"I just had one little bite but it wasn't right," he said.
"I've eaten venison before, I love venison, but this was really weird."
Mr Nordio said he sent the dish back immediately and declined the restaurant's offer to provide him with a replacement meal, saying he would just have his side dish of vegetables.
When he wanted to pay however, he was astonished to find the $38 venison meal itemised on his bill.
"I was really, really disappointed that they would charge a client for a refused dish," Mr Nordio said.
He asked to speak with the proprietor, Chris Upton, who told him he believed there was nothing wrong with the dish and that he "didn't want to take the loss".
"I told him: 'Sorry, but I won't be eating here again'," Mr Nordio said.
Mr Upton told nzherald.co.nz he didn't have any comment for the press, but went on to say he felt Mr Nordio's comments were "out of line".
"We're a restaurant that's celebrating our 10th anniversary as of a couple of days. We have a good reputation and there are sometimes incidents like this which are difficult to deal with," he said.
Mr Upton said he had a discussion with Mr Nordio and explained there was nothing wrong with the venison.
"He wasn't very easy to deal with and I stick by my decision (to charge him for the meal)," Mr Upton said.
Neville Waldren, an adviser for the Restaurant Association of New Zealand said there was no set industry stance on the issue, but he believed most restaurant owners thought customer satisfaction was paramount.
"Obviously you have to look at each situation on a case-by-case basis but it is a concern if the customer is not happy.
"I would have thought most restaurateurs would be conscious of making sure their customers are satisfied."
