DeBretts Kitchen

DeBretts Kitchen is amazing. On this occasion we had the Restaurant Month set menu but they do similar set menus that timed so you make your film or theatre date. It’s a lovely classy space — nicely designed and often with live music, and the food is to die for. We had melt in your mouth pork belly which I followed with a perfect cooked steak and then a most delicious sticky pud with salted caramel sauce to finish. It’s a smart casual environment — just fancy enough to feel special without being stuffy or making you feel like you’re out of place. Great for a quick drink, a late night dessert or a full meal, you won’t be disappointed at DeBrett’s.

I tried this out because of the Auckland restaurant month. 3 mains for $ 55 was a pretty good deal! For the entrée I picked the crispy pork belly — this was cooked really well, I absolutely adored it. The crackling was crisp and crunchy and the meat was super tender and juicy. For the main I had the grilled scotch fillet — the only downside to this is I wished they had a selection of of cuts we could picked from, even though the meat was cooked really well the cut itself was a bit sinewy. For dessert we all had sticky date pudding — best sticky date pudding I have ever had! The sweetness of the butterscotch sauce was balanced by the tartness of the rhubarb and ginger crumble, the vanilla mascarpone cream was also a treat.

Restaurant is located in a hotel on high street… The exterior looks quite dated. I’be tried both lunch and dinner here, food are above average. Service are okay however parking might not be the easiest. Not sure if I will come back ss there are a lot of new eateries around this area with more woo factors.

It was my friend’s last day in New Zealand and she was craving brunch pretty hard. I looked over a couple of menus through Unilocal and decided on Debrett’s Kitchen since I had been there for coffee and needed some ambiance.
Turned out to be a good choice because she LOVED the ambiance.
I wasn’t super hungry, so I elected to get the shakshuka (free-​range eggs, poached in a spicy tomato sauce), partly because I just wanted to say the name. My friend ordered the smoked kahawai hash cakes, which had poached free range eggs, baby spinach and salsa verde. We ordered a side of pork & fennel sausage as well as «streaky» bacon, which I guess is something put there to make Americans feel at home.
The dishes arrived, my shakshuka on a plank with a ceramic bowl of goodness still cooking. I couldn’t contain myself, and although I know the dish is still hot, I had to taste it. Don’t do that; it burns your taste buds for the remainder of meal. I munched on the pork fennel sausage and streaky bacon whilst my bowl cooled down.
My friend really loved the flavor of the hash cakes. She didn’t talk much over brunch.
Cooled down, the shakshuka was delicious. The tomato sauce was smooth and fresh with a welcome spicy kick at the end. The eggs were exactly what I needed and wanted: filling without being overbearing. My friend saw that I still had some tomato sauce left over and she sopped it up with my bread (still avoiding the grains).
Thumbs up!

From now on, this place is on my lunch places list. Small portions of Starter, main, dessert, as well as a glass of wine. Service and environment r all fantastic. Their cooking is more like a free style, which contains European, kiwi and Asian. FYI, the square lunch menu is also highly recommended for ladies, no matter with ur homies or eat alone.

I have always wondered about DeBrett’s Kitchen @ Hotel DeBrett. The idea of eating at a boutique hotel seamed strange, but after a very kind gesture of a dining voucher from Zomato, I thought this would be a good opportunity to step out of my comfort zone.
DeBretts is currently apart of Akl Restaurant Month, offering an entrée and main for $ 55 — great deal. After looking at the options for restaurant month — only being 2, we decided we would opt for one of the deals and then choose another main meal from the normal menu. We were going to have dessert but I was actually quite full by the end. Complimentary bread was served with a fruity olive oil. Bread was nice but could have been better if served warm.
For the entrée we chose the quail, which is something different. I tend to try items you wouldn’t normally cook at home and may make you feel uncomfortable in order to be surprised. The quail was served with yogurt panna cotta. You would think it’s weird, but it really works. Everything worked pleasantly although the sour cherries were a bit too spiked for my liking. I ordered the market fish which had an Asian influence. This was a really great dish. Beautiful flavours and textures — my only issue was that the fish was just far too salty, which was a shame because everything was cooked perfectly. The lamb rump was a bit disappointing as it just lacked flavour and was a tad chewy. However the braised lamb and olive tapenade was delicious and moorish and we could have just eaten a whole plate of that. It also lacked enough jus for the amount of meat on the plate, for which we actually asked for extra.
Overall the service was friendly and the atmosphere is amazing. The beautiful live jazz music and its warm décor just entrances you — as cheesy as that sounds without any sort of pretentious attitude. I would def recommend Debretts! Great food and service with just a few minor mishaps.
Rating
Food: ⁸⁄₁₀
Service: ⁸⁄₁₀
Value for Money: Good
2 High Street, Auckland
Opening Hours
Breakfast lunch and dinner Mon-​Sun
Weekend High Tea 3−5pm

Stopped here for a quick lunch today and I was delighted to find that they have a square meal deal for $ 35pp including a glass of foxes island wine.
The square meal consists entrée main and dessert all served in appetiser portions at the same time and all on the same tray. The portion size is not small by any means, you will not be left wanting for more that’s for sure.
I had the pork belly. Which was so so tender and it tasted super good with the poached apples and mustard seeds all in the same bite.
So if you are after a quick lunch between 12 – 2. Then kitchen at De Brett is a good choice. The square meal is especially good value for money as long as you don’t do what I did and order more rounds of alcohol.
Will post an update once I sample this place a few more times.

It was a 5 star restaurant for us. The food was so yummy. We ordered a salmon and a steak. They were magical. In the salmon dish, you felt like you were eating the entire ocean. It was so tasty. The steak was in its perfect medium rare. The design of the whole place is beautiful. Yes, definitely 5 stars. It is a bit hard to find as it is hidden inside a hotel.

I had wanted to come here for ages after having frequented the House Bar which is just around the corner from the restaurant in Hotel DeBrett. A went with a friend of mine and it was a meal to remember that is for sure. We did not book a table but were fortunate to get a table located next to a water feature, it was rather tranquil. The waiter we had was really lovely, he really looked after us, the service was second to none. My friend had tuna and I opted for roasted beetroot salad and had rice paper vegan rolls made specially for me after I told the waiter I was vegan. Even the dinner rolls which were bought over with olive oil from The Village Press were incredible. (from Pandoro we were told) The food both looked and tasted incredible and we got to enjoy our meal in a wonderful atmosphere.
To finish we had coffee, the whole experience was so relaxing, one of the best places I have ever dined at. The hotel features an amazing skylight too that we could see from our seats and an arty light which hangs above the indoor walk way which is in keeping with the modern, arty vibe that Hotel DeBrett has. Go to Kitchen, if not for dinner, go for Breakfast or brunch but you must experience Kitchen.