Pier 21,
11 Westhaven Drive,
Westhaven
Auckland,


(09) 373 5776

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4 out of 5

Hospitality-school textbooks say that service should be both attentive and unobtrusive at the same time.

The waiters at Pontoon scored five out of five when we visited for lunch, deftly delivering, clearing, anticipating wine orders, and catering to our requests for extra spoons.

Come here in the late afternoon, when the setting sun illuminates the sheer drapes that decorate the floor-to-ceiling windows on the side of the restaurant that overlooks Westhaven Marina. Pontoon’s sleek wood-dominated interior matches the polish of the service: breezy, calm and sophisticated.

Relying heavily on its waterside location for ambience, the menu is also dominated by the sea, with a large selection of bar snacks, pasta, risotto, raw oysters, pizzas, fried fish and stews.

The visual appeal of the meals scored five out of five, too. My companion’s scallops ($35 for a main-size dozen) were served in a deep oversized white plate, ringing a good dollop of truffle-flavoured Jerusalem artichoke mash, and drenched in sweet sherry-infused chicken gravy. The combination of flavours was rich and heady.

My squid-ink noodles ($32 the main size) were unfortunately overdone to a lifeless grey mushiness, and were surrounded by alternate mussels and cockles (four of each), sprinkled with teeny-weeny octopi and shelled mussels, and wading in a light briny-tasting soup. The sandy crunch of poorly-cleaned shellfish ruined what could have been a sublime dish.

A standard mixed side salad ($5) was supposed to come dressed in miso, however, it tasted more like salted orange juice.

This being lunch, my companion stuck with tap water, and I had a glass of Cuvee Number 1 bubbly ($13) from a competent wine list with few options by the glass.

Pontoon is part of the mini-empire of David Williams, which is based at Pinot in Orakei. He specialises in high-end function catering, but also serves walk-in customers at Opium on Aotea Square and The Pavilion in the Auckland Domain. Here at Westhaven, the slickness of such an experienced operator was tempered by the loss of soul which inevitably comes with a large business.

A shared dessert of apple crumble ($12) illustrated that perfectly: it was agreeable, but not superior.

My companion, who comes here occasionally for lunch or after-work drinks (and recommends the $20—22 pizza as a shared light meal if you can’t face the full menu prices) confirmed that Pontoon is always low on customer numbers and therefore in lively energy.