The Shed Te Motu - Matiatia New Zealand

For me, I had the perfect lunch today at The Shed. Every course was cooked and tasted to perfection. The smooth chicken liver parfait was full of flavour; the lamb shoulder with smoked potatoes should be a NZ signature dish; and the feijoa sorbet with coconut tapioca was a refreshing end. Even the Waiheke sparkling water was a nice touch, it meant we could take the lovely bottle home as a souvenir. Final mention would have to be the friendliness of the staff, attentive but laid back if that makes sense.

How could we not rate this five stars? The staff catered to us perfectly, with an amazing meal and fantastic wine pairings. Great way to spend a birthday.<br/ <br/ I have to specifically mention the Californian guy who talked us through the wines. Very knowledgeable and made night one to remember.

Sensational and not to be missed : A number of colleagues mentioned how fantastic Te Motu was, so we had to check it out for ourselves. The first day we did the Wine Tasting, where you sit at a rustic outdoor table and for $20 you get to try a solid sampling of 5 of their wines (mostly red including one sweet late harvest (The Nectar dessert wine, all the while getting an interesting narrative rundown. The next day we came back to try the restaurant, which is built in and around an old converted goat shed (it used to be a goat farm , but very well appointed and superbly rustic. The kids had their own nearby table and had toasties, while we ordered one of everything : All dishes were exemplary and beautifully presented, a culinary symphony. Nothing could be faulted and now we know why Te Motu is the food connoisseurs favourite on Waiheke.

Just wow!  My new fave on Waiheke.  Fabulous food; service and of course wine.  We arrived a little early (20 minutes) and unfortunately they couldn 't;t seat us so they sent us up for a wine tasting.  So...this is the first thing that stops me giving them a 5/5.  We were charged for the wine tasting (actually we bought wine so it was waived).  And I understand why they charge for tasting but there could be a way to do a 'discounted ' tasting for those who dine and spend significant 's.  It also meant that after w enjoyed the tasting we were late for our table which wasn 't a problem for the restaurant , but it was for us as we had a Ferry booking that couldn 't be changed.  So...we rushed.  and you can at this place but I so want to go back and do it leisurely .  The food was fabulous and so was the service.  It is 'family friendly ' and there were a few badly behaved children but as a parent I appreciate really nice places that I could take my kids to...I just wish those parents managed their kids a little better!<br/ <br/ The Octopus small plate...we shared.  It was incredible.  I will go back just for that.  The one is hugely expensive but awesome.  Not a 'cheap date ' but not fine dining.  Really really recommended.

Saturday lunch. Our first time here. Unfortunately time was short so we didn't get to indulge fully. My SO shared the beetroot salad and lamb shoulder with a friend. I had The Leigh fish which came with smoked pork cheek and oysters. Just perfectly delicious. We shared a carafe of Te Motu 2004 red. Marvellous accompaniment. Worthy of a much longer repeat visit me-thinks.