Libertine

Libertine means, someone who indulges in the pleasures of the flesh without any regard for moral standards.
Now I don’t know about you, but when I’m considering patronising an establishment I don’t want to be told that I’m immoral for doing so. In any case, the place really doesn’t seem that sinful but sexy with the retro hanging light bulbs and lanterns. I loved the long tables with bench seats and black chain cutains that divided the area to make your own sultry private space.
The menu takes a broad view of the Americas — there’s ceviche, empanadas, croquettes and Paella.
In the first section of the menu, little plates to share, you’ll find jerk chicken which some of my friends had and soft-​shell crab. I love the fact that you don’t get messy fingers from having to disect the flesh from the shell and pincers, easy to eat with knife and fork. I also had soft tacos with chicken, corn and a spicy guacamolie and Louisianna Ribs which were really tasty and covered in meat.
The service was friendly and tentative and bar well stocked. I’d go again to try the mains. Shame I had no room to fit in the Key Lime pie.

What a fab night, the food is dreamy and contemporary fine dining style. The head chef really knows how to excite. The menu discriptions are brief but the waiter was brilliant and we felt what we ordered became a community discussion.
I enjoyed everything about the evening, the fit out in such am amazing building … It’s a nice place to be.
If I had an improvement ??
The staff could have been dressed a little sharper, bar staff esp.

There are three good things about Libertine (ranked in order of scale of my enjoyment):
1. The Libertino — also known as their ginger chili mojito. It’s amazing. It’s also $ 18.
2. The space — modern and chic with exposed brick walls and funky light fixtures.
3. The oysters. Local, crisp and thoroughly enjoyable (but then again, I’m a ‘sucker’ for oysters… tehee)
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Unfortunately, however, their three worst qualities defeat the good stuff.
1. The service. Our server was downright RUDE. And slow. It took about 35 minutes to get our first round of drinks PLUS we later had to flag someone down to take our food order.
2. It’s overpriced. Although I enjoyed my meal, the portions were rather small and not in balance with the price tag.
3. Did I mention how rude they are here?

Okay lets start with the fantastic. The setting is superb! I felt as if I were in an underground wine cellar surrounded by original brickwork walls, shielded from the elements by a levitating modern roof, all while illuminated by steam-​punk style lighting fixtures that carelessly dangle from the ceiling. The tables are large with elegant leather sofas capable of sitting your group of six comfortably. Even the music was a perfect eclectic blend that everyone from 20 to 60 could enjoy.
Now on to the less than favorable. Who is the sommelier and why did he or she select such low quality wines? When I first arrived with my group {think 90+ company party}, I started with the champagne which was very appealing. It was smooth, not too dry with a delicate sweetness. As the appetizers began to arrive I switched to wine, of which they were serving Merlot. It was so heavy having almost a syrup consistency that I trounced over to the bar and requested an alternative. A Pinot was provided, although it had no body it at least did not taste like wood syrup. At this point I just needed something to wash down the Duck and Lamb I was awaiting.
The food… ahh the food. The only refreshing item on the menu was the chocolate dessert. The lamb was overcooked and the duck serving was about the size of a tablespoon. No bueno.
Libertine is a gorgeous venue, if you can bring your own chef and sommelier it will be the perfect venue.

Our friends were running late so we started a drink at the courtyard of Libertine. The sun was shining and the terrace was fantastic to have a few drinks.
The inside décor was wonderful too — high ceilings and brick walls give a traditional feeling while still being modern.
We started with Crusted calamari (12.5) and Chilli & garlic rubbed prawns (16.5). Prawn was just plain but the calamari was thin and crispy accompanied by jalapeño chilli sauce which was delicious.
Both mains were less memorable though. Beef churrasco (27) had various meats on it but they were very chewy and tiny. Half rotisserie duck had a generous amount of veges which did not match well to the duck. We were looking forward to their Spiced fries (7.5) but were soon disappointed. Soggy chips are a big NO-​NO to chips lovers.
I think this place would be perfect to have drinks with various small plates rather than a proper dinner.

Nice deck, a moderate selection of beers but STILL terrible service. On this particular occasion, the bartender shouldn’t even have been selling a particular punter 4 full bottles of wine and let alone taking his time about it.

I think this place is just awesome! Very nice and authentic architecture inside the bar, very cool and heart warming light bulbs hanging for above. We ordered 6 small dishes and all of them were very delicious. The lamb rimbs and chicken bites are the most tasteful I have ever eaten.

In the newly redeveloped Victoria Park Market area, adjacent to (yes, you guessed it) Victoria Park lies the slick and smart Libertine. Some surrounding units are not quite finished yet, but if they all come up to the standards of Libertine it might even start to pull people in from the CBD and nearby Ponsonby. Libertine features an expansive bar area, atrium like restaurant seating but the piece de la resistance is the decked area. Full of beautiful people after work on a Friday makes it terribly enjoyable to visit and it get’s more lively as the night goes on. The house white turned out to be a very pleasant Sauvignon Blanc, we stayed for 2 although that meant the walk back up the hill home was a little trickier than usual.

Libertine seems to be a busy spot on a Friday after work. It was hard work with a large group but we managed to find a seat on the crowded balcony where I drank many $ 10 glasses of bubbles and munched some tasty tapas in lieu of dinner one evening.
I’ve also been on a quiet Wednesday night for a drink and literally had the door locked after me at 10.30pm when I noticed we were the only people there and decided to leave. It’s a winner on Friday but a mixed bag other days of the week.

Libertine have done so well at creating a bar and restaurant that makes you feel like you’re in New York or London. It’s dim, dark, cozy and seriously chic.
I’ve been there a few times for dinner and drinks and each time there are more and more people there. But because the bar is so huge it never feels too over crowed, it just adds to the atmosphere.
I love, love, love their espresso martinis. They make them strong but not too bitter which is just how I like them. Their food is also really great. We get lots of little platters and share them, it’s amazing how full you can get off them. My favourites are the calamari, tacos and their chunky chips. Yum!
Last time I was there they also had live music which added a nice dynamic to the night.

Libertine has recently opened up next door to La Zeppa and makes a pleasant spot for a late afternoon drink in the summer sun. I’ve only ever been here with big groups and therefore haven’t taken much notice of clientele but I imagine it’s similar to La Zeppa — a little banker-​y and preppy and maybe a bit flashy but not too bad. There is a dining area inside although I’ve only been here for drinks so haven’t sampled the menu. A friend ordered some fries and they seemed tasty!
It’s always nice to have a new option in Auckland and the Sale Street area is getting going with quite a few little bars to choose from now.

I am a lucky parent in that every fortnight my husband and I have three days and nights kid-​free. We love them but it’s nice to be able to focus on each other cos that sure as hell doesn’t happen when the short people in the house.
One recent Saturday evening found us dressed up and pushing the boat out at Libertine. This is one of the newer places in the Victoria Park Market development in Freemans Bay. On this occasion I again went for a cocktail — The Libertino, a chilli and ginger mojito. OMG — all my favourite things served over ice in a vintage jar. White rum, fresh mint, brown sugar, fresh cut chillies, tabasco and lime juice. Seriously amazing and the best drink I’ve had all summer (and if you’ve read any of my other reviews you’ll know I’ve had a few). At $ 18 it’s probably the most expensive drink I’ve had all summer as well but nevermind. Good start.
Libertine is an eat and drinkery with a Latin American/​Mexican twist. They are doing what they do really well — we ordered some Sharing Plates rather than from the main menu and everything was delish. The Corn Bread with Black Bean Dip was so good it was almost like a savoury cake and the Chargrilled Globe Artichoke with Orange, Green Chilli and Fennel was like nothing I’ve had before (this was actually from the Entrée section).
I will say though that the Chargrilled Mini Capsicums with Lemon & Coriander were bitter and a let down. The service though was fantastic — friendly, attentive and professional without being wanky. When we arrived everybody else was outside so we had the place to ourselves. Post cocktails, we drank our usual Pinot Gris for me, Syrah for him and while pricey, the wines were excellent.
After our feast we finished up with a shared Key Lime Pie which is so American-​sounding I had to order it. Turns out to be a lime cheesecake but no worse for the fact — it was YUM.
Since our visit I’ve noticed they are doing daily rotisserie specials and I can see Libertine is the kind of place that will evolve and just get better and better. I also have to mention the menus; they come in vintagey with vintage type envelopes with a quote by Oscar Wilde that I am particular fond of: «Be yourself, everyone else is taken.» Quite.