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Reviews for The Fireplace Bar & Brasserie

by Claire T.
15th February 2011

This business is a MenuMania SponsorOne of the Business' Favourite Reviews

Very enjoyable experience.
The starter was lovely, the mains were very tasty didn’t appear to be very big but they sure were more than big enough.
The deserts were gorgeous… I have never heard my husband rave about desert in his life but he did tonight. The restaurant was clean and tidy the staff were lovely….definitely go and see them… worth a bit of a drive!!

by Sharon W.
13th May 2013

We had a fairly average experience.

Initial greeting was great but that’s as far as it goes. The waitress that was assigned to us seemed a little inexperienced.

We got our drinks quickly, however the soft drinks were terrible. The waitress stood there and didn’t really know what to do, but then eventually came back and took them away to replace them. When she cleared the table after we’d eaten, she was a little clumsy followed with swearing under her breath when she made a mistake. Not professional at all.

Meals came out quickly and they looked worse than a pub meal. Small, plain and boring. Even a little salad on the side as a garnish or whatever, would have made it look better. Plating was not good and portions were tiny.

Even though it didn’t look good, I was hoping that it would still taste great. It was average! I’ve had worse, but I’ve also definitely had a lot better.

I wouldn’t be in a rush to head back there unfortunately.

by Denise R.
8th May 2013

We had fabulous meal at The Fireplace in Kumeu last night. 7 diners and we were all very pleased with the service, the ambience and of course the food. Wonderful prices for such a great menu and well executed by the chef.
Would happily recommend to anyone and we are definitely going back. We often dine out and enjoy good food and service, so we know when we are getting a great deal and The Fireplace certainly gives that.

by Harald R.
5th May 2013

The Fireplace

Very disappointing and overpriced, but the Beer was very nice.

Lets go to the beginning.

We were quickly attended by the staff and shown our table; the place was nice, spacious and clean.

The Menu was laminated and reminded me more of a Pub or bistro if you like, rather then brasserie.

When we wanted to order we had some questions about the menu. So we asked the waitress about a particular Chicken dish on the Menu, all she could say that it is a starter, when we pointed out that it is also for $26.00 and available as a Main course and we would like to know if it’s a very spicy dish, the answer was it depends if you like spicy food. I guess that’s where some alarm bells should have rang.

Anyway, the service was attentive but unfortunate had no clue about the menu.

So I ordered a Lamb rump, the roestie was a round hash brown fresh from the freezer in to the fryer and served crispy on the plate, the sauce a Jus made from a bucket of powder, I guess the brand is Knorr or similar, a real shame as the lamb and the walnut crust were quit nice.

My Partner had a Caesar salad the dressing was a French dressing with some anchovies and old garlic in it, bad is an understatement. Lets move on, the Chicken was grilled and dry as New Zealand in a drought, the egg hard boiled (a note for the chef please Google how to make a coddle egg) or at least put a soft poached egg on. Cant remember if she had a Parmesan with it or not. A little tip maybe the Caesar salad should be renamed in to Chefs salad or just make it as it’s supposed to be.

My Stepson had Spaghetti Bolognaise that was not bad at all.

To put it in to a nutshell 2 Adults, 1 Child and a few drinks for $100.00, you can eat in a lot of places much better, or go to an RSA pay less and the food is still better.

by Sue R.
17th July 2012

Monday night so limited patronage.
Ordered Moroccan Lamb rumps on couscous with vegetables!
2 small roasted tomatoes and 4 small slivers of zucchini.
No kumara nor leeks as advertised.
Didn’t order a side of vegetables because way menu read, it came with vegetables.
$29-city prices but not good enough
For additional $10-$12 could have dined at Auckland’s best with tablecloths and a lot more ambiance.
Desert tasty but obviously not made on premises.
Overpriced and over hyped
Won’t go back

by Trish B.
14th July 2012

Excellent service, great ambiance with roaring fire on a cold winter evening. Food was served promptly and was delicious.

by Michelle w.
22nd June 2012

Delicious food! Staff a little slow but young !

by Kelly
26th November 2011

We went to The Fireplace for a family function. The food was average but was only $12 for the lunch special so that was understandable.
We had asked if the restaurant could provide a cake for us and they said no but that we could bring our own which we did but it wasn’t until we left that we were told there was a charge of $15 per cake – so as we had 2 cakes it would be $30. This would have been fine if we were told in advance but we weren’t and this fee was more than the cakes themselves. We would have spent at least $800 between us and they had hardly any other guests while we were there so it seems a bit over the top to charge for the cakes.
They also had a female waitress who was friendly enough but knew nothing, every question she was asked she said she didn’t know.
I would not go back here and would not recommend to others.

by Roger
17th September 2011

A well kept secret in Kumeu!!!

Great meals plenty and beautifully cooked with some very nice desserts.
And we could watch the Irish give Australia a fright.
A quick trip from West Harbour!!!

by Glenis T.
9th May 2011

We just keep going back,staff freindly food the best. the food is the best we have tasted for a while

by vmcn
5th July 2010

Absolutely amazing meals! Well presented and served. Wonderful staff, great evening. We had a meal for two, ordered garlic bread, and two mains with a glass of wine or 2 and the atmosphere was perfect.

by Donna H.
19th February 2010

We are a local tour operator and frequent the Fireplace for our tour lunches. The service is always pleasant and attentive, catering to various requests (e.g. vegetarian or other special diets). We have known Mike (the owner) for several years, and he is very community-minded. The food is of a consistent standard which is very important to our tour business. It is also good value for money with a reasonable selection on the menu. One, (if not the best) venues for lunch/dinner in the Kumeu area.

by Gillian H.
4th December 2009

Went out to dinner with my husband. Staff were attentive. Started with appetisers of garlic bread and fries (which had a nice ‘Fireplace’ seasoning), which were both good. For mains my husband had the scotch, which was cooked to perfection, and I had the pasta, which tasted great and was a huge serving. For dessert I had a chocolate tart with a delicious mint sauce and my husband had the creme brulee, that he said was very good. A really good meal overall. Will definitely go back.

by Tracey
2nd December 2009

We went as a family of 5, we noticed most of the tables were either for 2 people or 4 people. We were taken to a table for four people, these tables didn’t have a large area but are fine for the expected four patrons. However we were 5 people and the waitress was told by the manager or owner to just add another chair, we were cramped for space. A two seater table should have been pulled together to give us the area we really needed. This also happened to another family of 5 who arrived after we did. The restaurant wasn’t busy and we were the only people there, so they weren’t likely to lose other patrons, as there was plenty of tables available. On to the food – simply it was “Awful”. My son said the garlic bread was really nice, I had the battered stuffed mushrooms and they were in, what appeared to be a curried batter, I couldn’t eat it, so I peeled the batter off. The stuffing was horrible, so I ended up eating just the mushrooms and at $10 for 5 it wasn’t good value. My girls had wedges, which were soft and soggy, they both ended up eating about a 1/3 of their meal. The rest of the meal was equally horrendous and we left the restaurant leaving a good half of the food we ordered on our plates. On to the service – it was very good and our waitress did a fine job. Would we go back – No way, none of us liked it and would not go back unless it improved by a huge amount.

by Michelle S.
30th November 2009

Great food, good atmosphere, awesome garlic bread. A little slow with the ordering and first drink but otherwise, lovely staff and a tasty dinner.

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