Restaurant review: The White Rabbit, Auckland CBD

The White Rabbit cafe. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Address: 69 Customs St East, Auckland
Phone: (09) 369 5069
Rating out of 10: Food: 7, Service: 7, Value: 7, Ambience: 6

We approached the White Rabbit, just off Britomart, with mild trepidation. Yes, they'd taken our booking for dinner with something approaching joy, but the website showed no menu for serious food at all, which perhaps explained why there was just one table set up when we arrived.

In fact, the menu is large, leather-bound and rather exciting, as is the cocktail list. Two of us started with cocktails - the "Leafcutter", a vodka, elderflower, apple and citrus bitters-based concoction; and for me, "Fruits of Labour", which starred a serious slug of Johnny Walker Black Label and a mix of juices. Both were big and strong. The others chose a mellow Trinity Hawkes Bay chardonnay, which was unfortunately served too cold.

All this was achieved in the face of a deafening jazz band. As our elegant waiter explained, the upstairs bistro was closed due to an electrical fault, so we had to dine downstairs, but she'd ask the band to turn down their boom box after the break. Luckily they didn't get back to full throttle until we were about to leave.

For a bar, the seating plan is unusual. Apart from the bar itself and a few high stools down the end, the room is set out like a boarding school dining hall with two uniform rows of tables with banquette seats against the walls. The lovely old, high pressed ceiling and a row of small sketches from Alice In Wonderland, and some rather cool lamps (which weren't switched on), were the main attempts at decoration. We were seated down the far end, as far from the music as possible, opposite a distinctly shabby outside door from which blew icy blasts every time people came and went.

Our entrees arrived smartly and were first class, especially my calamari crackers from the Aperitifs, Snacks & Starters list. Served on six crunchy fried kale leaves and mixed with chopped vegetables, the calamari tasted fresh and tender and, at $15, was a bargain. The chunky tuna tartare and tasty pork jowl were excellent while the least-appealing option of soused mackerel with smoked horseradish turned out to be a subtle, tender treat. They were all substantial and a great start.

And so it continued - for the meantime. Our main courses were outstanding, especially the risotto of seasonal flavour (mushrooms and buffalo ricotta), which was the best I've ever tasted. Every grain of rice was perfectly cooked, the orange-tinted sauce sweet and aromatic. Apart from offering samples, our friend ate every grain.

My pig's head had been slow-cooked, stripped of its bones and whiskers and reduced to three thick, meaty patties.

The duck confit was another triumph and the beef shin did not turn out dry and stringy as our friend feared. Indeed, The White Rabbit's chef is obviously a slow-cooking specialist who turns tough cuts into mouth-melting works of art. He also knows when to leave things alone: for example, our sides of beans were served perfectly al dente, with a splash of butter, while the mash was creamy and simple with just a hint of garlic.

Only the desserts were disappointing. Brian's special chocolate brownie was well below his standard. Probably because our waiter, charming as she was, didn't manage to light the alcohol, my rum baba was like a muffin soaked in neat rum. The pavlova was a meringue with no cream. However, the toasted buttered brioche with honeycomb toffee and pear and ginger icecream was standout. Crisp and crunchy, but with a soft centre, and permeated with the flavour of toasted butter, it was irresistible. We ate the lot.

Meanwhile the band played on, a few people drifted in for a drink or snack, but on this Halloween night before the Rugby World Cup final, the place was by no means heaving.

Our meal: $351 for two cocktails and three glasses of wine, plus four entrees, main courses and desserts.

Wine list: Excellent. Set out in categories including "Crisp, Edgy Whites", "Aromatics" and "Sparkly, Bubbly and Fancy", it's a much more useful guide than the usual chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, merlot, etc layout. The cocktail range is enticing too.

Verdict: The White Rabbit pulls a few surprises out of the hat for the Customs St extension of Britomart. The gradual tart-up of this formerly sleazy slice of downtown (though there's still plenty of "adult" nightlife only metres away) can only be improved by this gracious old building with its cool bar and live music. The food is exceptional at times, the cocktails spectacular, and prices are okay too.