479 New North Road,
Kingsland
Auckland,
1021

(09) 845 1680

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4 out of 5

Your first impression of Bouchon in Kingsland, Auckland, will be: loud, hot, and excitable.

Something like the Gina’s of French food, but without the forced revelry, Bouchon is full of red meat and red wine lovers, tucking in with gusto.

At first glance the restaurant looks cramped and cute, like a sidewalk café in France. Make sure you request a table in this front section, because it fills up fast.

We were seated out the back in a less atmospheric, but much roomier, covered courtyard. By the end of the night both rooms were full—about 80 diners in all.

We don’t often treat ourselves to French food (there is so little to choose from in Auckland), so we start with the Les Escargots dans la Coquille, the snails, washed down with a glass of the French house red (there are New Zealand options, but the French list is diverse and far more exciting).

My $12.50 plate was very generous—I found at least 10 of our garden friends hidden away in the green salad and garlic butter sauce.

Next were two servings of Le Steak à l’aïl en chemise ($26.50). In that typically French way, ordering steak means you receive just steak and, unfortunately, we’d failed to request a side salad.

However, the meat was delicious—perfectly cooked the way we had requested. Pity the steaks were served the wrong way around.

Never mind. We decided to split a $10.50 crème brulee, so soft and smooth, there was a little argument about who had taken more.

After our shared entrée, mains, dessert and two glasses of vino each, we were left full, tipsy, sated—and with a combined bill of $100. Well worth the indulgence.