Madhouse Bakehouse, Australia

Update Review, November 2023 & February 2024 Visits

Another few trips to Sydney, more enjoying Madhouse Bakehouse items.  See below for my original reviews.

Baby Cakes.

The first few times I saw the baby cakes, I passed right by them.  They truly didn't look particularly good.  And then I tried one.  And I liked it.  I had them several more times over the course of my time in Sydney, and genuinely enjoyed them every time.  Madhouse also makes full size cupcakes, but I had only the smaller ones, dubbed "baby cakes".

Chocolate Truffle:

"Our dark chocolate mini cupcakes are utterly tantalising with their rich, velvety cake and dark Belgian chocolate ganache. We sprinkle them with colourful, edible confetti."

I actually liked the chocolate one, even though they didn't look great, and were kinda dry.  There was very strong chocolate flavor in the base, even though the color wasn't particularly dark. The frosting was really tasty too, again, great chocolate level.  They must use high quality chocolate.  ****

Vanilla Baby Cakes.

"Each is attractively piped with a sweet buttercream frosting in 3 different colours (white, purple, green) then sprinkled with edible colourful confetti."

Next I tried the vanilla.  I really liked these too.  Good flavor in base, sweet, buttery, and slight tang.  A dense style, not airy, which I prefer.  The different colored buttercreams were all the same flavor, but were enjoyable too, not cloying sweet, just the right balance of butter and sugar.  ****.

I'm not sure if I liked the vanilla or chocolate more, both were great.

Mini Vanilla Cheesecake.

"This creamy baked vanilla cheesecake is the perfect blank canvas to create your favourite tantalising cheesecake of the day. Switch it up from Blueberry, Chocolate, Oreo, Raspberry – the choice is endless!"

The cute little cheesecake here came from Madhouse Bakehouse, the cafe serving it added a drizzle of berry coulis, fresh berries, and boysenberry ice cream.  They clearly took the "perfect blank canvas" description to heart!

The cheesecake was fine.  Reasonably creamy, reasonably cream cheesy, but not particularly notable.  Same with the gluten-free crust.  Very average.  ***.

Chocolate Raspberry Brownie (Gluten-free).

"Our gluten free Raspberry Brownie is a dense, rectangular soft chocolate slice with intense raspberry and chocolate flavours. Lush raspberry swirls are visible through the chocolate and it’s all topped with white chocolate shavings and swirls of raspberry jam."

I have mixed feelings on the gluten-free chocolate raspberry brownie.  On one hand, it absolutely didn't taste gluten-free or strange.  It also was *exactly* as described, with intense raspberry and chocolate indeed.  But ... that intensity actually made me not care for it much.  It was too fruity, too rich, too chocolately.  Not bad by any means, and great texture, but, I didn't really want it.  Better warm with vanilla ice cream to cut the intensity.  ***.

Update Review, May 2015 & 2016 Visits

If you haven't already, I suggest you read my original review from my January / February 2015, and then return here.  I'm skipping all details about the company this time around.  The short version? Packaged cookies and brownies, that are actually quite good.  Who knew?

Cookies

I still don't understand why I like these cookies so much.  As I've said before, I don't really like cookies.  And others who love cookies don't even think these are great.  But I do.

Fig, Roast Hazelnut, and Orange Cookie. (May 2015)

I decided to try more of these cookies on my next visit to Australia, since the desserts in our cafes were pretty lackluster, and, unlike my visit during the summer, I wasn't exactly craving ice cream this time around.

I started with the interesting sounding fig, roast hazelnut, and orange cookie.  Like the Raspberry, Coconut, & White Chocolate it had a sweet, buttery base.  Yes, it was a crispy cookie, but, it was still good.  The bits of dried fig gave further pops of sweetness and a texture change, and I really liked the roast hazelnut chunks.  The orange though I didn't like, and the entire cookie was flavored with orange oil.  I'm not one for orange (or other citrus) desserts in general.

If it wasn't for the orange oil, I would have actually quite liked this, which is shocking since it is a cookie.

**+.

Fig, Hazelnut & Orange. (2016)

The fig, hazelnut, & orange quickly made its way to the bottom of my list.

I don't tend to like orange/lemon/lime flavors in desserts, so, that was obviously part of the problem, and I'll admit that the orange flavor was well done, if you like that.

The bits of hazelnut were fine for crunch, but the fig was just too chewy, and the base to this one was boring and offered nothing.

No need to try this one again.

**.

Smarty Pants. (May 2015)

This is a playful cookie, the least interesting flavor-wise of any that I tried, but good in its simplicity.  No dried fruit, seeds, or creative ingredients.  Instead, just chocolate chips and Smarties.

The Smarties added color and were somewhat perfectly distributed on top.  I wonder if I lucked out, or, if they really do these by hand or something?

The cookie itself, like all the Madhouse cookies, was crispy, buttery, sugary.  It was basic, yes, but, I really do like their cookie base.  The chocolate chips were large size, milk chocolate.  The Smarties were just Smarties, so nothing notable there, except that the extra chocolate was nice.

So overall, another decent cookie, that surprised me again.

***+.

Milk Chocolate & Roasted Hazelnut. (May 2015).

Another decent cookie.  I just don't understand why I like these.  They are packaged, crispy cookies!  And a chocolate one at that?

But the base is buttery and sweet, with a nice cocoa flavor. The little bits of roasted hazelnut add a great crunch and flavor.  Hard to go wrong with the chocolate and hazelnut combination.

***+.

Update review:  This was still a very good packaged cookie, with a great hazelnut flavor, salty even?  But, a hard, crispy cookie, not really my ideal dessert.  ***+.

Triple Chocolate. (2016)

It had been several years since I had the Triple Chocolate, as it was one of my least favorites before, but, one day, it was the only kind available, so, I went for it.

And, like many of the others, I basically liked it, against all odds.  Dry, hard, crumbly cookie and all.  Not my thing, on paper.  But it had a good cocoa flavor.  Nice sized chunks of white, milk, and dark chocolate.  I loved "discovering" them throughout.  Great with a cup of coffee.  Great dipped in whipped cream.  

I'll get another. ***+.

Brownies

The coffee shop in the building also sources several of the brownies.  For the foodservice industry, Madhouse Bakehouse sells them by the slab, so they were nicely cut down into little squares for us.  Of course, this just made me feel guilty when I took two brownies at a time.  But really, they were small, who eats a brownie that size?

Triple Chocolate Brownies.

These things were decadent and awesome.  So rich and fudgey.  I don't usually pick brownies as my dessert of choice, but these were shockingly good, particularly for a product that wasn't fresh.  I especially enjoyed them topped with whipped cream (shhh, don't tell anyone!)

***+

White Chocolate & Macadamia Brownie.

The blondies were also shockingly good.  I only tried them because the chocolate ones were so amazing and one day they had no chocolate.

The base blondie was perfectly sweet, with little pops of sweetness from the white chocolate.  The macadamia chunks added a great crunch.  And the powdered sugar on top amped up the sweetness even further.  Quite successful!

***+.

Original Review, Jan/Feb 2015 Visit

Madhouse Bakehouse is a commercial bakery in Australia.  They produce goods for cafes, hotels, airlines, caterers, etc country-wide, including Qantas.  Although they are a large commercial bakeshop, they do not use mixes or preservatives, and make everything from scratch.

Their products range from cookies and brownies, to "slices" and cakes, plus granola, muesli, and breakfast breads.  Each product line has a large variety inside of it, like the brownies, which includes interesting flavors such as ginger with caramelized white chocolate, and a large selection of gluten-free options.

 My office in Sydney stocked a few of their cookies, so I was able to try several of those, but I never encountered any of their other products, so I can't evaluate those.  The cookies were great, and I'm not a cookie person at all, so I would really love to try some of the other items, like the slices, in particular, the honeycomb slice!  I love honeycomb (another Australian discovery)!

Raspberry, Coconut, & White Chocolate Cookie.

Ok, like I said, I'm not a cookie person.  Sometimes I enjoy a cookie, but in the realm of desserts, I will never pick a cookie.  But, my office cafes, while wonderful for the savory cuisine, really, really didn't make very good desserts.  After a few weeks in Sydney, I was seriously needing good dessert.  I was getting desperate.

So I tried a Madhouse cookie.  Now, back to my general lack of interest in cookies.  The only cookies I ever like are soft ones (or, perhaps, ones coated in icing), fresh out of the oven, still warm.  I never like hard style cookies.  I never like packaged cookies.  Why on earth did I try this?  Again.  Desperate.

But, I was rewarded for trying.  It was really, really good!  Yes, it was a hard, crispy style cookie.  But the base was buttery and sweet, really pleasant, loaded with coconut for a bit of crunch.  There was a generous amount of little bits of dried raspberry, super flavorful.  The only disappointing part was the white chocolate, there were only two chips in the entire cookie!  I wanted more creamy, sweet, white chocolate.

Anyway, this was a complete surprise.  I loved it, and devoured it.  I wish I had discovered these earlier on in my visit.

****.

Dark Chocolate, Pistachio & Sour Cherry Cookie.

I also tried the chocolate, pistachio, and sour cherry cookie.

It was again a hard style cookie, a bit too crumbly for my taste.  I did like the bits of dark chocolate, the crunch of the pistachio, and flavor from sour cherry.

But, not my sort of thing at all, and I handed it off to Ojan. **+.

Update: I tried another.  I again didn't like it.  Hard cookie.  Crumbly. Bitter from pistachio.  The dark chocolate bits were the only thing I liked. **.

Triple Chocolate Cookie.

Next up was the Triple Chocolate Cookie.  It featured, well, three types of chocolate: white, milk, and dark.

The base was about the same as the other chocolate cookie, hard, crispy style, too crumbly.  It had a subtle cocoa flavor to it.  The other chocolates came as chips, all of which were unremarkable.

My least favorite of the cookies. **.

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Menzies Bar & Bistro, Sydney

Update Review, November 2023 Visit

Yup, another trip to Sydney.  My November trip was pretty busy, and I only managed to go out with friends once in the entire time I was there (I know, lame me, but, I did have plenty of tasty food, mostly takeout or just fast casual dining on my own).  For my one real adventure, I made a return trip to Menzies Bar with two others, a place I had been to only once before, but had one particularly memorable dish that made it worth a return for me.  See below for my original review to start.

This visit was on a Tuesday evening, when Menzies had a live jazz quartet playing, which created a nice vibe.  The place was just over half full, so certainly not as busy as our previous Friday night visit.  Service was quite good for Sydney, reasonably attentive.  The meal was fine, but not great, and unless someone wants to go back again, I think it has fallen off my repeat visit list.  There sadly wasn't a single dish I'd want to get again, although some had good components.

Coconut & Yuzu Sour. $26.

"1800 Coconut Tequila, Yuzu, Suze, Pine, Fresh Lemon."

We all started with cocktails, which matched the vibe really well.  I enjoyed watching the bartender in action, as he was definitely a bit of a showman, tossing the shaker into the air, catching it with ease, shaking it up high, etc, etc.  He also came over to talk to me personally about my watermelon allergy, as they have a watermelon cocktail on the menu, and I appreciated the extra reassurance of the precautions he could take, and acknowledgement of those he couldn't.

My cocktail had a classy and slightly dainty look to it.  The floater of ... pine? was an extra touch of class, rather perfectly placed.  The drink was very coconut forward, with decent sour notes from the yuzu.  Not too sweet.  Certainly an interesting drink, a bit in the realm of a margarita, but, with a more complex sour, and the addition of coconut.  I tasted the sour and coconut more than the tequila though, and would have liked it to be a touch more boozy.  Overall, fine, but not something I'd get again.  ***.  

Kingfish. $24.

"Saffron, Tomato, Desert Lime."

We opted to share a few small plates.  One diner, a vegetarian who eats some raw fish (but not a real pescatarian), selected the kingfish.  I believe this was my first time having kingfish.

The fish itself was clearly fresh and high quality.  Served properly chilled.  Nice firmness.  A more mild fish than I was expecting from the color.  

The menu said there was tomato in the dish, and saffron, and desert lime (a local Australian fruit).  The puree that looked like passion fruit was likely the vibrant yellow color from the saffron, but I didn't actually taste saffron.  I didn't taste tomato either, but perhaps yellow tomatoes were used in that puree?  Were the little seeds the desert lime?

Mostly, it was just a nice mild raw sashimi, with decent quality olive oil, and not quite enough seasoning.  Fine, but not remarkable.  ***.  

Fritto Misto. $24.

"Parsley, Aioli."

Next up, we ordered a special starter, whole stuffed grilled squid, but, alas, the kitchen had sold out of it.  I was fairly heartbroken, as I had nearly ordered a whole grilled squid a few days prior from a Thai restaurant, and had been craving it since.  So we went for the fritto misto, a dish I had sorta wanted on my prior visit.

The mix was mostly calamari rings, with one or two bodies, and one or two shrimp.  I had the rings and one small shrimp.  All were lightly battered, and well fried, not too greasy.  All were aggressively salted.  I know, "chef's palette" and all, but, it really was quite one note.  Too heavy in the salt.  The batter wasn't particularly flavorful.  Same with the aioli, very plain.  The lemon was juicy and nice to drizzle over it.

Overall, fine execution of the battering and frying, but, besides too much salt, not really a flavorful dish.  I wouldn't get this again, and only had a couple pieces.  **+.

Special: Chicken Liver Parfait / Smoked Salmon Roe. $12.

Next up was the dish I was most excited for, the chicken liver parfait.  I knew it wasn't exactly the same as the very memorable chicken liver eclair from my last visit, but, nonetheless, I love a good liver dish, and they had clearly proven capable of doing a great one before.

When the dish arrived, I was a bit surprised by the composition of the dish.  I thought it would be a cute little parfait, like, served in a small parfait glass, to be consumed with a tiny spoon.  Instead, it was really just a chicken liver mousse on top of a bread component, canape style.  

The chicken liver mousse was great.  Very creamy, light liver flavor.  I loved the salmon roe on top for the additional pop of flavor and salty component.  ****+ toppings.

But ... the bread disk under it ... now that I truly, truly did not like.  It was crispy, which was nice, but, it was so, so, so oily.  I'm still not sure how it was possibly as oily as it was.  Biting into it left my entire mouth coated in a film.  It ruined the next bite, because all I could taste was the oil.  My dining companion who also had one of these remarked at how bad this component was.  0 stars for the base.

Its hard for me to rate this overall, because, 1) I was sad it wasn't the type of parfait I was expecting, and 2) the base and topping were so polar opposites in terms of enjoyment.  I was tempted to order another, and just ask for no base.  I really did love the liver itself.

Asparagus. $22.

"Stratcciatella, Bottarga."

I love asparagus.  Asparagus is not in season where I live.  I was overjoyed to see it on the menu.  Even more excited to see it came with stratcciatella and bottarga.

The asparagus itself was well prepared.  Large thick whole pieces.  Juicy, not woody, lightly al dente, not mushy.  Lightly grilled, more smoke would have been even better.  But still, yay, asparagus.  ***+.

The stratcciatella was a nice creamy component, but wasn't really as flavorful as I'd hoped.  It didn't really taste like anything.  Maybe my palette was just blown from the salt in the calamari and the oil slick from the liver parfait?  I kept going back for a bit more, wanting it to be more than it was.  **+.  The bottarga shavings added a touch of salt and flavor.

Overall, I was happy to have asparagus, but there wasn't much special about this dish either.  ***.

Strozzapretti Primavera. $28.

"Zucchini Flower, Peas, Basil."

Menzies is actually reasonably well known for their pastas.  I was pretty much done at this point, but my companions wanted pasta.  The vegetarian had only one choice, this primavera.

The plating of this was lovely, with zucchini flowers draped over the top.  The pasta was nicely cooked, al dente on the softer side.  Reasonably creamy sauce.  Not as vegetable forward as I'd expect from a primavera name, but it did have a few peas and small pieces of shaved green vegetable ... maybe zucchini? Maybe asparagus?

A kinda boring dish, but reasonably well prepared.  **+.

Pasta Special. $36.

"Fussili, baby octopus, black olives".

My other dining companion selected the pasta special, which featured baby octopus.  That part drew me in, although the red sauce and black olives somewhat turned me away.

It came smothered in bread crumbs, which added a bit of texture, but also made it eat a bit dry.  The pasta was perfectly al dente.  Kudos to them on that.  What was fascinating was the baby octopus.  It was soft.  As in, truly soft.  Not just tender, but, legit soft.  Octopus can so often be chewy or rubbery, and this was as far from that as you can get.  It ... melted in the mouth.  My brain was so confused, as it definitely expected more bite from it, and having the pasta have more bite than the octopus was just odd.  It wasn't bad, it was just unexpected, and unlike anything I've had before.  As I expected, I wasn't really into the tomato sugo sauce nor black olives.  The pasta was well coated in sauce though, not too saucy, but all equally got a light coat.

This gets a point for well executed pasta, and for fascinating octopus (I still want to know how they did that ... was it slow braised for hours?), but isn't the flavor profile I'd go for, and, I just wasn't in the mood for pasta at that point.  ***+ for execution and fascination, **+ in terms of my own taste.

Sky Bar: Zeppole. $18.

After dinner, our group moved upstairs to Sky Bar, another establishment owned by the same folks and part of the same restaurant group.  We had cocktails and dessert up there, since the dessert menu at Menzies was lacking anything not caffeinated.

THE GREEN HORNET. $26.

"Don Julio Blanco Tequila, Makrut Lime Leaf, Lime Sherbet, Pomelo, Pandan, Green Chartreuse, Fresh Lemon."

I had another cocktail, which I seem to have forgotten to take a photo of.  It was really quite good - strong booze, interesting complex sour notes.  I didn't taste pandan, but the rest - lime sherbet, pomelo, lemon, green chartreuse - came through nicely.  A well balanced cocktail, perhaps a touch sweet, but, good.  I'd consider getting it again.  ***+.

Zeppole.

"Drunken raisins, cream."

Because I can't resist ending a meal on a sweet note, even when I'm pretty stuffed, I ordered the zeppole from Sky Bar.  As you can tell, the lighting was unfortunate, but the serving was 4 small rings, covered in sticky caramel, with some boozy large raisins.  The zeppole were fine - moist, hot, fresh, but not particularly flavorful.  A neutral base.  The caramel was very, very sticky, the kind that makes everything get stuck together, including your teeth.  Sweet, tasty, but, not an enjoyable style to actually eat.

The cream was thick and rich, well spiced, and my favorite part.  I think it might have had mascarpone in it?  Overall, the zeppole themselves, ***, caramel **, cream ****.  I would not get these again.

Original Review, August 2022 

"Spread over three levels, Shell House is an unparalleled hospitality experience in the Sydney CBD, combining both indoor and outdoor settings over 1,250 sqm of space. This includes a ground floor bar, the Menzies Bar, the Shell House Dining Room and Terrace, and the Clocktower Bar on level 9 and the Shell House Sky Bar on Level 10."

The Shell House is a new dining/drinking complex (er, "hospitality experience") in Sydney, opened in late 2021.  A big renovation project of an entire building, with 3 different bar concepts, plus a fine dining restaurant.  I'm not sure how it hit my short list of places to check out during my first visit to Sydney in 2.5 years, but, I'm glad it did.

My group of four was able to get a booking for a Friday night slot at one of the bars at 5pm, but I was told very clearly we had a 2 hour table limit, that there is a 12 hour advance cancel policy, and tables are given up after 10 minutes of being late.  They aren't messing around here (although, we did stay for nearly 3 hours ...).

Service was a mixed bag - very attentive at first, and then entirely absent for chunks of time.  Per Sydney standards, really.  Our first round of food came quickly once we ordered, the main dishes had quite a lag.  Getting the bill at the end required effort on our part, which I didn't expect as we were well past our table time limit.

Service aside, I'll gladly return, and would love to try any of the other Shell House establishments too.

Setting

"Paying homage to the legendary Menzies Hotel, The Menzies Bar is a true labour of love, where obsession with history, hospitality and good times are woven together to deliver a bar legitimately unique to the Sydney CBD. Wrapping the bustling corner of Carrington and Margaret Street, the European inspired bar and bistro showcases a menu of snacks, smaller and larger plates, along with a show stopping cocktail selection and a thumping wine list, available all day and late into the night. "

Each space at the Shell House has a unique vibe, menu, and focus.  I selected Menzies Bar for my group, as it had a fairly large and appealing food menu, although the other bars have more interesting cocktail menus, and, given their level 9 and 10 locations, definitely better views.  This is Julie's dining club after all, I think you know my priority.

Entrance.

The Shell House sits on the corner of Carrington and Margaret Streets.  Each venue has a unique entrance, each with a bouncer, and most, with velvet ropes to line up at.  When you arrive, well, you feel like you have "arrived" ... if you can get in.  Bookings basically mandatory, and I think they kinda screen for looking the part.  Most of the time, with a booking you aren't getting in (even just to look around, we wanted to see the Clocktower Bar space, just to see the vibe difference, but, nope!).

Menzies Bar & Bistro is on the ground floor, easy to locate.

Interior.

Inside you'll find, well, a bar, the main focal point, which takes up the entire center of the space, with seating wrapping around the whole thing.  Tables for 2-4 make up the exterior of the space.  Bookings are required for each type of seating.  We opted for table seating, and were given a fantastic table in the corner, out of the flurry of activity.

The vibe was definitely happening, the noise level is "energetic", and basically, the place was bustling from the moment we arrived at 5pm for our booking, until we left 3 hours later (well past our 2 hour time limit on our table, oops).  I'd love to see how the other spaces compare, as this was definitely the one for those who wanted the see and be seen vibe, and didn't mind speaking loudly to be heard by their dining companions.

Food & Drink

The menu at Menzies focuses on smaller share plates to match the bar vibe, but ... think very upscale bar bites, not your standard fare. Oysters, crudo, and unique fine dining share plates fill this section of the menu.  There are a few sides (salad, fries, veggies), and a handful of main dishes (yes, you *can* get a burger if you really want), and a fairly minimal dessert menu (just a single chocolate dessert, a cheese platter, and affogato).  The same menu is served at lunch and dinner.

Most tables seem to at least get a few share plates, although you can certainly go just for drinks, or just for drinks and dessert, if you please.

Dinner.

Our group opted for a full dinner (no dessert, just given the rather meh lineup), each with our own starter from the share plates section, and a main dish.  We started with a round of cocktails/beer and then moved into the extensive wine list (it is shared with the other Shell House establishments, so there are some good options on there).

Our meal was very good - it is clear this kitchen has skill, and the menu has some very nicely designed dishes.  I'll gladly return to try more, or, honestly, just to get the amazing chicken liver eclairs again!

Black Cat Fever. $22.

"Cognac, Bulleit Bourbon, Dubonnet, Oloroso Sherry, PX, Salted Maple, Cacao Nib."

I started the evening with a cocktail, and was drawn in to one from their custom cocktail menu as it featured many things I like: cognanc, bourbon, salt, maple ... um, sure?  Add in sherry, Dubonnet, and more, and it was bound to be an interesting time, right?

And it was.  Served with a rather comical amount of ice, this was a very booze forward drink, and required slow sipping.  I didn't taste any distinct notes of cognac nor bourbon, but, it was balanced in its own way.  Interesting, different, but not something I'd get again.

**+.

After cocktails, our group moved into bottles of wine, which I didn't get details of, but, were pretty fabulous.  I was with folks with good taste in wine, and I definitely benefited form their choices.

To Share: Chicken Liver. $16.

"Eclair, Trout Roe, Amaro Jelly."

There were several reasons why I picked Menzies as our destination, but, this dish alone was probably the number one.  I love liver mousse and pate, I obviously like pastries, and I'd seen photos of this, and it sounded totally and completely like something I'd love.

My group of 4 contained one vegetarian, and one who didn't like liver, but that worked well, as a serving was two eclairs.

To Start: Chicken Liver Eclair.

I took my eclair with glee.  It looked as good as the Instagram shots I had seen.

And it tasted ... even better.

The base was a classic little eclair: choux pastry, light and airy.  So much more interesting than your standard crostini or cracker, or even brioche, that comes with more pate or mousse.  And then on top, so much rich, creamy chicken liver.  The balance was perhaps a bit off, as some of my bites were a bit too heavy.  A little of that very rich mousse went a long way and there wasn't enough eclair to pair with it, but, I loved the mousse.  It tasted strongly of liver, which I wanted, but also was so enriched with cream that it was luxurious at the same time.  I'm not quite sure where the Amaro jelly was, I had expected a little layer of it somewhere, or perhaps inside the eclair, and I think it would have been nice to have that complimentary flavor, but the trout roe on top did a nice job of adding an additional focal point and pop (literally) of flavor.

Overall, I really enjoyed this, and savored it in rather small bites.  It was a unique spin on chicken liver.  That said, I think small improvements could be made - perhaps a little less mousse or larger eclair, or even actually stuffing the eclair, and I did wonder about that seemingly absent jelly ... 

It paired beautifully with my wine, and I'd get this again in a heartbeat, even with its slight downfalls.  ****.

To Share: Yellowtail Crudo. $28.

"Cucumber, Smoked Pil Pil, Wasabi, Caviar."

The non-vegetarian, non-liver eating diner choose the yellowtail crudo for their starter.  I didn't try it, but, it looked delicate, fresh, and well plated.  They seemed to enjoy it, and I did hear mention of how nice the caviar was for a bit of pop.

To Share: Spiced Eggplant. $16.

"Pastilla, Whipped Chickpea Cream."

The vegetarian option for a starter was a spiced eggplant pastilla, also served as a pair, with "whipped chickpea cream', that looked like a lighter style of hummus.  It looked reasonably crispy although perhaps a touch greasy and a shade or two darker than I'd want.  I didn't hear much comment on it.

To Share: Potato & Scallop Tart. $30.

"Roasted Garlic, Anchovy & Watercress."

For my main, given my odd sense of jetlag and random eating all day, I decided to get another share plate, but for myself.  I knew from having seen photos that it would be four scallops, which seemed about right for how I was feeling, hunger-wise.

The dish basically looked as I expected - four lightly seared scallops, perched atop some potato puree, with crispy potatoes standing up, and herbs all around.  Now, if I hadn't seen photos in advance, and expected something more, um, tart like, I'm sure I'd be confused, but, I knew that going in.  Why they call it a tart, I really don't know.

Anyway, after the glory of the chicken liver eclair, and compared to how my fellow diner's dishes looked, this was a bit lackluster.  The scallops were only very lightly seared, I'd like a harder sear, more caramelization.  They were a fairly small size, obviously bigger than bay scallops, but not quite what I'd expect from sea scallops, and had no real flavor to them.  They were tender, and not rubbery nor overcooked, but, were just a bit boring.

The same with the potato elements.  The puree was smooth and creamy, the chips crispy, but ... nothing really stood out.  I'm not sure where the roasted garlic nor anchovy were, which is a shame, as those would be great flavors to have accent this.  The watercress was a bit overwhelming.

So overall, nothing was poorly executed, but the dish just didn't offer much.  ***.

Main: Murray Cod. $46.

"Asparagus, Wild Mushroom, Sauce Vin Jaune."

The murray cod looked gorgeous.  It looked amazing in Instagram photos I had seen, and just as good in person.  If I had wanted a full size entree, there is no question I would have gotten this. The skin looked perfectly crisp, the fish moist and glistening, and, asparagus, mild mushrooms, and cream sauce are some of my favorite things.  If I were to return to Menzies, I'd certainly consider this dish.

Main: Braised Beef Cheek. $45.

"Paris Mash & Roasted Shallot Red Wine Jus."

The other diner oped for the braised beef cheek, and it too looked top notch.  It pulled apart easily with his fork, looked crazy tender, and was nicely sauced.  Another dish I'd gladly try sometime.

I didn't get a photo of the buccatini our vegetarian diner ordered.  It looked, well, like pasta with red sauce and some cheese.

Read More...

New Air New Zealand Lounge, Sydney

Update Reviews, November 2023 and February 2024 visits

This year, my visits to the Air New Zealand lounge in Sydney were around 11:30am, so I completely missed the breakfast (swapped out at 10:30am) that I really do generally enjoy.  The change for me was because I was flying United rather than Air New Zealand, and the time of year meant my departing flight wasn't until 2pm (as opposed to 1pm other times of year, or 12pm if I fly with Air New Zealand).  The lunch offerings really are just blah compared to their breakfast offerings.

November 2023

Anzac Biscuits / Chocolate Chip Cookies.

The same two types of cookies/biscuits as always, dry hard styles, that I didn't try.

Salad Bar.

A small salad bar with fresh crisp romaine, tomatoes, two kinds of olives, cheese, sunflower seeds.  There was a mushy pasta salad that I didn't care for, and a quinoa salad I didn't try.

Pickled beets, cauliflower, carrots, etc.

I was really excited to see a jar of pickled things, including slices of carrots, big hunks of cauliflower, and beets.  I grew up in a pickling family, and love most pickled things.  However, this was ... meh.  Far too sour, far too acidic, a quick pickle.  The bite to the veggies was good, and I appreciated the mix, but, meh to the actual taste.  **.

Argentinian Beef Stew.

The hot main dish was beef stew, that I stayed away from.

Rice.

I did not try the rice.

Lentil Stew / Cheesy Paprika Cauliflower.

The lentil stew I didn't try as I loathe lentils, and it was later replaced with vegetarian ravioli.

I did try the cauliflower, which said it was cheesy, but didn't really seem to be, and was just oily mush. **.

Cheese Platter.

The cheese platter had a soft cheese and a hard cheese, neither labelled.  I did try the gherkins, and, much like the pickled mix, they just weren't a style I liked. **+.

Bacon & Cheese Muffin.

The only muffin at lunch time is mini savory bacon and cheese muffins.  I found it overly greasy, spongy, and not very good. **+.

Mixed Berries Bar cake.

I hadn't seen this item before, a mixed berry bar cake, that looked a bit like a muffin bar form.

Chocolate Chip Scone.

Only one scone type at lunch, chocolate chip, which had jam and whipped cream optional on the side.

It was fairly ho-hum, with small chips and not that many of them, and no real tang to the base.  A medium hard style. I think it would be better warm, and certainly was much better with copious amounts of whipped cream. ***.

Black Forest Cake.

Two cakes were on offer, the same black forest and mixed berry cakes from my past few visits.  I didn't try either.

Rice Crackers.

The only snack available up at the bar / barista now is rice crackers (or pretzels).  Long gone are the days of lollies or even marshmallows.

I did try the rice cracker mix, and was pleased with the variety of pieces, all different shapes and colors, but all were fairly generic taste, and a bit stale.  I had hoped for some seasoning to these. **+.

I tried them again three months later, and they were equally stale and boring.

February 2024

My flight wound up delayed, so I needed up eating a bit more savory food this visit, as it became clear that I shouldn't wait for my onboard meal for lunch.

Salmon Mousse with Dill Finger Sandwich.

I've never tried the sandwiches in the Air New Zealand lounge before, and I'm not a sandwich person, but I had a sandwich in the United Polaris lounge on the way to Sydney that I actually enjoyed (ok, I had some of the fillings that is), and I really strangely was in the mood.  I also had some great salmon mousse canapes at the Sheraton Grand in Sydney, and had some hope here.

The sandwich wasn't great.  The bread was actually fine, nice soft sandwich bread, not stale or hard.  The salmon did have a decent amount of dill, but it was fairly fishy and mushy.  Meh.  **.

Miso roasted eggplant on baguette.

Up next was a little open faced miso roasted eggplant on a baguette slice.  It also had a slaw.  The toppings were fairly tasty, soft roast eggplant, yummy enough.  ***.

There was also a chicken salad finger sandwich I didn't try.

Crackers.

I do like the spiced lavosh crackers, these were the same brand my hotel had in the lounge most nights.  ***+.

Hummus, baba ganoush, tatzaki and veggie cups.

I don't think I had seen the dip and veggie cups before, but I didn't try them.

Roast sweet potato & freekeh salad with harisa yogurt / Seasoned salad leaves.

I didn't try the basic mixed greens salad with shredded carrots and tomatoes, although I'd consider it in the future if I wanted a light bite.

I momentarily thought the other one was pumpkin/squash and not sweet potato, and was excited, but, alas, I wasn't in the mood for sweet potato, and don't care for harisa.

Broccoli, raisin, & fried capers salad / Classic Greek Salad.

I was pretty excited to see the next salad offering, a broccoli salad with raisins that sure sounded and looked a bit like my favorite Whole Foods broccoli crunch salad.  I eagerly took some, but ... alas, the broccoli was super soft, the dressing was very sweet, and I didn't taste the fried capers.  *.

I didn't try the greek salad, that while labelled "classic" sure seemed to have an extensive number of red and green pepper slices.

Pineapple & Coconut Bar Cake.

There were no muffins on offer this late in the day (they seem to no longer even offer a single sweet and savory muffin post-10:30), but a "bar cake" was available, pineapple and coconut flavored.  My previous visit, it was "mixed berry".

I tried it, mostly drawn by the chocolate drizzle, and the allure of something I hadn't tried yet.

It was actually much better than I expected, although I didn't exactly have high hopes having tried every single muffin and scone variety they have offered over the years.  It was a very soft cake, that sorta seemed gluten-free, but wasn't labelled as such.  You could taste the coconut, but I didn't taste pineapple.  The chocolate drizzle was good quality chocolate.  It went really nicely with a coffee as a late-morning snack.  I'd probably get it again. ***+.

Chocolate Chip Scones / Whipped Cream / Jam.

I finally took my own advice, and didn't actually have one of the chocolate chip scones.  They always let me down.  I did of course still enjoy the whipped cream (with the cake instead).  

Chipotle Mushroom & Eggplant / Roast Cabbage & Carrot with Confit Garlic.

The hot food in the Air New Zealand lounge usually is fairly appealing in terms of what it is, but, I find it very hit or miss in terms of enjoyment.

Both of these turned out better than I expected.  The mushrooms were just boring basic button mushrooms, but the eggplant was nicely roasted, and the chipotle was more just like a bbq sauce.  Not necessarily what I want on my eggplant, but, not offensive. 

The cabbage was well cooked, and although it said just "cabbage and carrot" it also had green beans, that weren't too mushy (although I do prefer more al dente).  The green beans did still have the string on them though, which made them a bit tough to eat.  Confit garlic was tasty, but not much of it. 

Basically, all slightly better than expected, but still just buffet quality.  High ***.

Beef Something.

I didn't catch the name of this dish, but it was something beef.  I didn't try it.

Opera Cake / Strawberry Mousse Cake.

I've somehow never tried the lounge desserts before, despite being a huge dessert girl.  The thing is, I'm actually usually looking forward to double desserts on the flight (ice cream and whatever the other choice is, I always manage to snag both, no matter what airline), I usually get drawn in by the scones and whipped cream in the lounge, and I had stopped by the Kurimo popup again at PappaRich to get another decadent filled croissant.  I also generally stay at the Sheraton Grand which had a slew of desserts every night in the lounge AND I love so many places in Sydney for gelato/ice cream/Asian desserts/etc, so the lounge mediocre desserts never seem to tempt me, but ... my flight got massively delayed, and thus, captive audience Julie had all the desserts.

First up, the opera cake.  This was actually pretty good.  I don't generally find opera cake to be very interesting, but this one had a really well soaked sponge layer that was more akin to tiramisu with a great coffee flavor, and kept it quite moist.  The coffee buttercream was decent but not great, and the chocolate ganache very Hershey syrup sort of flavor, but the soaked sponge put this above most other opera cake.  ***.

Next, strawberry mousse.  This was an odd creation.  The mousse had a light and airy consistency, but it wasn't a pleasant one.  It was a "what is wrong with this exactly?" sort of texture.   Far from creamy.  It did have a decent strawberry flavor.  The strawberry gel on top was actually pretty flavorful, fruity, sweet, nice.  The cake was very moist in an off putting way.  But it certainly didn't go together in a way that made sense, and the "mousse" had just too odd of a texture for me.  Almost good, but, just a bit off.  **+.

Update Review, March 2023

Another visit to Sydney, another visit to the Air New Zealand lounge.  

This time I was flying with United, rather than Air New Zealand, but luckily they are partners, and thus I was able to visit the Air New Zealand lounge in the Sydney airport.  My flight on United was an hour later than my usual New Zealand flight (1pm vs 12pm), so I didn't *really* need to be at the airport early enough to make it to the lounge before the breakfast switchover (promptly at 10:30am on the dot!), but check-in, bag drop, and security were quite fast, and thus, I made it in the door at 10:28am, and was thrilled to get a chance to grab some of my breakfast lineup favorites before the swap.

Things had changed a bit since my last visit in August (review below), but, I was still quite pleased with my visit.  I didn't end up going back for the lunch lineup, opting to stay in the Singapore Airlines lounge next door instead, so I can't report on the lunch hot items (the sandwiches were brought out as part of the mid-morning spread, but I didn't partake).

Yogurt Bar.

You've long heard me rave about the magical yogurt pots in the Sydney Air New Zealand lounge.  Seriously, they are just, well, the best yogurt I've ever had.  I wish I could find out the brand.

This year, my flight was an hour later, and thus, it didn't really make sense to be in the lounge at breakfast time.  But I still did manage to catch literally the last two minutes (10:28am-10:30am) of breakfast service, so I could snag some of that precious yogurt.

At first, when I arrived, I thought I was too late.  Where were my little pots of joy?!  I didn't see them in the buffet.  But my initial panic was not necessarily, it just turns out, they've turned it into a DIY yogurt bar, with three kinds of yogurt as a base (greek, low fat, coconut), and tons of toppings, rather than composed little pots.

I tried both the greek and low fat yogurts, and enjoyed them both.  Super creamy, the Greek yogurt nicely tangy, the other a bit sweet.  Both just lovely yogurts.  They didn't even need toppings really.

But, the toppings!  Omg.  Before the little pots always had a fruit compote or crumble added, and now I got to do it myself.  There was no fresh fruit, but there was poached peach, orange marmalade, passionfruit, berry compote, and berry coulis for fruity options, plus lots of crunchy things like nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, coconut, and two kinds of crumble ("butter crumble" and "housemade granola").

I liked the passionfruit sauce, and did not try the other fruity options, but all looked pretty good.  I actually quite like the "activated almonds", which were softer, and wet.  And I adored both crumbles, the housemade granola was sorta like a dessert topping, and the butter crumble was entirely a dessert topping.  Both great. The mini chocolate chips were nice to have too.

Overall, I loved my yogurt bowls - both the yogurts were equally great, as were all the toppings I tried.  *****.  Worth a little extra airport time to catch this!

Bircher Muesli.

I still fondly remember liking the bircher muesli, but just like my last visit, I didn't care much for it this time.  Rather mushy, and just too spiced in a way I didn't care for.  That said, next door, Singapore Airlines has fantastic muesli, so, my muesli needs were still well met.

**.

Mango & Banana Muffin.

The sweet mini muffin of the day was mango & banana.  Last time it was a Banana, Coconut, & Chocolate Muffin, which I did think was ok.

It was not great.  Mild banana bread flavor, perhaps 1-2 tiny bits of mango.  Very dense, top a bit too crispy.  Better when I smothered it in cream cheese.  Wouldn't get again. **.

Bacon and Cheese Muffin. 

The savory mini muffin was bacon and cheese, very heavy on the cheese.  It looked more like a cheese bread than a muffin.  Last time this was a Brie, Fig & Spring Onion Muffin, which I didn't care for.

I was surprised when I tried my cheesey muffin to find that it seemed to mostly be onion and cheese, not bacon and cheese.  There were decent sized chunks of what I thought was onion inside.  I later realized it was chunks of ... paper.  Um.  Yeah.

Minus the whole paper thing, this was a nice savory, cheesy bite, I think probably great with a bowl of chili, and truly more of a cheese bread than muffin. ***.

Chocolate Chip Scones, Whipped Cream, Jam.

Once mid-morning lineup was switched over, out came the whipped cream and jam, along with a sweet scone, chocolate chip this time.  Last time it was a date scone.

The chocolate chip scone was fine, but, definitely a soft, bready style, not what I think of as a scone.  The base was a bit boring, could certainly use more of a buttermilk tang or something, but it was studded with mini chocolate chips which helped.  And of course, the whipped cream helped too, and I smothered mine in copious amounts of it.  The whipped cream was good, nice fresh, thick, whipped cream.

So, decent enough bready scone, ***, great whipped cream ****.

Caraway & Pumpkin, Feta Scone.

Next up, the savory scone.

This was the exact same scone I had last time. I had not read my previous notes, so I grabbed another (last time I thought it was quite plain, had no feta, no caraway, and only a tiny bit of pumpkin).

It was better this time.  Still a very bready "scone", but soft and seemed fresh baked.  This one did have a few caraway seeds, which gave it a hint of a rye like flavor.  There were also a few small bits of pumpkin.  And still no feta, which was a good thing for me.  Still not as flavorful as it could be, and I suspect much better warm and slathered with butter.  But an ok savory bread item.  ***+.

These were served with cream cheese that looked like cottage cheese. I was tempted to try it just because it looked so confusing.

Fruit & Cheese.

Mid-morning a fruit and cheese platter is brought out.  I didn't try it.

Desserts.

The dessert selection was a lemon and coconut cake, or black forest.  I didn't try either.  No cookies were out today.

The candy lineup is also gone, only marshmallows in their place at the barista station.

Update Reviews: 2022 Visit

After 2.5 years away, I finally got to return to Sydney!  While I was sad to leave, that of course meant I got to check out the airline lounges as I departed, to see what had changed (answer: not much, really).  I started with my favorite lounge, the Air New Zealand one.

Breakfast - Morning (Pre-10:30am)

I arrived a little before 10am, so I was able to experience from the full breakfast spread.  I already had breakfast at my hotel that morning, and was not actually ready for a second breakfast, so I skipped a lot of the buffet.  Including here without comments just for completeness.

Croissants.

The croissants looked reasonably flaky.

Cinnamon Rolls. 

The cinnamon rolls ... pretty sad / generic buffet quality.

Crumpets.

I didn't get a photo of the other breads, along with a toaster, to make your own toast.  I think the crumpets may have been new additions, at least since I was last there.

Action Station: Waffle.

The action station never had a chef working it the entire time I was in the lounge.  The items from the action station were all just sitting there, cold.  No heat lamps or anything to keep items warm in this area, as its usually made more to order.  This station had some highlights in the past, but, certainly not this time.

I tried the waffle and it was not good.  An eggy, spongy style, and STONE COLD.  It had clearly been there a long time.

They also had a savory breakfast quesadilla. 

Cereal.

Cereals are now packaged.

Frittata, Baked Beans

The hot buffet had several forms of protein.

Potato & Bacon Cheesy Bake.

I tried a tiny bite of the potato ... it was not very good.  The bacon greasy, potatoes soft, cheese not really there. *+.

Scrambled Eggs

I stayed far away from the powdered eggs.

Date Scone.

The sweet scone of the day was a date scone.  It was not very good - a very bread-like consistency, fairly dry, but not crumbly in the way scones should be.  The base had no real flavor to it, and bits of dried date are not really my thing.

Maybe it would be ok with copious amounts of jam and cream, although the later was not available (whipped cream was brought out once the buffet switched over from breakfast to mid-morning).

**+.

Banana, Coconut, & Chocolate Muffin.

The muffins at breakfast were also a sweet option, with banana, coconut and chocolate.  They looked over baked, too dark.

They weren't actually as burnt as they looked, but also were not all that tasty.  Very mild banana and coconut flavors, a little bit of grit from the coconut in them.  The banana and coconut combination was actually fairly nice, really, just a light banana bread that was a touch more interesting than usual.  That said, I only found one tiny tiny fleck of chocolate in my entire muffin, and I think that more chocolate would have made these considerably better.

So, not bad, but not great either. ***.

Pots of joy!

A highlight of the lounge for me is always the little pots of yogurt, muesli, and assorted puddings.  Even though I wasn't hungry, I could not resist trying them all.

Steamed rice pudding with caramelized banana.

The one I was pretty excited for was a rice pudding.  I love rice pudding!  And, kudos to them for the caramelized banana on top.

However, this wasn't very good.  The little sign just said rice pudding, but this was definitely coconut rice pudding, very, very heavy in the coconut flavor, and I didn't care for that very much.  And the rice?  Um.  It was hard.  Not just al dente, but actually uncooked, hard.  Not enjoyable.  The banana was bruleed on top, but wasn't really caramelized in any way I could taste.

So, sadly, not for me. *.  My least favorite of the pots.

Mixed Berry Yogurt.

The mixed berry yogurt was good.  I liked the sweet berry compote on top, although the yogurt used in this one seemed a touch more watery, a touch more tart, than the other.  I think this was greek yogurt?  

It was good, but my second favorite.  ***+.

Passionfruit Yogurt. 

I loved the fruity passionfruit goo on top of this one.  Sweet, tart, flavorful.  Yum!  The yogurt in this one seemed smoother, maybe slightly sweet, not Greek yogurt?

The passionfruit yogurt was my hands down favorite. I devoured it in seconds, and considered getting another, even though genuinely stuffed. ****.

Bircher Muesli.

I always loved the bircher muesli in the past but ... this batch wasn't a winner.  There was some flavor to it that I just didn't care for, and it really was just thick mushy oats.  On top was pumpkin seeds for a nice crunch, and dried apricot, meh to that.

**.

Mid-Morning / Post 10:30am

At 10:30am the buffet promptly switched over into lunch-ish mode.  As always, assorted sandwiches, cheese, and crackers appeared, a few desserts, and more muffin/scone options.  I always find it odd that they offer more varieties of scones and muffins mid-day than at breakfast.

Walnut & Almond Chocolate Brownie.

I nearly grabbed one of the brownies, they looked quite moist and had a shiny top.

Apple Crumble.

Apple crumble bars however didn't look good, and yet somehow, that is what people went for, the tray was nearly empty within seconds.

Cookies.

Cookie jars held two kinds of cookies, neither labelled, but one was chocolate chip.

The chocolate chip one wasn't great.  It was soft, but, chips were tiny, base wasn't particularly buttery nor special.  Fine, but not great. ***.

I'm still not sure what kind it the other was.  I think apricot?  It had little bits of some kind of chewy dried fruit.  Hard style, sweet base, shortbread-like.  Possibly macadamia in there too?  I really don't know.  I liked it though, good flavor, good texture, nice chew from the bits of fruit. ***+.

Warm Cheese & Vegemite Scrolls

The warm buffet held rather interesting looking cheese and vegemite scrolls, and I was too curious not to try these.

The pastry was flaky, they were lightly warm, and the flavor was mostly just savory.  Interesting, not amazing, but interesting.  ***.

Whipped Cream.

Whipped cream was no where to be found earlier (for use with the scones, waffles, etc), but it came out mid-morning.  Always a good thing in my world, to use with scones, desserts, and, um, possibly put into a takeout coffee cup to use with my in-flight dessert (shhh!).

Brie, Fig & Spring Onion Muffin.

The additional muffin was a savory one, with brie, figs, and spring onion.  Like the sweet one, it too looked over baked and burnt.  It was very, very dry.

Much like the sweet muffin that contained only a single chocolate bit, I found these lacking in mix-ins.  I didn't taste, nor find, *any* brie nor spring onion.  There were a few bits of dried fig.  The base flavor was ok, but, it was mostly just a plain muffin with a tiny bit of dried fig, and, being so dried out and over baked really took away from it.

**.

Carraway & Pumpkin, Fetta Scone.

The additional scone was also savory, this one an interesting mix of carraway, pumpkin, and feta.

Hmm.  Well, this was a very boring scone.  Soft, bread style, not a hard scone.  The base flavor was quite plain, no tang, nothing interesting about it.  I tasted no carraway, which I expected to be a pretty strong flavor.  I found no feta.  There was a tiny bit of pumpkin, small soft dice.  And that is it.  Bo-ring.  I dug through the whole scone, and there really was no feta nor carraway that I found.

**.

Update Reviews: February 2018, July 2018, February 2019, October 2019, March 2020 Visits

It was just over 1 year between my last visit to the new Sydney Air New Zealand lounge, and, it was shocking just how little changed.  Still, one of my favorite lounges for breakfast.

This review covers my visits in 2018, one in February, one in July, and one in 2019 in early February. And ... my first ever daytime visit in March 2020.

Lounge Overview: February 2018.

Everything that was amazing before, was still amazing.  I love the consistency, and the fact that I can count on this.

Lounge Overview: July 2018.

July was just as great.  <3 those puddings.  Good pastry selection.

Breakfast #2: February 2018.

The short version? Make sure you arrive before 10:30am, and have all the little pots of yoghurt.  And make sure you leave after 10:30am, so you can grab some pastries from the mid-morning selection.

Seriously, amazing.

This was my 2nd breakfast of the day, after my last breakfast at my hotel much, much earlier.  I know how amazing this is, so always try to eat light earlier, but since I'm up at predawn (yay, jetlag!), I can't actually hold out until I reach the lounge mid-morning.

Breakfast #2: July 2018.

A few months later, same thing.  Early morning hotel breakfast, mid-morning lounge breakfast.  I was thrilled to make it there by 10am so I could indulge.

The actual lineup was different, but the little jars ... seriously, so good.

Still my favorites, Feb 2019.

My Feb 2019 visit was much the same, well timed so that I arrived plenty early to get the yogurts, but also enough time to quasi-digest so I could get excited for the muffins/scones when they came out at 10:30am.

My expectations are high at this point, and everything lived up.  <3 the yogurt, the second best yogurt I've ever had (the best is at Tres, at the SLS Beverly Hills in Los Angeles).  The best muesli anywhere.  And scone-biscuits that I truly enjoy.

October 2019 Overview.

In October, I was crushed.

I arrived early enough to catch breakfast, always a priority.  But.  THEY CHANGED THE YOGURT.  And ... when it switched to mid-morning mode, THEY REMOVED THE WHIPPED CREAM.

Tears.  But they added good lollies?

Breakfast

As on my last visit, in February, I arrived just around 10:15am, right before the breakfast buffet was transformed over at 10:30am.  I did even better in July, making it by 10am.  More time for breakfast #2!

Continental Breakfast Buffet.

The main island is the continental selection, cereal, yogurts, cheese, pastries, fruit.

Yogurts and Fruits (February 2018).

The lineup this first visit:

• Low fat yoghurt 
• Greek yoghurt
• Fruit Salad
• Passion Fruit Yoghurt
• Raspberry Yoghurt
• Bircher Muesli
• Coconut cranberry and apple granola
• Smoothies

I had really, really high hopes for the yogurt station.  Which I know is random, but, wow, it was so good last time.  And this time?  Just as good.  I had high expectations, and they were exceeded.

The low fat and Greek yoghurt, plus the fruit salad, were served in large format vessels, but everything else was in composed little pots.  I loved those pots last time. 

I only skipped the large format items, and went for one of each pot.  I couldn't pick just one.  Or two.  Or, uh, three.  Little pots!  I rather regretted that I had my first breakfast of the day but these were so good I polished them off. Which ... I also regretted.  Sorta.  What I really needed was someone to split them all with, or, to feel ok with wasting them.

Yogurt & Fruit (July 2018).

The yogurt and fruit station was largely the same in July, fruit, yogurts, smoothies, and little jars, this time, yogurts and chia pudding - no granola, no bircher muesli.

Minus one point for no more bircher!  I wanted one last bircher!  And I did really love the granola before.

Yogurt Lineup (February 2019).

My favorites were there in Feb 2019 as well, along with one new item.

Passion Fruit Yoghurt / Raspberry Yoghurt. (July 2018)

The little yogurt jars were the same variety as always, passion fruit, and raspberry.  I of course took both.

Bircher Muesli (Feb 2018).

Ah, bircher muesli.  The ever polarizing bircher muesli.  It was much like I remembered from last time.  No mix-ins, just soft stewed oats.  Not tart, no apple flavor, kinda mushy, more like overnight oats than real bircher.  Last time I appreciated it mostly because I hadn't been thrilled with the bircher at the Sheraton on the Park during my stay, but this time, I had liked the bircher there, so I didn't really have the bircher cravings.

My least favorite of the pots, but it was still good, and I'd still have another.

Bircher Muesli (Feb 2019).

While there was no bircher in July, it came back in Feb, and it was better than ever.  Actually, I think this was the best bircher muesli I've ever had.  Or at least, the best in recent memory.

As always, no mix-ins in the muesli base itself, just soft stewed oats, but with a lovely texture (not too mushy, not to firm), and a really pleasant (honey?) based sweetness.

On top was dried fruit, nuts, and seeds for texture.  I really, truly enjoyed this.  I think the only improvement I can think of would be to add a fruit compote.

Raspberry Yogurt (Feb 2018).

Next up was the "Raspberry Yogurt", different from when I had it last time with a little layer of granola in the middle and a berry on top. {LINK}  This version instead it had berry compote on top and layered inside.

The yogurt was again rich and creamy, the raspberry stuffs a nice compliment.  Third favorite.

Passion Fruit Yoghurt (Feb 2018).

And finally, the passion fruit yoghurt, another layered creation.

This was my favorite, it was really quite excellent.

The yoghurt somehow seemed even richer, even creamier.  Seriously, so amazing.  Why on earth do we not have yoghurt like this in the US?  The texture was perfect, so smooth and creamy, it was nicely balanced, not too sweet, but too tart.  Seriously, that yoghurt!

And then, the middle layer.  I'm still not really sure what it was.  I swear there was some cake in there.  Which I know makes no sense.  But, there was something cake like, really.

And of course, the passion fruit, sweet and fruity.

I adored this.  I devoured this.  I probably could have devoured another.  Seriously, so good.

This yoghurt.  So good.  So creamy, so rich, really, like eating cream.

Passion Fruit Yoghurt (July 2018)

Last time this was my favorite of the pair, but this time, I wasn't as into the passion fruit.  I think I just wasn't in the mood for the crunchy bits.  There was also no mystery cake inside.

Raspberry Yoghurt (July 2018).

But the raspberry one?

AMAZING.

Same yoghurt that I know and love, and, really sweet flavorful berry compote down teh sides (and a little stewed berry on top), nearly the same as last time.

I adore this.

Passion fruit. (Feb 2019).

<3 <3 <3

Incredible smooth creamy rich yogurt, sweet juicy passionfruit sauce layered in.

My favorite, I love it so much.  The passionfruit is sweet yet tart, love the crunch from the seeds, and the yogurt is top notch.

Minus one slight point in that it wasn't very cold, I could tell it would be tastier colder.

"Berries" Yogurt. (Feb 2019).

I really liked this.

Same rich creamy smooth yogurt I was expecting, layered with a bit of berry juice, and topped with stewed raspberries.

It allowed the yogurt to really shine as as the berry components were so minor, but they gave it a pleasant fruity flavor.

I gladly devoured this, and would have again, but slightly preferred the passion fruit version.

Coconut cranberry and apple granola (Feb 2018).

Now, the random changing item.  These are totally different every time, the one item that really seems to change a lot.

This time, a coconut, cranberry, and apple granola parfait.  A bit hard to eat because it was in a tiny jar, and all the granola was on the bottom, but, I had a plate on the side, and just dumped half the yogurt and fruit onto that.

This was great.  The granola was fantastic, loaded with bits of coconut, seeds, and more.  It was a bit moist from being on the bottom of the pot, but it worked somehow.  The yogurt was good, thick, rich, full fat, good Australian yogurt.  Not too tangy, not too sweet, just good.  On top was mixed berry compote, sweet, stewed fruit, and it went nicely with the other elements.

Overall, quite good, I'd gladly have another, although minus a point for being so hard to eat.  My second favorite of the little pots, and I'd gladly have another.  I do wish they had the granola available on its own.

Chocolate & Chia Seed Pudding (July 2018).

The next time, the granola was replaced with chia seed pudding.

I was ... cautiously excited?

I do love chia seed pudding sometimes.

This was kinda boring.  I didn't taste the chocolate, and the raspberry on top was too soft and mushy.  I know it was a compote, but, I didn't care for it.

Overall, this was fine, the chia pudding was fine, but, eh.  I wasn't into it.

Pineapple, ginger, & walnut oats. (Feb 2019).

And the last time, back to a granola parfait, although called "oats".

I didn't really care for this.  The granola, er, oats, were just kinda hard oats with dried fruit, the yogurt thick greek style standard yogurt, and the pineapple had an odd flavor to it.  Not awful, but so many better things were available.

Passionfruit Yogurt / Berries Yogurt / Bircher Muesli / Sago Pudding with Caramelized Pineapple. (October 2019).

The lineup in October was nearly the same (looking), passionfruit and berries yogurt pots, with fruit on top and layered inside.  The wildcard item was a sago pudding with caramelized pineapple, which I totally applaud them for as a breakfast offering.

The problem though?  THE YOGURT CHANGED.  It was no longer the creamy, rich, beautiful yogurt I had come to love.  Instead, it was ... just yogurt.  Tart.  Major meh.  And the berries in the berry version was soggy and certainly had been frozen.

The bircher muesli was decent, creamy, nicely sweetened, but it had way, way, way too many raisins in it for my liking.  Totally overwhelmed with raisins.  Good, but not great.

And finally, the new one, the sago pudding.  It was ... fine.  The sago were decently cooked, not gloopy or hard, but the pudding base wasn't particularly creamy nor flavorful.  The caramelized pineapple on top, also just "fine".  Not remarkable.

I was fairly let down by these, and wouldn't rush to get to the lounge before 10:30am again in the future.

Danishes, Croissants (February).

The platter of danishes was fairly depleted when I first arrived, with only the cinnamon rolls that I liked last time, but it was replenished with chocolate filled croissants and berry filled danishes later.

I took one of the cinnamon rolls again because I liked it last time and a chocolate croissant because last time I lamented not doing so.

Cinnamon Roll.

The cinnamon roll was lackluster this time.  I'm not sure why I liked it before.  It was very doughy, more like a roll, and just not actually interesting to me.

Chocolate Croissant.

The chocolate croissant was better, decently flaky, and I liked the generous chocolate, but, it wasn't anything special.

Much better when warmed up and served with whipped cream.

I'd skip both of these in the future.

"Mixed Danish" (July).

The danish lineup was pretty lackluster this time, interesting in that it was entirely different items.  A few little danishes (berry, apple), and some pecan plaits.

Pecan Plait.

The pecan braid was pretty mediocre, as expected.  Crispy, not flaky nor buttery, some generic pecan goo inside.

Skip next time.

Raspberry Danish (Kouign Amann?).

The raspberry and apple pastries looked like they might just be kouign amann, but, I thought they were more likely just standard boring danishes.

But ... I was right! I was shocked by this.

Crispy, buttery, caramelized pastry base.  Sweet raspberry goo inside.

Much better than I ever expected, glad I took the chance on it.  Would gladly get again, one of the best lounge pastries I've ever had.

Bread, Crumpets.

The bread station also had crumpets, and a toaster on the side.

Hot Buffet

The hot buffet for me is entirely skipable.  There are delicious things in the lounge, and the hot buffet is just mediocre.

Scrambled Eggs with Chives.

The breakfast hot items always include scrambled eggs, sausages, potatoes, frittata, and beans.  No veggies.

I did try the scrambled eggs, as they looked quite creamy, and it was my last chance for eggs in Australia!  

They were decent for buffet eggs, and indeed, quite creamy.  Nice and herby.  Nothing special though, I'd skip in the future unless for some reason I actually needed protein.

Beef Chipolata / Broccoli & Cheddar Frittata.

 I skipped the sausage and frittata, but the sausage looked fairly tasty, I just wasn't hungry.

Roasted New Potatoes with Capsicum & Feta / Homemade Baked Beans.

I didn't try these, but I'll give them credit for having something interesting about the potatoes (capsicum & feta).  I laughed at the "homemade" baked beans though.

Potato and Bacon Cheesy Bake. (October 2019).

Finally, a hot dish I was excited for!  And a fresh batch came out right when I arrived.

This looked much better than it was.  The potatoes were cooked fine, not too mushy, but not buttery nor particularly tasty.  The cheese, plentiful, was kinda congealed, and not very flavorful either.  The bits of bacon didn't really save it either.

Oh well, plenty of other things to eat, but this one was particularly less tasty than it looked like it should be.

Chef's Action Station

The chef's action station always offers up one sweet and one savory item, usually some type of french toast, and some kind of egg dish.  These are prepared sorta too order, at least, they are plated to order.

Banana & Nutella Stuffed French Toast (February).

I managed to catch the chef's station in action!

The dish of the day was french toast, stuffed with banana and nutella, with whipped cream and berry spread on the side.  The chef was very excited when I took a photo, really getting all smiles, and saying he hoped I liked it.  It was cute.

The french toast though wasn't great.  Kinda soggy, oily.  Not very warm.  There was only a little bit of nutella inside, and one piece of soggy banana.

The whipped cream was fine, but the whipped cream that was brought out with the scones later was better.  Berry jam was sweet and fine, but didn't really go with nutella.

This was exciting in concept, not in execution, and not worth having.

French Toast (July).

One of these days, I'll take my own advice.

I said this wasn't good before, yet ... I got it anyway.

The staff member making it was really friendly and engaging, and he was making it essentially to order, with a big fluffy loaf of brioche as the base.  It was not stuffed with anything this time around.

The french toast was ... well, just standard french toast.  It was a big fluffy slice, it wasn't too eggy, but, eh, just french toast.

Toppings of berry compote, whipped cream, and powdered sugar were offered, all of which I accepted.  The compote was ... fine.  Not interesting.  The raspberry goo from inside the yogurt was better.

The whipped cream was very boring.

Dear self: Skip next time.

Omelets. Feb 2019.

In Feb 2019 the chef was making omelets to order.  This was *hugely* popular, people love fresh cooked items and customization!  I however skipped it.

In October, it was fried eggs.

Mid Morning & Lunch

At 10:30am, on the dot, the food selection converts over to ... brunch?  I'm not sure what I'd call it, as it has both breakfast and lunch items.  And, very, very strangely, more breakfast items than they have for breakfast.

My flight boarded at 11:10am all times, which meant I was perfectly timed for getting both breakfast and mid-morning meal.  Not that I planned that ...

In March 2020 I visited for my first time during "normal" lunch hours, arriving at 12:45pm.  The lineup seemed mostly the same as what I was calling brunch, so I was pleased.

Baked Goods

Gluten Free Spiced Peach Muffin / Blueberry Muffin (February).

As always, they offered three muffins, one gluten-free, and at least one savory.  These replace the cereals.  So, if you want cereal, get there before 10:30am.  Muffins?  Go later, they aren't part of the morning lineup.

I grabbed one of each, every time, even though one was gluten-free, since they were decent in the old lounge.

The February lineup:

• Gluten Free Spiced Peach.
• Blueberry. 
• Zucchini and Cheddar.

July lineup:

• Artichoke, Basil, and Red Capsicum.
• Gluten-Free Carrot & White Chocolate.
• Pineapple & Mixed Berries.

Feb lineup:

• Tomato & Capsicum.
• Apricot & Coconut.
• Pumpkin, Pineapple, & Sultana.

October 2019 & March 2020 Lineup:

• Corn, Sweet Chili, & Corriander.
• Indulgent Triple Choc Chip.
• Gluten Free Apple Streusel.

Blueberry Muffin.

The blueberry muffin was ... fine.  Boring?  It wasn't bad, and it had really big juicy blueberries in it for pops of flavor, but, it really wasn't anything special.

Skip next time.

Gluten-Free Peach Muffin.

Ok, I know gluten-free baked goods are hard, but I had some hope, since Australia does gluten-free so well.

These, not so well.  Yes, they tasted like peach and had nice chunks, but, the texture and flavor of the base were not enjoyable.

Savory Zucchini and Cheddar Muffin.

I snagged one of these to bring on my next flight, and I'm so glad I did.  I don't just write reviews for you all, I re-read my review from last time where I did the same (with a zucchini, walnut, and parmesan muffin), and thus did it this time too.  {LINK} #protip

The muffin was so good!  Really moist, great flavor from the cheddar, juicy cooked zucchini.  I'm not normally a savory muffin person, but wow, these are great.

Gluten-Free Carrot & White Chocolate Muffin.

The muffins were all unlabeled when I first arrived since it was the beginning of the switchover, and I assumed this was a sweet muffin, perhaps vanilla or white chocolate.  I didn't realize it was the gluten-free one until the sign came out later.  Interesting that they put two muffins side by side, and one on the other side, but don't put the two regular together and the GF separate.

Anyway, what a fascinating flavor.  Carrot and white chocolate?  Was it going to be savory? Sweet?

It ... wasn't very good.  Dry.  Strange texture.  Clearly gluten-free.  I didn't really taste or find white chocolate, but it did have bits of shredded carrot.

I think it is safe to say that their gluten-free muffins are just not recommended.

Savory Artichoke, Basil, and Red Capsicum Muffin.

I eagerly snatched up the savory looking muffin, again not yet labelled, since I have really liked the cheesy savory muffins in the past, always a highlight.

This however was not a winner for me, loaded up with big chunks of artichoke and capsicum, neither of which I actually like.  No cheese.

It was also strangely dense and greasy.  Moving on.

Pineapple & Mixed Berries.

This one looked chocolate, but turned out to be pineapple and mixed berries.  Not sure why it was so dark colored.

I didn't like it.  It wasn't gluten-free, but, it had a strange texture and flavor.  One point for a few juicy berries inside, but, not good at all really.

Apricot & Coconut.

This was my least favorite muffin of all time.

The coconut texture was kinda off putting, and it had no real base flavor.  I took a bite, a second bite, and discarded.

Savory: Tomato & Capsicum.

The savory muffin was ok, not something I'd normally think I'd like, but the savory tomato and pepper flavor really was quite enjoyable, even though it was sundried tomatoes, not normally what I like very much.  You certainly need to be in the mood for something so strongly flavored, and so ... pizza like?

Pumpkin, pineapple, & sultana.

This one was fascinating, and turned out to be my favorite of the day.  Pumpkin and pineapple in the same item?  I guess pumpkin *is* sweet so it sorta works.

I liked it.  Very moist, good flavors and textures from the chunks of pineapple and the pumpkin.  Decent base flavor.  Meh to those sultanas, but they were juicy.

I'm not sure if I'd call this a sweet or savory muffin, it was something right in-between, not a bad thing.

Corn, Sweet Chili, & Coriander. 

Sometimes the savory muffins are a delight, but this one was pretty meh.  It didn't taste particularly fresh.  The corn didn't come through.  Kinda boring texture.

I tried it again in March 2020, and again, didn't care for it.  This time it did have big corn kernels though.

Indulgent Triple Choc Chip.

This was mediocre.  Decent chocolate flavor to the base, but not sure what the triple chocolate was - chocolate base, chocolate chips ... that is two.  And the chips were tiny.  Not nearly as chocolately as "triple choc" would imply it should be.

It wasn't particularly good though, certainly not "indulgent".

I tried it again in March 2020 and it was worse, really dry, it tasted "gluten free" if you know what I mean.

Gluten-Free Apple Streusel.

This was my favorite of the day, a bit odd since it was the gluten-free option, and apple, but, I really did like the streusel top, crispy, flavorful.

The muffin itself was, as expected, a bit odd, gluten-free for sure, but dense and hearty in a not horrible way.

I kinda liked this the first time, but the time I had it in March 2020 it was very blah.

Cakes (February).

Just like last time, cakes were also brought out, replacing the yoghurts.  This time Pear & Raspberry Cake and Banana Cake, neither of which I tried.

Banana Cake / Coconut & Mango Cake (July).

I have no idea what inspired me to grab a banana cake as I ran out the door, given all my other goodies, but I think it was the desire for frosting.

The cake was moist, but, banana bread basically.  Eh to the frosting.  Moving on.

Black Forest Cake (Feb).

In February the black forest looked mildly interesting, but alas, this was not good cake.  Dry cake, mediocre cream.

Tip to self: Don't ever bother with the cakes.

It was there in October as well, but I took my own advice and did not try it.

Grandma's Berry Trifle, Orange Mascarpone (March 2020).

There was also a trifle pot, not really my favorite thing, but hey, I'll try nearly any dessert ...

I didn't like it at all.

The base was just berry jelly, and the "orange mascarpone" was ... just an odd custard.  I didn't taste orange, nor mascarpone, and the consistency was really off putting.

Flourless Red Velvet Cake (March 2020)

In March there was only one cake, flourless red velvet, which looked dry, and I didn't try it.

Cheeses.

The cheese station is actually nicely stocked, with brie, sage cheddar, and blue cheese, along with dried fruit and nuts, and a variety of crackers (including gluten-free rice crackers).

I tried the sage cheddar, but it wasn't particularly aged, or, actually sage flavored.

Date Scones / Pumpkin & Thyme Scone /  Jam / Whipped Cream (February).

The hot buffet keeps the scrambled eggs through mid-day, and adds a hot item in place of the breakfast meats (chicken skewers my first visit, beef empanadas the second, croquetes the next, and quiches in October), and, prior to October, scones in place of the other breakfast items.

My previous visits had only plain scones, and I found them lackluster.  Recent visits though they introduced more interesting flavors, although in October, the scones were no longer kept warm, and were out on the standard buffet line instead.  They also changed their look entirely, not as lofty, no longer square.

I do sometimes like these, but, they aren't scones as I traditionally think of them, not the hard nor soft style scones, but rather, more like biscuits.  Which I do enjoy.

They were served with whipped cream prior to October, but that disappeared as well when they stopped being served warm.  Boo.

February Lineup:

• Date.
• Pumpkin & Thyme. 

July Lineup:

• Plain.
• Rocket & Parmesan.

February Lineup:

• Spinach & Feta.
• Orange & Cranberry.

October 2019 & March 2020 Lineup:

• Traditional Plain Scone
• Bacon & Cheese.

I always snagged one of each, along with whipped cream, to have on my flight.

The whipped cream was always good, fluffy, thick, sweet, very ... cream forward?  I liked it.  Good quality whipped cream.  Better than the whip they had with the french toast, which surprised me, as I'd expect it to be the same?

Pumpkin and Thyme Scone.

Last time I thought the scone was more of a biscuit, and the plain scone just wasn't anything special.  

I loved this one though.  A savory option, orange in hue from the pumpkin.

It was certainly more like a biscuit, but this time, the biscuit nature worked great, as the flavor was pumpkin and thyme, which, is appropriate for a biscuit.  The herbs shone through.

I grabbed this for my next flight, and I'm really glad I did.  #protip

Date Scone.

Next, the date scone.  It too was really quite good, although, again, more like a biscuit than a scone.

It was soft like a biscuit, studded with a few bits of dried date.  The aspect that was compelling to me was the tang from buttermilk.  Really great flavor.  I love buttermilk tang.

This one was awesome, particularly slathered with whipped cream, later on my AKL-SFO flight for dessert.  Yes, I kept it, and whipped cream.  While taking it from the lounge isn't really allowed, since I was in transit and didn't go through customs to declare anything, the fact that it went through New Zealand I don't think was illegal.  And I had it before I hit the US.  So, perhaps not entirely right to take from the lounge, but, I don't think I was breaking laws?

Rocket & Parmesan Scone / Plain Scone / Whipped Cream / Jam (July).

July brought a different selection, again one savory, and, one plain (albeit a different style from the previous harder plain scones).

They were a different style, bigger, fluffier, loftier item, more like a American southern style biscuit than any "scone".

Rocket & Parmesan Scone.

The savory "scone" I eagerly threw into a baggie, and stashed to have alongside my meal on my next flight, in lieu of the bread on board.  I had really high hopes.

But ... it was not anything special.  No buttermilk tang, nothing very interesting about the bread.  I didn't taste much if any cheese.  The rocket just added a bit of texture.  Better than the bread on board, but, not something really worth stashing.

Plain Scone.

The other option was just a plain one rather than flavored sweet.  It was basically exactly the same, lacking any interesting flavor, but, it was a nice soft fluffy texture.

I warmed it up a bit and slathered it in honey butter, which made for a satisfying snack, but, it really wasn't a "scone".

Spinach & Feta 

I was skeptical that I'd enjoy this, since I'm not one for feta, but I wanted a savory scone to bring on board my flight to have as a savory carb.  It was again a biscuit style.

It was ok.  The spinach added a little moisture and texture, and the chunks of feta didn't bother me too much, they were big squeaky chunks of saltiness.  But ... not awesome.

Orange & Cranberry.

I was also skeptical I'd like the sweet version, since I tend to dislike little dried fruits (raisins, sultanas, cranberries, etc), and citrus flavors are never my favorite.  It too was a biscuit-style.

It was actually pretty good.  Sure, cranberry and orange aren't my top choice of flavor, but the base had an good buttermilk tang, and I did like the essence of orange.  And at least the cranberries weren't raisins!

Best with whipped cream.

I had the orange cranberry scone again the next month, and again found it decently enjoyable, good texture, good tang, even enjoyable orange essence, and great with whipped cream.

Traditional Plain Scone (Oct 2019).

The plain scone was ... just a biscuit.  It tasted fresh, but, had no real flavor, no buttermilk tang or anything.  Without whipped cream or toppings, there just wasn't much interesting to it.  I mourned the loss of whipped cream.

Traditional Plain Scone (March 2020).

In March 2020 I grabbed one as I sprinted out the door to board my United flight, knowing that my flight would have an ice cream sundae station on it, and a biscuit to go with sounded great.

It was a different style, much more biscuit like, like a shortcake biscuit, which was perfect for my ice cream sundae - I basically had a strawberry shortcake with ice cream and whipped cream.  Fabulous.

Bacon & Cheese.

Bacon.  Cheese.  Good things.  But ... meh to this.

The texture wasn't scone-like, nor was it biscuit-like, it was more like a bread.  The bacon and cheese were there, but didn't come through particularly strongly.

I tried it again in March 2020, and felt the same.  A biscuit, a kinda cheesey biscuit, but, meh.

Continental Offerings

In addition to the hot food, there is a small salad bar (lunch only, not brunch) and sandwiches.

Sandwiches (February).

I didn't try any of the sandwiches during my early visits, but they had a nice lineup of assorted proteins, and different styles of bread (wraps, sliced bread, buns).

Sandwiches (March 2020).

Pink Salmon, Cucumber, and Caper Salad Wrap.
In March I finally did, as I wanted a bit of protein, and I saw salmon in the wrap.

It was ... honestly, it tasted like tuna salad?  Mushy style, mixed with mayo, and, yeah, just very generic slightly fishy taste.

Salad Bar (March 2020).

The salad bar had a basic mixed greens salad with a few veggies, a composed kale and chickpea salad with sundried tomato vinaigrette, fruit salad, cous cous, and potato salad.  Healthy options if you like.

I grabbed some kale from the composed salad, which was easy, as the chickpeas and sundried tomatoes were all in the bottom (and I didn't want them).  It was good, crispy, fresh, and hey, it *was* nice to have something healthy in the lounge!

Seeded Mustard Potato Salad with Egg and Mayo:
I actually really liked the potato salad.  Maybe I was in the mood for it, but, the potatoes were well cooked, a touch al dente, not too mushy.  It was very dressed in mayo and mustard, but, I liked it, and the mustard wasn't too tangy.  Big chunks of egg too.  I wouldn't go out and purchase this or anything, but, I enjoyed it at the time.

Hot Bar

The mid-morning hot bar usually keeps a few breakfast items, and a small little savory thing, but by lunch time it was in full lunch food mood.

Croquette (Feb 2019).

These weren't labelled, but were some sort of croquette, with potato and peppers and tomatoes inside?  I liked how crispy they were, and the filling was savory and flavorful.  A green chutney on the side was excellent.

I wasn't really hungry enough to enjoy this, but if my flight was ever delayed and I wanted lunch foods, I think I'd like this.

Spiced Green Split Pea Soup.

Every lounge has a soup on offer right?  Of course they did too, split pea.

Spiced Green Split Pea Soup.

The sauted beans and peas were in an odd location, not in the hot bar, but rather in an area that looked more appropriate for another soup.

Roasted Potato Rosemary & Garlic

I didn't try the potatoes.

Roast Beef with Red Wine Jus.

Nor the roast beef.

Creamy Blue Cheese Bow Tie Pasta with Spinach.

But I tried the pasta, don't ask why, as it looked dried out and I dislike blue cheese, but ... I LOVED IT!

Seriously.  It was so strange, just generic bowtie pasta, and it *was* overcooked and dry, but I really liked the chew to it, and the noodles were coated in creamy sauce.  It didn't taste like blue cheese.  Much better than the macaroni and cheese from Singapore Airlines next door even though that one was fresh and creamy.

Other

All Black Sorts Licorice / Chocolate Licorice Balls. (October 2019).

Oh be still my heart!

At the bar, alongside the marshmallows that I do enjoy, were new lollies.  And ... the best ones so far.  I adore licorice, and was so pleased to see both options were licorice.

The chocolate licorice BB's I've had before, and quite like them (although the strawberry are my favorite).  The licorice chunks were great, nice chew, strong licorice flavor.

The bartender, who saw me taking a big bowl of these, came over later with the licorice hard candies that they have in the big bowl of candies, usually all different colors mixed, and was like "I thought you'd like these ones the best!"  Heh.  Clearly, he saw what I was up to.

Alas, these were removed in 2020.

Original Review, August 2017

Last time I flew on Air New Zealand out of Sydney, the lounge was a temporary space, down in a basement somewhere.  The space wasn't exactly nice, but I did recall the breakfast items (in particular the muffins, yogurt, and muesli) being quite great.  I didn't write it up, since the lounge was temporary at the time, and I saw no value.

In December 2016, I was able to visit the brand new lounge, and it really was a nice space.  Sure, it is NOT the Qantas First Class Lounge - there is no spa, no made-to-order Neil Perry dining, but, for a business class lounge, it was quite nice, large, not over-crowded, well looked after, and very modern.

My visit was at 10:20am, which meant I was able to catch the end of breakfast service (cleared away at 10:30) and the beginning of lunch (set up right after).  I left at 11:10am though, so I didn't get to see the lunch "action station" in operation, only the buffet.

I was impressed by the facilities and the food, particularly the breakfast.

Facilities

I did not check out the showers, nor the kids play space, but both of those were available.

Runway Views.

Many, many seating options were available.  Along the large, bright windows were cozy looking wing chairs and little tables.

Benches.

Along one wall were these blue padded benches, with bright pink pillows, and beautiful wall art.  This is where we settled, and were happy to find power outlets even here, under the bench.

Communal Table, Black Arm Chairs.

In the center of the space was a communal table, with built in power outlets, and cute little stools.  I'm sure this isn't for everyone, but I thought it was a unique style of seating.

This area had more wing chairs, this time black.  All seats had nearby little tables to set things on.

Arm Chairs.

More traditional black armchairs with side tables were also available, along with red wing chairs.

Nearly every seat had power of some sort.  This space was well designed.

Bar.

This is the best photo I got of the bar, oops!  

As it was still morning, the bar wasn't very active, but, the other end of the bar featured a coffee barista station, which I visited (more on that soon).

Drinks

Most drinks were self-serve, with two large drink stations, one on either side of the room, in addition to the central bar.

Wine, Spirits, Juice. 

Apple and orange juice were in dispensers, and a small selection of spirits and wine were on the counter.  I think the bar had a much bigger selection, but I didn't investigate.

Soft Drinks, Sparkling and Still Water  Tap.

More self serve drinks were a soda fountain, and a water tap.  I was happy to see the sparkling water tap, although it meant I couldn't snag a bottle to bring on my flight with me (which, didn't turn out to be a problem).

Assorted Beer and Cider.

Coolers also held New Zealand beers and even cider.

Self-Serve Robot Coffee.

Tea making facilities included a decent selection of tea, but no rooibos.

The drink stations also had a robot coffee machine, for those who wanted to just push a button and get a coffee or espresso drink.

Ordering Tablet.

Barista service was available at the bar, where you could order through a tablet, customize your drink, select if you wanted it for there or takeaway, and then be given the time at which your drink would be ready.  It also animated your drink filling the cup as you put in selections.  Very cute, and just like I had used in the lounge in Auckland.

You could also order through their app on your phone, if you are into downloading random extra apps to bog down your phone.

Decaf Long Black, Double.

I went for a decaf long black, double.

It was decent.  Nothing mind-blowing, but, not bad.

Biscotti, Marshmallows, Sweeteners.

The end of the barista bar had jars with biscotti and marshmallows, plus an assortment of sweeteners.

Of course I munched on marshmallows.

Food

The food layout is a buffet, plus an "action station" with a chef serving up a particular dish made to order.

I arrived at 10:20am, just in time to grab some breakfast items before the staff whisked them away to make room for lunch.  I'm glad I did, even though I had just had a full breakfast in the lounge at my hotel for one last Eggs Benedict!.  I remembered the temp lounge having good yogurt, bircher muesli, and baked goods, and that did not change with the move to the full lounge.

Breakfast

Cereal, Yogurt, Fruit.

The first section had cereal dispensers on the end, big bowls of plain yogurt (greek or non-fat) and fruit salad, and individual pots of yogurt parfaits (passion fruit, cranberry & orange, raspberry)  and bircher muesli.

Bircher Muesli.

Ah, bircher muesli.  Something I love, and first discovered in Sydney.  Sadly not something we have much of in the US.  On this trip, I didn't have any bircher that I really liked though, because the Sheraton lounge version had too much acidic apple and too much tart yogurt for my taste.

The lounge saved me.  This was great.  Creamy, soft stewed oats, and not too tart (in fact, not tart at all).  It was very sweet, but the sweetness seemed to come from honey, and was a pleasant sweetness.

On top was a few raisins and a chunk of dried apricot, but besides that, there were no mix-ins.  No raisins soaking up the juices inside, no nuts, no seeds, and not even any apple?  I wouldn't really call this bircher muesli, it really seemed more like just a creamy version of overnight oats.  But I'm not complaining.

Overall, I enjoyed it, particularly the pleasant sweetness, but I wouldn't call this a traditional bircher.

Raspberry Yogurt Parfait.

Yogurt parfaits were available in three flavors: passion fruit, cranberry orange, or raspberry.  Since the staff were there clearing the breakfast items as we arrived, I rapidly just grabbed the first I could, raspberry, but I had a bit of remorse that I didn't get passion fruit.

This was very good though.

The yogurt was rich and thick, clearly full fat, full cream, delicious yogurt that we don't get in the US.  I loved the yogurt.

In the middle was a layer with raspberry compote, nicely sweet, and a granola/seed mix, soft from being inside the parfait, so not a crunchy element, but it was still nice.

Overall, very tasty.

Baked Goods, Fruit, Toast.

The next section contained croissants, danishes, cinnamon rolls, whole fruit (pears, apples, bananas), toast, and pretzels.

Danishes, Cinnamon Rolls.

I didn't try the danish, but it looked like it had strawberry filling?  The sign said "pain au chcoolat", which made me realize we missed out on some of the pastry selections, they clearly had more earlier.

Cinnamon roll.

I did grab a cinnamon roll, and threw it in my bag to eat later (in a baggie of course!).  I pulled it out on my next flight, and was so glad I had grabbed one.

It was actually really good, even a bit later.  The pastry was crispy, the cinnamon layer super flavorful, and the entire thing a bit sticky and sweet.  A wonderful pastry, particularly for a lounge.

Croissants.

I didn't try the plain croissants, but, given the success of the cinnamon roll, I sorta wish I had.

Cheese, Crackers, Dried Fruit, Nuts.

The backside of the pastry section had cheeses (brie, sage cheddar, and blue), almonds, dried cranberries and apricots, and crackers, served on attractive wooden cutting boards.

This station stayed out during lunch as well.

Thyme Roasted Mushrooms, Hash Brown Bites.

The hot foods section had 3 chafing dishes, each with two items.

I did not try the roasted mushrooms nor hash brown bites.

Chorizo bites, Fritatta.

Nor did I try the fritatta.

I did try a chunk of chorizo, spicy, flavorful, quite nice.

Scrambled Eggs.

The scrambled eggs looked much better than my hotel breakfast buffet, creamy, and loaded with herbs, but I skipped those too.

Toaster, Crepe Station.

The made to order action station featured a chef making crepes with assorted toppings.  If I had arrived any sooner, I certainly would have tried this.  A very unique offering!

Lunch

Apple Cinnamon Muffin.

Muffins seemed to be part of the transition time, as they were brought out after the breakfast items were cleared away.

I remembered the muffins being good before, so, uh, I tried all three this time (to be fair, I stashed them in my bag too, and ate them on a later flight when I got peckish.  Am I breaking rules here?  I'm not sure, but they were really good, and I'm glad I did so.).

The apple cinnamon was my second favorite, but it was a decent muffin, it seemed fresh, not stale, and the apple and cinnamon flavors were both strong.  I just don't tend to like those flavors.

Zucchini, Walnut, & Parmesan Muffin.

The savory muffin ended up my favorite.  I didn't necessarily taste the zucchini, but it was nicely cheesy from the parmesan, and loaded with walnuts.  I appreciated that they had a savory baked good, as it made me feel less guilty eating three muffins when one was not sweet ...

Raspberry White Chocolate Muffin.

The one I expected to like the most was the raspberry white chocolate, but, it was my least favorite.  It didn't have white chocolate chips.  It didn't have noticeable raspberries, although it was pinkish.  It didn't have much flavor at all.

But like the others, it wasn't dry, was fresh, and was topped with powdered sugar and a slightly crisp top.

Plain Scones, Whipped Cream, Strawberry Jam.

Scones too were part of the transition time, post-breakfast.

On my previous visit to the Auckland Air New Zealand lounge I was sad that I had missed out on the scones, by opting to use the bathroom first, and having the gone moments later.  This time, I was able to get one.

Turns out, I wasn't missing anything.  The scones were just hard biscuits, no tang, nothing interesting about them.  The whipped cream was fine, but, just whipped cream.  The strawberry jam was as generic as could be, just goo, no visible fruit.

Disappointing, but, honestly, I didn't need this anyway.

Sandwiches.

The main lunch lineup seemed to be sandwiches.  The lineup was more interesting than I expected, not just basic egg salad.  Vegetarian options were baba ganoush, carrot, tabouli, and lettuce in an orange wrap or sundried tomato cream cheese, spinach, and fresh tomato on white or wheat bread.  The other wraps were chipotle chicken, with pumpkin, fetta, and buttercrunch or cured silverside with mustard and ice berg.  I am not sure what the final sandwich was.

I was surprised to see no salad options, but perhaps those replace the muffins and scones?  Still, an impressive sandwich lineup, as far as sandwiches go.

Carrot, Pumpkin, & Split Pea Soup.

The soup station had toppings and rolls as well.

The action station didn't start until closer to lunch time, so I wasn't able to see what the chef would be making, but I saw woks being set up.  Next time!

Cookies.

On the end was cookie jars, with shortbread, chocolate chip, and anzac biscuits.  Cookies for breakfast!

Fruit Salad, Carrot Cake, Pear & Raspberry Cake.

Dessert selections, in addition to the cookies, scones, and muffins were a fruit salad and two cakes.  I didn't actually try either, as I was beyond stuffed at this point, and cakes don't exactly slip into the purse easily.

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