthday. Such a nice setting when you walk in.
We chose from the working lunch menu, two courses for $25 which is fantastic as the food was top notch, although the choices were a little limited. Really nice wine selection. I had the salmon tartare for lunch which was delicious and beautifully presented. My father had the crispy duck which he also really enjoyed.
Three of us had the rabbit tagliatelle which had great flavour but all three came out only just luke warm which was disappointing. the other three had the lamb ribs which they all said was great. Four had the donuts with cinnamon ice cream for dessert which looked great on the plate and tasted even better.
As we were not in a rush we stayed and talked for a while after lunch. No one came to offer us coffees, even when the restuarant was empty, and we had to call staff over.
Over all great flavours and presentations, just a few things that let us down.
Great feel when you walk in the place. The menu provided a good selection of dishes but as we were just having coffee and dessert.. I ordered "unique cheese with accompaniments: mature Gouda" A small wedge of very yummy cheese was served on a long plate with a selection of crackers and a very small amount of beetroot relish/chutney, which was not enough... as the cheese n crackers where a little dry without it. The desserts looked great and the "study in Apple" was amazing. I ordered a coffee which was very disappointing, it was rather weak and watery, I expected more for the venue. Over all we had a nice evening.
I took my girlfriend out for her birthday this week and it was fantastic. The atmosphere was excellent, well laid out, nice and quiet even though the restaurant was full. The staff were fantastic, particularly our waiter, who happened to be French, was really good. The food wine list was great, and I was surprised and impressed to see a French wine available, apparently the waiter had asked them to get it in, which I promptly ordered. The food was incredible, perfectly cooked, amazing flavors and impeccable presentation and the portion sizes were good too.
I have recently been overseas and have eaten at a Michelin Star restaurant in London, and I certainly found the food and service to be better at Palate than that particular establishment.
Highly recommended.
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My family and I went to Palate Restaurant to celebrate my graduation, and had a fantastic time. We had chosen it because we'd previously dined there for other special occasions and had thoroughly enjoyed it. Palate is consistently amazing, I have yet to have a bad dish there and this night was no exception. The award-winning eye fillet dish was a stand out, as was the lamb, both were hugely flavoursome. This is one area where I think Palate excels; the interesting and perfectly executed flavour combinations. To finish we ordered an extra dessert because we couldn't decide between the delicious-sounding options and we felt we were completely justified in doing so after tasting all, and not finding a fault with any of them. The service was friendly and efficient, and the front of house staff knew the menu inside-out and answered our inquiries happily. Another thing that sets Palate apart from all restaurants in Hamilton, and also across the country, is the extensive and thoughtful wine list. A beautiful and peaceful setting for such a celebration. My family and I will most definitely be back, and are already looking forward to it.
Table for two at 7.00 pm on 19 December 2013. First impressions when walking in was a professional outfit in nice setting.
The restaurant is on the edge of the Waikato River and has a lovely setting. Good indoor outdoor flow and can sit on the deck or inside.
Staff were by and large as good as it gets. Well done.
Food was very very good. My steak was not medium rare as I asked for and my partners snapper a bit dry. Apart from these, the food was very well presented and out of the top drawer.
Recommended dining. Not cheap but you usually have to pay for the best.
An absolutely fabulous dining experience. The staff are professional, yet friendly, the wine list extensive and the food is incredibly tasty. You can see images of the food and read more about my experience at http://celestereviews.com/perfect-palate/
Had dinner recently. The food was so well cooked and presented i was blown away! Meals were served fast and decent size portions. Lovely resturant. Staff were friendly and not in your face! Will be returning here!
Went there for lunch today, amazing food and service and a lovely setting, we sat outside on the terrace under the trees with a view of the river. Our waitress was lovely, very attentive but not in our faces. The meals were out to us quickly and each course was amazing, I found the portion sizes to be good for lunch and the entrees really looked like works of art but with the flavour to back it up! The highlight would have to be the Trio of pork entree which was just beautiful, with delicious intense flavours that worked so well together. I would recommend this place to everyone (especially for lunch!!). We'll be back.
Awesome, we thoroughly enjoyed the degustation menu with matching wines. 7 dishes 7 wines, good friends, great food, great wine, great service = brilliant night.
The stand out dish for me was the roasted rabbit loin, lentils du puy, pastilla, seared scallops, vanilla pea puree.
Went there last Saturday for dinner with friends understand why it gets all the rave reviews.
Service was excellent, arrived around the time we booked in asked if we would like drinks at the bar first, which we accepted were never rushed. The table we were seated at was close to a noisy table of 10 or so we asked if we could be seated elsewhere again no problem. Remainder of meal service was quick efficient and pleasant, one of the waitress recommended a wine which we ended up ordering to bottles of excellent choice.
The food matched the service between us we had a variety of starters and mains including rabbit, duck, lamb, pork, steak it was all great not one complaint from anyone around the table. We had been warned portions were small which is what you seem to get in some upmarket restaurants but to us this wasn't the case, by the time we had finished our main everyone was to full for dessert even my wife who is an avid dessert eater.
10 out 10
We loved the old Palate for food wine and service, but didn't really like the ambience (except for the chef's table, which was great fun). New Palate, food still excellent, pretty happy with the wine list. The wait-staff are young and could do with more training, but were friendly and engaging, and generally responsive. One of us wanted the best of two desserts, and the chef was. Happy to oblige. We do like the new environment, but miss the fun of the chef's table. Price good for product, we'll be back.
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Palate Restaurant has ranked as Hamilton's finest for several years. The menu is always inventive and mouth watering and the recommended wine choice, by the glass, is always successful. The previous venue did not fit the standard of food.
Now we have a newly refurbished suite of rooms with a large balcony overlooking the Waikato River. The ambiance is perfect. Elegant intimate, superbly comfortable with acoustics to match.
The herb roasted rabbit with potato gnocchi, bacon, celeriac puree, fennel and toasted hazelnuts was a great choice of entree. Tender and multi-layered in taste and texture. For mains we chose honey spiced duck with kumara and coconut puree, citrus cous cous,
orange salad and cointreau jus. Duck has always been a favourite, but perhaps this time it seemed a little too rich. However, the angus beef fillet with portobello mushroom, brioche and blue cheese pudding, braised wagyu ravioli and shallot puree was truly wonderful. With the first bite of the perfectly cooked steak I could relax and enjoy all the other flavours and textures. A symphony!
An excellent wine list with more than usual opportunity to select wine by the glass. Although this newly sited restaurant has been running for less than a week, the staff knew their jobs and were perfectly capable of answering questions about both the food and wine menus.
----- 25 Oct, 2009 -----
We were a party of four booked for the Chef's Table. Seven courses, seven wines all superb! Chef Matt McLean served us, providing a simple description of each dish. The enjoyment was to deconstruct each mouthful and admire the subtle way each component worked in complete harmony on the Palate. Wine choices were remarkable, introducing new wine makers and unusual vintages to great effect. What a sublime experience.
It has been 5 years since I have been here. I went once for a degustation menu, it was all very lovely food, but it was too long between courses.
All in all though a good experience
Without a doubt, the best restaurant in Hamilton!
World class food (I've been around the world & eaten in some amazing places)
Top service (something not offered by other restaurants in Hamilton)
The all over experience was pleasurable, & I don't mind paying premium price, for a premium product & service. & I really think their prices are more than fair (I don't actually remember what it cost, but I didn't batter an eyelid paying & was happy to tip the staff)
I liked it. Good food. Expensive yet tasty.
I liked the staff as well
Top Service. Top Food. Something Hamilton should be (and is!) proud of.
I will continue to come and support Palate sending the bar high for Hamilton's restaurant scene.
Dined last night - Started with the pork belly (amazing), then followed with the duck (devine) and finished with a Mocha (also very very good!).
Guests from the UK and Australia very impressed also.
Best Restaurant Ever. Enough Said! Value for money any time! Cant wait to Go Back!!! Havn' found anything like it in Perth!! CongratulationsMat & Naomi and all the staff at Palate for a well deserved win at this years Cuisine Magazine Restaurant of the Year - Next year could be the big one???
We dined at Palate last week, Fieldays week in Hamilton so extremely busy for all the restaurants. Palate was fully booked with extra front of house staff on, service was fast and attentive from the wait staff. The food exceptional, complementary tapas to start, which was a nice touch. We took the wine and food match recommendations which made for an easy option. You can certainly see why Palate and Chef Mat Mclean are winning so many awards consistently.
Dined with a party of 10 for a private dinner and received faultless service with a smile. A very busy restaurant for such a small location nevertheless the food was impeccable. I had the grass fed wagu scotch which melted in my mouth, followed by the creme brulee.
I appreciated the waitress not being over bearing as the food certainly spoke for itself.
Eight of us dined at Palate last Wednesday night on a recommendation from a friend at work. In a word - WOW! The food was just sublime, the wine list great and the service attentive, professional and unobtrusive. If you want to treat yourself or celebrate a special occasion, Palate is well worth it. It's not the cheapest in town, but you're paying for quality. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
We go to this restaurant for special occasions. Each time the food and service have been outstanding. The food demonstrates care and high standards.
what a great night. myself and seven others went out to palate for the first time last week for a celebratory dinner and left feeling like we were kings. attentive, knowledgeable, friendly (which I rate as pretty important) service right to as we were walking out the door, and the food - sublime. this chef can work food combinations beautifully. we all loved it and totally get why loads of people are saying they are the best in hamilton.
havent' been for a while, new location, totally impressed. very cool vibe, sensational food, wine list amazing. wow. duck my favourite! coming back soon!
Amazing experience and the best restaurant we have been to in years. Service excellent, food and wine divine. Very impressed with the plating and taste combinations. Would highly recommend asking about the 'chefs table ' if you are at all keen on fine food/wine.
Top notch service! Definitely a great feature. Nice interior. We were there with a large party (booked out the place, it's fairly small), and the service and food delivery was excellent. We enjoyed an entree, a main and a dessert - many of us agreed the entree and desserts were fantastic, but the main, while very good, wasn't quite as much as we'd hoped. But still a great experience, recommended.
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Perched above the mighty Waikato River, the main dining area is elegant and sophisticated. There is much more space than their previous premise; with a casual bar area for pre-dinner drinks and a cellar dining room for intimate groups.
Award winning chef, and owner, Mat McLean, does a fantastic job with the menu and wine list. He should also be proud of his front of house staff, who are professional, yet friendly, and really know their stuff (both wine and food).
I’m in love with haloumi (squeaky cheese) at the moment. So, there was never any doubt what my main course would be – the beautifully presented fried haloumi. atop of the most exquisite melt-in-your-mouth mushroom ravioli I’ve ever experienced ($34). This wasn’t your stock standard cheesy pasta, not in the slightest. The ravioli was served with beetroot puree, perfectly cooked zucchini and a blood orange salad. Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum.
The hubby enjoyed a Hereford prime eye fillet, served with smoked mushrooms, celariac puree, potatoes, bacon and onion jus. And so as not to get pasta envy over my main, his dish also included oxtail ravioli (that was lucky, because I sure wasn’t sharing any of mine).
Even the side order of green beans with lemon and cashew dukkah was out of this world, with the hubby and I having ‘words’ about who got to eat the final bean. We were even treated to a sample mini course of sourdough bread with Simunovich olive oil and the most gorgeous smoky flavoured butter.
The portion sizes are what you expect from fine dining, I was satisfied though not full to the brim (which was great, since I still had an evening ‘on the town’ to enjoy), and definitely not hungry.
The wine list mainly focuses on New Zealand and Australian wines. Having been out of the ‘wine’ loop for the past 18 months, I talked the hubby into choosing wines by the glass, so that we could try something new and taste new vintages of old favourites. I loved the way the menu helpfully matched each dish with a wine, even though I went off on my own tangent. To start, we compared two Gewurztraminers; Pasquale 2011 (Waitaki) and Villa Maria’s Ihumatoa Vineyard 2010 (Auckland). Both wonderfully aromatic, but if I had to choose, I’d say I preferred the sweeter style of Villa Maria.
With our mains we ordered 2010 big reds for a shiraz vs syrah debate. In the NZ camp was a Moana Park Gimblett Gravels Reserve, while the Aussie contender was an Aramis McLaren Vale Shiraz. There was no clear winner, as they were both gorgeous.
Overall it was a fabulous dining experience. The food was absolutely stunning, and has to be included with my top five meals ever.
Top Tip: Use their internet booking service to reserve your table. Palate also features in the Entertainment Book.
In a Nutshell: Perfect!
Read more at http://celestereviews.com/perfect-palate/
The customer service and food is always amazing here. The creativity behind the dishes always makes me want to come back and try something different. The lamb was extremely tender and juicy, it was better then the beef which surprised us. The chocolate mousse was very nice as well. Perfect way to finish off the night. If price isn't an issue for you I would highly recommend coming here for dinner.
Review
I've had a trip to Hamilton and this is my favorite restaurant by far. I've dined here multiple times just to enjoy several different items on the menu, and have yet to be disappointed! I must admit that I've gotten the cashew meringue every time for dessert as it's genuinely one of the best desserts I've had! If forced to find one negative thing to say, it's honestly a positive, and that's that the menu can change. Don't get too attached to anything! But variety is the spice of life. I can't recommend dining enough! And a perfect compliment to the stunning food is the knowledgeable and friendly staff. A must visit if you're in Hamilton! I'll keep my fingers crossed the Cashew Meringue is on the menu next time I'm in town
There is no doubt that the food here is above anything that Iv had in the last few years. They left me both blown away and relaxed at the same time, a perfect blend between amazing food and beautiful atmosphere couple with service second to none. They will see me again, I’m all together elevated, relaxed and fulfilled all together..
What an experience having dinner in Palate!! The tasting menu is incredible with different texture, taste and excellent choice of local products. The service and the staff is just so accommodating along the dinner experience. Very recommended!!
Worth the visit I was unsure if we should squeeze in a lunch in palate before heading back to Auckland and I'm glad we did. We had the 3 course meal and it was really great. The ambiance was really cool how you have an open area with a bit of nature plus the interior of the restaurant has just the right class. The service was just right. We had the tuna and carpaccio for starters and they are both really good just all the texture playing in your mouth as it bursts with flavours. For mains I got the sirloin and my husband got the lamb the portion was just right very well cooked the sirloin is just so delicious O can still imagine it. The dessert we had the pineapple donut and chocolate mousse best of both worlds we really enjoyed how they are both different with each other but we're very very good. love it if ever we go back to Hamilton I will for sure come back for degustation.
Back to its former glory - absolutely delicious. Last time , just out of covid, not as good. This time could not fault and highly recommend . Thanks for making our anniversary memorable ❤️
Never disappoints. The food at Palate is next level but the dessert was the supreme winner for me. Panna cotta and hokey pokey. Delicious.
My wife and I had a wonderful dining experience on my wife's birthday. The 3 course meal was great. Each of the dishes provided good flavour and right amount of portions. Very happy with the choice, and definitely worth consideration on special occasions.
We were seated straight away by friendly staff. Food was prepared quickly. Delicious Coromandel Oysters. Cocktails were on point. Mains were generous (it was a special experience and tasted just devine). Wonderful staff (Hi Bree). We ordered Greenstone Scotch Fillet steak, Salmon, Chocolate mousse and Espresso Affogato, sides of homemade garlic aioli, fries and sourdough. All of exceptional taste and quality. Was without a doubt worth the price. As well, we were seated on the river edge balcony with a magnificent view of the Waikato river surrounded by lush greenery. We will be back🙌
Dined on 19/3 for a shared Birthday dinner for the first time in 3 years. And still an Absolutely Beautiful evening and meal! Eye fillet main ordered by both, and cooked perfectly! Made up for a horrible steak experience I have had recently elsewhere. Bread entree and Mushroom Tortellini entree shared with more than enough for two. Lovely having our birthdays acknowledged in a small way by staff, even though it had only been noted once in the initial reservation.
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