The Golden Nest at Woodpecker Hill

Second time here and really impressed, ate too much but loved everything, very impressed. Woodpecker hill is still one of the best restaurant I've been too, fantastic Asian fusion sharing plates. Tried everything we could and wow. Extremely highly recommended.

I have been here couple of years ago but review was still good so visited again. But I think food used to be better. Duck fried rice was enjoyable. Brisket bao was good, meat was tender. Maybe sauce could have been better, a bit salty and raw for my liking. Lobster roll... roll was delicious, no further comment. Bluff oyster was fresh, nice dressing. Egg plant .. maybe batter could have been lighter. Overall, atmosphere and service was good but not sure I will go back there because there are other "GOOD" places in Auckland.

The meal itself was the greatest Journey. The decor felt like I was overseas, on a holiday. The staff were all well presented and polite. The food was out of this world. To start we had the eggplant, my wife whom is from northern China said the fish tasted like her childhood. Perfectly deep fried tempura like eggplants with a sweet tangy smokey sauce. China. The next dish was the squid prawn pork salad with plenty of herbs. This was an amazing Vietnamese style dish, the sour sweet and freshness was amazing. I felt like I was eating something from a food review show in Vietnam. I asked my wife “where did the owner source these herbs in Auckland!?” The after we had an amazing soft shell crab. With plenty of herbs mint chilli and spices. It was saucy with a Thai Choo chee taste. Plenty of seasoning and seeds, gave the large crabs depth and gave me cravings for more. I ate so many mouthfuls of rice with just the sauce alone. Devine. Thereafter we had a side of Bokchoi, it was fresh and crunchy. Not boiled and not over cooked like many Asian restaurants. It tasted like it was cooked in very very high heat and very very quickly. The texture was amazing. You cannot taste this anywhere else in Auckland. This would put many Cantonese restaurant Bokchois to shame. I can say this because when those restaurants do try, they will agree with me. Up next was the 14hr smoked brisket, a very American southern smoked brisket cooked to perfection. Tender and soft and not too fatty. The homemade mustard gave the dish a very modern Seattle sweet fling to this amazing meat. We ordered a Mango lassi, not a traditional Indian taste, but a more fresh yoghurt foundation, matches with real chunks of mango, instead of a heavy blend where you cannot taste what the ingredients were originally. I also ordered a old fashioned to travel the US a little more and feel a bit of the past matched with many dishes of the future. I have already recommended to all my friends, and will happily go back very soon without even thinking.

f you are in Auckland this is the restaurant to book. You will love this place and want to come back again and again. The first thing I started was roasted wheat dumplings with peanut butter. Shumai's skin is so soft and thin, I really appreciate it because you can taste better fillings. We had salt and pepper tofu with vinegar sauce. Need more peppery flavor, but the performance of this dish is well worth it. Chicken satay is very tender and juicy. The cream sauce goes well with the delicious vinaigrette. The ribs are delicious, but the meat could have softened. I suggest grilling the last ribs so that the sauce can turn into caramel.

We just stumbled upon this restaurant. The menu is small but looked interesting. I guess you can call it a fancy place. Ambience was nice, the decor was lovely. Very homely. They even gave blankets if you get cold. Finer details. Service was good. But most of all, the food, impeccable! We ordered the prawn and pork shumai and the flavour took me back to Vietnam! All the different herbs, absolutely delicious. We also had the salmon main and aromatic lamb curry. The lamb truly was aromatic and the spices were so tasty (not hot)! And the salmon and prawn was mouthwatering! Have to try this place at least once!

For my maiden visit to Woodpecker Hill in Parnell, I was absolutely stunned by the stylish interior as we entered by the water feature wall at the front through to experiencing the industrial chic indoor area of the restaurant. We were fortunate enough to get a table bring walk-ins since the place was extremely busy in the early evening. Our waitress was most hospitable, introducing us to the style of cuisine and service style of the menu. We ordered the honey crispy eggplant, green papaya salad, kingfish lime pomelo crudo, charred spicy calamari and the terakihi yellow curry. Each sharing plate was aromatic, flavoursome and vibrant, not to mention, exquisite on our palates. To close, we ordered the mango caramel pudding and sticky black rice for dessert and these were nice. Woodpecker Hill was highly impressive. The entire dining experience and restaurant ambiance was exceptional! Highly recommended with distinction!

Food: (-1/5) The chef hasn’t graduated from cookery school right?? The food was terrible, too salty and sour. And the portions were extremely small compared to the prices. We had the steam buns (street venders’ were way better than theirs), black pepper beef steak( the portion was so small and every ingredient was too salty), salmon salad(was the most horrible one, came with pickled veggies with few pieces of salmon sashimi, sour as hell! ) and the duck meat fried rice( the meat was deep fried so super dry and hard to chew). Service: (3/5) The waiter does need to improve his English and should be more familiar with all the dishes. Totally disappointed for tonight’s dinner. Won’t give it a next try!! The worst meal that I’ve ever had!

Excellent mélange of fine Asian-fusion food and quality service, Woodpecker Hill lives up to its reputation as one of Auckland’s top restaurants Though the intriguing interior design doesn’t hint at its fusion focus, Woodpecker Hill makes for a very cozy and romantic setting for dinner. The dining room design makes big groups easily accommodated without impinging on others. Food is quick to the table, and you’re unlikely to go thirsty. Efficient staff welcome/serve/care for you with genuine warmth, whether you’re in for a drink of a big meal. Be ready for some interesting creations that challenge the imagination like stir-fried, soft shell crab (delicious!!!), mushroom dumplings and more. Easily appealing to vegetarian tastes. Quality wine selection, but despite the house collaborative brew with Woody Brothers Brewery the craft beer selection is a little thin. Go here to experience a hitch-free night and enjoy tasting lots of plates of delicious!