Merediths Restaurant

I visited Merediths for the first time recently with a group of friends. I’d been to the restaurant before for one of Brian Campbell’s pop-​up dessert evenings, but really wanted to try one of Michael’s degustation dinners. Booking for a large group was easy and the staff were very accommodating to all our requests — we had a couple of diners with food allergies and the table did a mixture of either the 5-​course or 8-​course degustation menus, some with wine and some without. The waiter took it all in his stride and the evening went effortlessly. The food was well executed, beautifully presented and fairly adventurous (lots of discussion around the table). The plates were a mix of delicate and bold flavours with lots of textural elements. The dessert was the only course to disappoint in what was otherwise, a very fine dining experience. Also, check the restaurant website for their Tuesday fundraising dinners. Proceeds go to selected charities and you pay by donation at the end of the meal. This is a great idea and one I will return to support.

Visited this restaurant with a group of 6 and had a wonderful experience.
The food, the service and the ambiance all contributed to a great dining experience.
Each course was exquisite.
Will definitely return for another wonderful evening.

Booked well in advance but probably didn’t need to as there were tables spare. But was not going to take the chance and so very glad we finally made it to Meridiths. To much to rave about in the 8 course degastation from the duck early on the Terakihi and the lamb, then the sweet courses — a fresher and finished of with Salted Caramel. We chose to do the wine matching and we were not dissapointed. Very clever how they match the food and the wine and that certainly adds to an already great experience. Not a cheap night but for a special occasions well worth the extra dollars. Also recommend booking taxi if your think of the wine matching

Had an amazing dinner at Merediths last night to celebrate a major promotion, staff were attentive without being overbearing, made great wine suggestions and the food was perfect.
We had booked for the 5 course degustation menu not really sure what to expect but each course was well thought out, show off the amazing skills of the Chef and was light enough that you didn’t feel too full by the time you got to my fave dish of the night, desert. a berry/​meringue/​passion-​fruit curd trio that worked so well together.
I will be back to celebrate the next promotion!

After so long I finally made it to Meredith’s! For a special 3 year anniversary dinner my Bf and I treated ourselves to the 6 course degustation!
Where to start? The amuse bouche was a pop of flavour in your mouth. These very light meringues just melted in your mouth and tbh I don’t normally like them but these changed my opinion! — For those who don’t know what an amuse bouche is — a little taster or starter before a meal.
I found that Meredith’s is amazing at layering their food and ensures plenty of texture in their dishes. The best dish has to be the lamb! The flavour was amazing and the neck was cooked to perfection. Im not a huge fan of duck due to its fatty taste but since your paying for it — I had to try it. Funny enough I really enjoyed it. Only two small faults I could find with the meal. The Salmon dish, was just incredibly salty so maybe someone just got a bit heavy handed with the salt or maybe its suppose to be that salty? and Secondly the venison dish was a bit of a let down. The venison was covered in so much of the sauce that the meat got lost and if you didn’t know any better you could have been eating any meat.
Overall, the dishes are displayed beautifully and I know how much preparation goes into each of the dishes (which is damn lot). The food is very efficient and the waiter who served us was extremely knowledgeable and polite. We would have tipped if the option was there!
If you have a special occasion, go try a degustation and test your tastebuds!
Rating
Food: ⁹⁄₁₀
Service: 9.5÷10
Value for Money: Good
365 Dominion Road, Mt Eden
Opening Hours:
Tues-​Thurs 6pm-​onwards
Fri 12pm-​3pm
Fri-​Sat 630-​onwards

My no 1 restaurant of all time. The best fine dining food you can have. It’s kind of weirdly located on Dominion Rd next to small local shops for such a beautiful restaurant.
You can see the chef cooking your food through the little open cutout in the kitchen. Your palette must be adventurous, as Chef Meredith menu like to experiment with exotic ingredients and game meats.
Absolutely delicious and worst every penny. But save it for the absolute special occasion.

We did the 9 course degustation that took us an epic 3 hours. It was a marathon for my mind and stomach. You almost feel a sense of accomplished by the end.
There were many unfamiliar flavors, perhaps a bit rich and complex for my inferior palette to distinguish. Yet, courses also featured sophisticated twists on classics. Chef Michael Meredith created a playful spin on «bacon, egg and coffee,» which came with a shot glass of bacon broth topped with coffee foam, black pudding wrapped in pastry (meant to look like a sausage roll) and a crumbed soft boiled egg. I also appreciated the nod to Maori cuisine with the Northland paua, smoked eel, amaranth & lemon curd as well as the Lamb neck, rewena, basil & honey.
I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday dinner!

Delicious! Inventive food and great service.

My husband and I went for the Tuesday 8-​course vegetarian degustation. I was VERY excited given that 1. it was my birthday splurge, and 2. a fancy all vegetarian meal??? SO hard to find.
Meredith’s did not disappoint. You must be adventurous to really appreciate this. It is a foodie paradise. A party in your mouth. Not for the skeptical.
Everything was super delicious, fresh, and seasonal. Each course was a new surprise, each better than the next.
The service was amazing — friendly, intimate, and GREAT wine recommendations. We didn’t do the wine flight, and they were very happy to make recommendations that would generally apply. Trust them, they know their food and wine.
If you’re a foodie, you’ll love this place. Being a relatively new vegetarian, and a foodie, I loved not having to make a fuss about not eating meat. I also liked that with the plant-​based menu, I didn’t have to worry about weird meats (which I was a little wary of, even when I ate meat) — I feel that strange meats are standard in these types of meals. So if you’re nervous about that aspect, the Tuesday veg option might be for you.
Finally — make sure to devote a good 2 hours to your meal. They give a healthy pause between each course. Also, be ready to be STUFFED. Even with the plant based menu, which didn’t FEEL heavy as we went, by the time we reached dessert I was feeling like I needed to open up my second stomach!!!
This place was amazing. We’re ready to go back soon for another go-​around. Love love.

I went to Merediths on the recommendation of a French chef who had heard about Michael’s culinary skill on the other side of the world. Good news travels far as well as fast.
The prelude to the six course degustation, two unique flavored macaron, amused (& amazed) my bouche and prepared my pallet for the sumptuous and subtle flavours to follow.
The highlights of the menu were the tender red venison and the miso pork belly. Although I splurged on the wine pairing, a bottle of good kiwi pinot noir would have been a better choice as the eclectic (predominantly white) varietals offered left me with a headache the next morning. The ingredients, cooking & presentation were faultless, but there were a couple of minor annoyances that prevented a perfect five star experience. Firstly, the ‘earthen’ tableware produces a grating noise when diners cut into their food. Secondly, the fine dining experience was undone by the waitress’s underwear, visible when she was serving the tables next to us. Neither of these issues would stop me going back though.

I really enjoyed Meredith’s; it was here that I was truly convinced that New Zealand is on par with the rest of the culinary world. I had high hopes before arriving and was not let down; the food was all amazing, fresh and perfect. We did the 10 course degustation (my friend did it with wines and got a bit wasted… so she didn’t eat the venison. What a shame). We started with the sea foam oysters and ended with the seaweed macaroons, I thought the idea of starting and ending with the sea was a sweet concept. My one negative would be that they didn’t offer cocktails. They mixed up some strange fruity concoction (not good)…I appreciated the gesture until we got the bill and realized they charged me $ 20 for it –_​– my own fault really. Fantastic. The man’s a genius. Eat here!