Ostro Brasserie

Review:

A little narrative before I get to the review. We arrived in Auckland Sunday afternoon and we only had a couple of nights in Auckland. We faced quite a tough task to find a fine dining restaurant that opened on a Sunday night. Luckily, our friend suggested Ostro Brasserie & Bar. When we dined there, the restaurant was still quite reasonably filled. That alone can be a testament on how good the restaurant is!

Appetisers

Ostro Brasserie menu has a good balance between seafood and meats. They also serve a nice mixture of raw and cooked cuisines. Our night got off to a flying start with the delicately crafted Ostro stecca bread. The bread was very crunchy and it was perfectly served with seaweed butter. It was followed by fresh Cloudy Bay clams from the Marlborough region with lemon and shallot vinegar. I was very impressed with the freshness of my first raw clam!

Ostro stecca bread with seaweed butter – $7

Cloudy bay clams Marlborough – $3 each

Our third appetiser was Miso cured salmon. The name itself intrigued us, but then they also added Granny Smith Apple and basil into the mix! It was heavenly fresh!

Miso cured salmon, Granny Smith apple, shallot and basil – $18

Beef Carpaccio was actually the only dish classified as ‘appetisers’ in the menu. We were interested because of the combination of ingredients put into this dish. It included anchovy mayonnaise, black garlic and parmesan!

Beef Carpaccio, anchovy mayonnaise, black garlic, capers, parmesan, herbs and garlic chips – $19

Mains

Our first main was actually the first one I decided to have, because of the bone marrow. I was actually quite curious about the price because a bone marrow for two was priced at $90. Things got a lot clearer when the dish was served. The bone marrow was only its side dish. The main attraction was humongous 750 gr scotch fillets! The full name is Savannah Bone In Scotch. All of their beef cuts come with red wine jus plus a condiment of your choice: Bearnaise, cafe de Paris, Dijon/English/Whole Grain Mustard or Horseradish. You might actually be able to share this dish with two other people.

Savannah Bone in Scotch (for two), bone marrow, caramelised shallot and PX sherry, grass fed, dry aged, 750g – $90

We then had Roast duck ravioli served with parsnip puree, pickled pear and crackling. Had a small bite of the ravioli (it’s not mine!) and I loved how smooth the ravioli was!

Roast duck ravioli, parsnip puree, pickled pear and crackling – $24

Our last main was Canterbury lamb rump with charred aubergine, spring peas, harissa and yoghurt. It was quite a spicy dish, courtesy of the harissa in the mix. The lamb rump itself was beautifully cooked!

Canterbury lamb rump, charred aubergine, spring peas, harissa and yoghurt – $36

If you are a big eater like me, I suggest you to add a couple of side dishes, including its French Fries, they are pretty good and can get you filled up pretty quick.

French Fries Fresh herbs – $9

Clover Club – a legendary pre-prohibition cocktail. Tanqueray, fresh lemon juice, a touch of sugar, egg white and house-made berry compote – $17

The final verdict for Ostro Brasserie & Bar

Our short visit to Auckland became that much more memorable because of Ostro Brasserie & Bar. They served great food, had great service and provided great view!

Did you know?

At first I thought Britomart is some kind of a mall or shopping centre. It actually refers to the Britomart Transport Centre.

They go by the name of Seafarers for their online presence.

Rating for:

8.5 / 10

Taste: 8.5 / 10

Price: $60- $80 per person

Place: 8.5 / 10

Details:

Tyler Street, Britomart, Auckland

+64 9 302 9888

http://www.seafarers.co.nz/