Long Bay Regional Park,
2000 Beach Road,
Long Bay,
Torbay
Auckland,
(09) 473 5436
The ViewAuckland Review
4 out of 5
This will never win a contest for Most Imaginative Restaurant Name, though you can't argue with its accuracy.
It's slap-bang in the middle of the beachfront in a rather ugly 70s building on the very edge of the sand—indeed, the deck juts out over the beach itself.
It suffers from what real estate agents call deferred maintenance: the décor is tired and dated; the furniture is ugly; and the toilets would benefit from a coat of paint that didn't look like it had been put on with a yard broom.
The service, too, left a bit to be desired the night we were there. There was only one waitress and the proprietor working the floor, which was probably good for the bottom line but not so good for the customers.
On the strength of this, I expected the food to be second-rate, but it was actually pretty damn good.
My beef carpaccio (thin-sliced raw beef) dressed with truffle oil and parmesan was sliced much more thickly than is traditional, but the meat was moist and fresh and of very high quality.
One of our party was impressed with a stack of chicken livers, mushroom and spinach; and another enjoyed a tomato, cheese and basil tart.
The mains—pork scotch fillet, osso buco and salmon—were equally impressive: not top-class; but hearty, tasty and in generous-size portions.
Vegetables were included in the price and with entrees around $12 and mains around $25, made this night out very good value.
Long Bay Restaurant has been reviewed by 11 users