Long Bay Restaurant - North Shore, Auckland

by Elizabeth
(Auckland)

Long Bay Restaurant has been one of our favourite places to dine for many years. We have had several staff Christmas dinners here, take overseas guests, as well as celebrate special occasions. The location combined with excellent food, makes it a popular choice.

Last night we celebrated our wedding anniversary sitting by a window overlooking the beach and park...a beautiful swath of rolling lawn studded with large Norfolk pines and pohutakawa trees. New Zealand's Christmas tree.....so named because the spiky red flowers cover the tree in November and December.

The restaurant has a large deck overlooking the sand and sea for a drink and informal meal. Or you can dine inside at simple tables, with candles and flowers creating an intimate atmosphere.

The food has always been excellent and our latest meal was no exception. We decided against starters....going straight to the main course. I enjoyed Turkey, Brie and Smoked Bacon Roulade - a large succulent piece of turkey rolled around brie, with an outer coating of smoked bacon, sitting on rosti potato. I had asked for this rather than the crispy julienne potatoes. The cranberry glazed baby carrots and fresh asparagus that came with it were delicious.

My husband declared his Char Grilled Eye Fillet just right. Accompanied by zuchinni and whitebait fritter, rosti potato, sauce béarnaise and rich jus, he ordered a bowl of steamed vegetables to go with it.This was a lightly steamed mix of broccoli, cauliflower, apsparagus, baby carrots and beans and there was enough for us to share.


We opted for 12,000 miles 2009 Cabernet France Merlot Malbec wine from Gladstone winery in Carterton. A lovely berry and cherry toned wine with spices coming through..... .... it was surprisingly good with the turkey.

Dessert was a difficult choice. I find it difficult to go past a creme brulee. The Chocolate Creme Brulee was especially good with fresh strawberries marinaded in zuzu liquer piled onto the lovely crispy toffee topping, just how it should be on brulee .

A male choice - the Boyensenberry Crepes brought much acclaim and were devoured with relish by my other half! With extra berries and slices of ice cream I must say I will be tempted with this choice next time.

We decided to pass on coffee, having tossed up about whether to have an affagato. Next time! One thing about Long Bay Restaurant....I know there will always be a next time!