Totara, Albany

To celebrate Amazing A2's birthday, six Ferry Girls descended upon the unsuspecting Totara Restaurant.  Would they measure up to The Ferry Girls high standards?  Would they grab the elusive 5 / 5 rating?

After a slow start leaving Beach Haven (taxi was half an hour late - 0 / 5 rating for Auckland Co-Op Taxis :( ), five of the six Ferry Girls arrived at Totara Restaurant.  First impressions suggested a nice restaurant with a nice courtyard area - not ideal for dining at 7pm at night, but surely a nice spot to have a coffee on a Sunday afternoon.

Amazing A2, the Birthday Girl, was patiently waiting, mulling over a delightful glass of Sauvignon Blanc.  The waiter greeted up in a friendly and up beat manner and seated us at our table.  The wine list was explained and we quickly summed it up.  Princess J was heard to exclaim that it was "suffocating" as there was "no range by the glass".  However, we managed to secure a bottle of bubbles to get the evening off to a nice start.

Totara is renown for winning numerous Beef and Lamb awards, and these dishes were recommended to us by the attentive waiter. 

The Food
The Birthday Girl Miss A2 ordered the Pork from the Signature Dishes range ($34.50) and declared it devine.  Rating 4.5 / 5
Princess J ordered the Fillet Steak ($37), rated it 4 / 5 and "very good".
Darling D decided the Hot Pot of Shellfish was for her ($35) and rated it a very good 4 / 5.
Miss PJ also ordered Fillet Steak and also rated it 4 / 5.
Lady L followed in A2's lead and also ordered the Pork, declaring it exquisite and rated it 4.5 / 5.
And me, D2, I ordered the Tuna ($34.50).  It was truly melt in your mouth - so succulent and devine and rated a well deserved 4.5 / 5.
Other comments regarding the food was mainly around the three side dishes that were order (green beans, potatoes and a green salad).  It was felt that the beans were under cooked and not finished nicely (i.e. the tops and tails of the beans were left untrimmed :( )

The Service
On arrival the waiter was fabulous, attentive, witty but not overbearing or over the top, but unfortunately as the night wore on, the level of service slipped.  Empty dishes sat waiting on the table after all diners had finished their meals.  Two bottles in the wine bucket were left unserved, water bottle was topped up.  Dessert dishes also waited to be retrieved.  Overall service was rated 4 / 5 - so while good, it could be improved by a few small amendments.

Ambience and Venue
The restaurant was lovely with a nice cozy feel and dim lighting, however the chairs were hard and uncomfortable and the stemware was not up to Lady L's standard (she prefers the thin stemware - nicer to drink out of).  Bathrooms were clean and tidy with nice soaps, hand towels and moisturisers.
Overall rating: 4 / 5

Value for Money
The evening was going well.  The food was delicious, the wine was flowing, dessert was eaten, special coffees drunk - and then shock horror, we asked for the bill.  $502!!!!  For 6 people!!!!  It was lovely, but it wasn't fine dining!  At $85 per person, it was agreed that while it was lovely, it definetly wasn't worth $85 per person!  So that definetly put a damper on the evening, and made some of the party reassess whether they would come again or recommend to friends ......  Overall rating: 2 / 5

Recommend to Friends and Family
Yes - althought based on the bill, there would be a word of warning thrown in!

Come again? 
What started out as a pleasant evening was soured after the arrival of the astronomical bill - so a number of the party changed their original Yes to a No.  Most of the party indicated that they would come again.

Overall Rating
Totara is a lovely restaurant, with great food, great service (don't expect your plate to get whisked it away - it may take awhile) and most of our party would come again or recommend to friends and family, so our overall rating was 4 / 5.

Total Bill: $501.40
What we ordered:
6 mains (from the Signature Dishes range)
2 glasses Sav Blanc
1 bottle Bubbles
1 bottle Sav Blanc
1 bottle Chardy
3 Garlic Bread
3 Sides
2 Dessert
1 Cheese Board
2 Special Coffees
1 Coffee
2 Ports

http://www.totararestaurant.co.nz/