Aubergine - Thorndon

Fantastic flavours. Well presented. Highly recommend.

Had 3 course Christmas Dinner. Great selection of food. Delicious.

We have often dined at Aubergine and have found that the service from the waitress is always very friendly and efficient. She explains the menu very well and is attentive to our requests. The food is fresh and cooked well and we enjoy the relaxed environment with a homely feel We will definitely return Paul and Maureen

The photos of the restaurant on the web were quite deceiving as you couldn't quite tell how dated the interior actually is. We were the only customers there so very quiet. I think the restaurant is supposed to have a French flare, but you couldn't really tell by the lack of French theme or decor. The interior is very tired and has so much potential to be a really quaint restaurant. It also didn't help that the background music was drowned out by the sound of someone washing up the dishes in the exposed kitchen, which had no door to close it off from sight and sound. Very strange being in a restaurant that was trying to be more smart in the front of house, but looking at the back to a very basic ugly kitchen. Our meals were tasty, but not amazing. We had the baked salmon fillet and the lamb rump. The lamb needed a jus or sauce to give it more flavour. The price of the meals (over $30 each) just didn't match up to the condition of the restaurant. I believe the restaurant has been there for about 20 years and it showed. I don't think anything has been done to modernize it and give it more ambience. It would also be a better experience if the waitress dressed up more smartly to make a good impression and was able to speak better English. There was also a table of used glasses and bottles, from previous customers, that never got cleared away for the whole duration we were there, which didn't look great and it's not like they were busy. Sorry to say that I wouldn't go back unless some drastic changes were made.

This restaurant has the best confit duck in the world. And everything else is excellent too. The braised red cabbage side dish has become a favourite, it's delicious. Lovely for a quiet dinner with friends and family, or even just to treat yourself :)

I read through the other reviews before posting mine, and although it seems as if there might have been some QA issues associated with the place, its service and its food in the distant past, our experience seems to align more with other more recent reviews. It was our first time here, so I only have this one experience to go one - but here goes nothing. Apart form the carpet which looked a little warn, the place was really neat and tidy (the carpet was also clean, just wear and tear I guess - but still clean). The table was very presentable with a clean tablecloth, clean glass table top, clean cutlery and clean glasses. you've probably guessed it by now, but the cleanliness of a place goes a really, really long way for me, and you are free to read some of my other reviews to see how I score places that aren't! Anyway, the service was really good, and the waitron was really friendly too - she even picked up on the fact that my wife is expectant, and when placing our food order, took the initiative herself to assure us that all my wife's food would be properly cooked (my wife is a bit of a steak lover). Albeit so, the food orders arrived very promptly, but then I do also have to mention that it was a very quiet day in the restaurant with only one other table for a late lunch around 2 pm. The quality of the food was really good too, and the portion sizes were alright - not too small, but neither too large either (maybe this can improve slightly) as the glass of wine I ordered also felt a little inadequate to qualify as a "glass of wine"). Nevertheless, the food was really tasty and delicious, so the quality did make up for the quantity. For desert we shared a crème brule, which was also really good. The atmosphere in the restaurant was also very tranquil and peaceful, with soft piano music which made for a great quiet afternoon lunch. All things considered, I definitely would recommend having lunch or dinner here, as there is great selection on their all a carte - like escargot, which is a rarity in Wellington. Overall our experience was very enjoyable

Great food!!! And very accommodating

Great food, and a really nice staff member serving us tonight, who was very accommodating to us. Reasonably priced too.