The White Rabbit - CLOSED

Bistro-style food with a tie on.
Skye Pathare
Published on February 26, 2015
Updated on May 25, 2015

Overview

Said to be named after the crisp white walls and the speediness of the revamp (like a rabbit out of a magician’s hat), The White Rabbit sits on the corner of Customs and Gore St downtown – and the space, previously occupied by the Britomart Hotel, Rose & Crown, and The Brewery, has never looked better.

The clean paint job and simple fit-out is jazzed up with several interesting lighting and design choices – gooseneck floor lamps mixed with Parisian street lights, tabletop cacti in mason jars, a collection of pastel treasures on a bookshelf. It’s got that ‘soft industrial’ look favoured by owner Mark Keddell, who also runs Libertine and Wellington’s legendary Matterhorn.

Group executive chef Sean Marshall has crafted an all-day menu offering up breakfast, lunch and dinner (served in a separate dining room upstairs) with a well-stocked grazing menu for drinks or those awkward in-between times.

The easy bistro-style food’s by ex-Clooney head chef Ian Harrison, yet incorporates the techniques and tastes of fine dining: French fries come with pickled shiitake mushrooms and tartare, sardines on toast are topped with crumbled feta and broad bean, a simple summer salad with baby beets and squash is served with a golfball of perfectly fresh burrata cheese (think buffalo mozzarella, but creamier).

The latter dish was the highlight of our Monday night stop, where we also tucked into a delicious duck burger and one of the best and most inventive desserts I’ve had in a while – Szechuan pineapple with marshmallows, fresh mango and coconut yoghurt. Even at 7pm, the place was packed with a great mix of after-work suits and happy families, and the service was efficient and warm.

With food that really stands out - even in a precinct brimming with Auckland’s best, The White Rabbit’s a must-try. Perfect for anything from a first date to a wine-soaked catch up with the girls.

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