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Boutereys Restaurant, Nelson, NZ

Visiting Nelson with my parents, we thought we would take the opportunity to have a lovely dinner at Boutereys Restaurant located in Richmond, on the outskirts of Nelson.  As previous winners of the Cuisine Restaurant of the Year Best Smart Dining we thought we were onto a winner.

The restaurant is a lovely, crisp space and despite all the hard surfaces the acoustics allow you to have a conversation with your fellow diners easily.  Staff are attentive, although my Mother felt that pushy would have been more accurate, but we were so busy chatting I think the waiting staff had to visit the table a few times to remind us we need to order to be fed, so I feel attentive is a fair description.

Pork The food?  With a strong mission to use local, fresh and seasonal produce we were looking forward to our meals, which you can expect to pay around $35 per main course.  Of course, and as you will know my pet hate, you have to pay extra for seasonal vegies because apparently for $35 you shouldn’t expect to be served a complete dish!

Disappointing.  All four of us felt our varied dishes, which included fish, steak and pork, didn’t meet our expectations and even felt the dishes were under seasoned (so help the Chef if he was to appear on Masterchef New Zealand!).  Really not much more I can say, other than for around $35 a piece we were sorely disappointed.

Delightful DessertDessert? Another story – all of us loved our desserts and they certainly met our expectations and even exceeded them!

Perhaps the season’s summer selection of produce isn’t Boutereys’ strong suit, but I don’t feel I will want to return to find out if another season is their strong one as a good dessert a good restaurant does not make.

Posted in Restaurant Review.

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