Clooney

Really theatrical setting of the restaurant. The dinning area is stage for both food and you. Good for small intimate groups or date night.
Food materials are incredibly fresh. A few 7 course options (vegetarian options available) are the exact as on their websites. Presentation of the food is also gorgeous. Extensive selection of local wines for paring
You can also make up your own ¾/​5/​7 course meal from menu.
Personally I really liked all the seafood and lamb. Less with vegetable course (although side salad is refreshing and nice).
Definitely worth experiencing.

Dinner for one while traveling to Auckland for business from NYC. My neighbor on the flight suggested I try Euro, I should have listened to him. How does a restaurant of this supposed caliber not have any toilet paper in the restroom?!
Menu at Clooney never seems to change based on other reviews. I chose the 5 course (NZD 120), which included a king fish tartare (yuzu was so overwhelming and too sweet, took two bites and didn’t eat the rest), local snapper with sea beans and an abalone /​squid ink sauce (tepid, sauce is grainy and again, way too much citrus for an otherwise beautifully prepared snapper), duck with beets (duck well prepared, but nutmeg /​cinnamon /​clove was the only thing I tasted), lamb rump (delicious, best thing on the menu).
Alcohol: tried the White Negroni to start, delicious. Ordered a glass of the Destiny Bay, of course served at 80 degrees (I asked them to chill this, came back at 79). Meh.
Service: Attentive without being annoying. That’s why this is getting 3 instead of 2 stars.
Overall, meal was mediocre compared to really amazing degustations /​tasting menus in the world. My lunch at Ortolans was much much better (and cheaper).

Yes it is worth it. Just come here. It is Romaric, perhaps overpriced but when you start eating you will forget all of that nonsense and enjoy yourself.

Let me start with a pet peeve of mine: I’ve been known to rant about ridiculous decorative curtains that do nothing but tickle your neck when you lean back in your seat. So take note, restaurants seeking to create the illusion of division or privacy in an open dining area: if you put the curtains far enough back, it’s not a problem, and even more importantly, when placed the right distance from the table, it creates the ability for servers to come in behind you and take care of you without any hassle. It’s a little thing, but it was refreshing to see it done right.
And it’s really the attention to the little things that make Clooney well worth a visit. Let’s take communication with the restaurant, for example. I booked a table, then thought a little more and realized that with all the traveling we were doing, the absolute nicest clothing I had available for dinner was a pair of jeans and a collared shirt from Wal-​Mart (total cost for the evening ensemble: $ 18.99). So I emailed the restaurant explaining my situation, and received an email back from the manager 35 minutes after sending it (even though this was well after midnight).
It’s the little things, and apparently they were slumming a bit because I was allowed in.
Once our cab found the place,* I had a feeling we were in for a treat. Had a huge table to ourselves, so we had plenty of room to spread out, and the 7 course tasting menu was fantastic. Starting with food, I’d say the seafood dishes were certainly very good; the tuna was the clear winner, such high quality that you didn’t need to do anything too insane with it. (I’m probably seriously discounting the amount of work that went into the dish, but it tasted simple and bright.) Similarly, the cheese selection was very nice and dessert was a truly unique combination of sweets that went well with a surprisingly aggressive and not particularly sweet wine pairing.
Speaking of which, the wine pairings were all very good, but I didn’t find one that fundamentally transformed the flavor of the food in the way that the best pairings will do. Still, they were well-​selected and there wasn’t a slouch in the group. I definitely appreciated the selection of New Zealand wines, as it meant we could try a few varieties during our limited time there.
Where the kitchen really excelled was in the meat courses, with a truly impressive pork and an out-​of-​this-​world duck. Both were unbelievably flavorful, with a combination of excellent savory «comfort flavors» that made the dinner great. I can’t get over that perfect texture on the duck skin. I was shutting my eyes with every bite and couldn’t have been happier to drop that kind of cash for the food I was eating.
So I’d say the food is 4.5 — well-​executed fine dining with a couple dishes that absolutely shine. Where Clooney truly stands out for me is with service. We had great communication beforehand, and when we arrived early to have a cocktail thanks to Leilei’s suggestion, we found the table was already waiting for us. From the moment we came in, service was exactly perfect. Besides the well-​executed basics, I definitely put the staff to the test: When I mentioned my wife had found the previous course’s wine pairing a little strong, I found two options presented for her for the remaining courses so we could find something she liked. When I asked where the cheese had been sourced from, I wound up with a business card and address to the freaking vendor in case I wanted to do a little shopping afterward. Etc., etc. And here’s the best part: No gimmicks! It was the epitome of capable, friendly service that not once ever tipped over into obsequiousness or pretension. Nobody asked me to «choose my knife» or told me how to eat the dish. (I’m sure it’s common, but I hadn’t heard it phrased this way before: They characterize the right way to eat the food as the «chef’s method,» which is clever because you aren’t being bossed around, but you’d feel like a moron if you didn’t listen up a little.)
Bottom line: Clooney should be exceptionally proud of the great work and great food. Highly recommend.
* Interesting strategy, you POS cabbie: Start driving first, THEN tell me you don’t know where the restaurant is so we can have an argument about whether or not I’m going to pay you to sit around while I find someone who knows the directions to the place. How dare I assume you’d know the location of a CBD restaurant?

Clooney is very much fine dining at its best. The setting is theatrical, with dark and dimly lit spaces separated by curtain walls. The menu offers several choices, from a la carte (which I opted for) to 5 or 7 course set menus. Saturday nights are reserved for degustation only. The service is top notch here, drinks arrived effortlessly and the food was delicious. Each plate was expertly prepared with seasonal and exciting flavour combinations. In between courses there were also complimentary tastings and palate cleansers from the kitchen. Definitely the sort of place I would recommend for a special occasion. One of Auckland’s finest.

Top notch — easily one of the best restaurants in the city. Auckland is spoiled for dining options and Clooney is a real winner amongst them. The industrial space has been fitted out beautifully and the booth dining lends itself to intimate dining for groups (large or small). The food is expertly prepared and tastes amazing. The service is always attentive and friendly. It’s a definite place for special occasions!

Upscale fine dining in a very quiet and nice place restaurant is in a re designed warehouse which makes a great atmosphere. The food is Devine and the service is up to the restaurant standard. Dessert is just outstanding. Keeping memories for months. An awesome place to go with your lover or also for business diner.

The degustation was perfect. Unobtrusive yet attentive wait staff. Easily my favourite restaurant in Auckland.

Decadent. A place for special occasions and one that never fails to disappoint. The seven course degustation is beautifully presented and you get a little treat to take home at the end of the meal. Surprise of the night was the optional dish of Comte cheese with black garlic purée and black garlic infused loaf. Simply heaven!

The high ceilings, leather-​covered booths, sparse aesthetic, no tablecloth on minimalist circular tables and impersonal service make Clooney seem more like more like a dark quasi-​glamorous fine-​dining place shoe-​horned into an airport lounge. The maitre d’ needs to be more vigilant, but the food provides some consolation. A kombu broth’s complex flavour was inveigling, the beef main was simply superb showcasing a heft, perfect seasoning and controlled meaty fullness paired with a delicious barbecue emulsion and Jerusalem artichoke purée. A scallop tasted more of the grill marks emblazoned on it and Eel beignet keenly channeled wood smoke, however sorrel ice-​cream was a bewitching concoction, complete with inspired fruity associates. Pricey at $ 150 pp for 7 course tasting. Better success rate in the food and warmer service would amply benefit this place. ³⁄₅ = Good. Full article —

Amazeballs. Great place, great atmosphere, great service, great food.
Clooney eloquently puts everything together to give you a real dining experience.
Of all the fine dining restaurants I’ve been to Clooney was definitely the most comfortable. The chairs, couches really are extremely comfortable, tables are huge so you actually have more than enough space for your plates and glasses. Lighting is very comfortable and pleasant to look at.
The caramelised butter with bread here is to die for, wagyu tartare was amazing, I had the kingfish and blue cod which were both cooked to perfection.
No complaints really. On top of the knowledgeable and helpful staff, Clooney is highly recommended and I would definitely come back again.

I loved the interior of Clooney. Elegant lighting, round tables with black thread curtains, the quietness… The list can go on.
I started with two cocktails ($ 18 each) which were simple but delicious.
For mains, I had a Beef tenderloin (with sun choke, verde, veal sweetbread & fuille de brick, $ 46) which was simply amazing. Clooney doesn’t use the common sauce with its steak. This creamy green mousse like sauce goes perfectly well with the tenderloin. Sorry the photo I took here was too blurry to show. My partner had Market fish (with amphire, horseradish, native sea weed & clam juices, $ 45) which was still good with refreshing dressings.
Well I was not planning to leave this place without trying their dessert so we chose Baked valrhona dulcey, popcorn, date & banana ($ 19). The white chocolate in the middle was simply melting in our mouth. It was a bit of shame as the date paste had a touch of ginger which I didn’t particularly enjoy. But the rest of the elements disappeared quickly.
Wow, what a wonderful night. Would love to come again if my bank account allows: p

As I drew back that big black door I knew I was in for something special. Tucked away down the back of Sale St… It’s like entering Narnia for food.
Protip: arrive early and have a cocktail at the bar. Its cozy and the menu is very smart and the drinks are delicious!
The simple industrial exterior doesn’t give much away but inside the high vaulted ceilings and the swish mysterious dividers with big generous round booth tables. Everything down to the cutlery and plates sets this place apart from your standard dining establishments.
I spent the day tossing up between the à la carte and the tasting menu… only to be presented with a fourth option of a 5 course tasting menu… (opposed to the 7 or 9) having stupidly opted to bring my car I wasn’t able to pair each dish with a wine, instead I opted for the first glass and the third which ended up being solid choices with Escarpment Riesling 2010, and Navarherreos Albillo 2010.
There wasn’t a single dish or execution that wasn’t perfect. Beyond perfect even… The highlight for me was the signature duck dish. But beyond the menu we had to indulge in the truffle dutch fries which was big thick fluffy pomme frite loaves served with the lightest delicate aioli. Which came out with the lamb… and that together made for a truly outstanding dish.
What I loved the most is that normally about two thirds of the way through a tasting menu I wonder if my eyes are bigger than my stomach… Clooney has that fine balance down perfect. I felt totally ready for dessert after the fourth and the pace for service between dishes was ideal. The dessert blew my mind… I’ll be the first to admit it sounds a little pretentious «deconstructed pineapple cheesecake with coconut and spiced ginger base» but what came out was the fat lady singing the perfect top note that blows out all the champagne glasses without any remorse.
I don’t think I’ll ever look at risotto the same again… or pineapples… the menu completely undersells the experience.
Donate a kidney, pick up that assassination contract… whatever you have to do to make this happen… just go… its worth it… I promise!

Such a wonderful place. 5 stars customer service. Food was great. Lovely table and comfortable chairs. Everything was great. Highly recommended.

This is definitely one of the nicer places to eat in Auckland. It was quite dark though but on the other hand it is quite private behind the curtained off tabled areas so nobody is watching you. You can eat in sophisticated privacy! We ate foods we wouldn’t have normally eaten elsewhere. Great to see some decent whiskeys on the menu!
Would go back on special occasions, as it’s one of those special feeling restaurants.

I made up the numbers one night recently at Auckland’s five star restaraunt Clooney It’s a stylish space with black slashed curtains subtley dividing the comfortable booths as tables.
It was just as well i wasnt starving to death, however, because allthough very well prepared it really was one of those posh dinners with an exquisite large plate and an equally exquisite but conversely small meal in the middle of it… well, at least if you order the fish anyway.
Excellent service with our waiter going the extra mile in terms of explaining the menu and taking the time to show us around made for a memorable experience. Next time I might give the degustation a go.

I guess with a name like ‘Clooney’, it evokes a sophisticated guy with grey hair. This place certainly is sophisticated — we could not afford to come here normally, we just came with my wife’s work and the bill was on them. Clooney is something special, a bona fide exquisite dining experience. We had our own booth which meant we all felt more relaxed and it made for a better evening. The service is excellent and made the dining experience that bit more special. As regards the food, it is superb. I got a beef fillet which came with truffle and it was melt in the mouth. My wife got the gnocchi which came with egg yolk and she said it was the best she’d ever tasted. By all means come here but bear in mind that the entrees are priced between $ 20 -$ 30 and the mains are all over $ 40. It’s expensive but is a very memorable night out.

There is one thing I hate about Clooney and it isn’t even about the place itself. It is how everyone calls it ‘Clooneys’, plural. It’s Clooney with no ‘s’ guys! For f*cks sake, get it right!
So, as you have probably been able to deduce from the above, if that’s the one thing I hate about Clooney, the place must be pretty damn good. It is. The only reason I don’t rate it 5, is because I have a weird thing about rating things 5 stars. I would give Clooney a solid 4.5 from the experiences I’ve had.
I’ve dined with vegans and had them make up special vegan menus, I’ve just had drinks, I’ve just had desserts, I’ve had full meals, I’ve been to parties there. I’ve pretty much done it all. The food is, as to be expected, on a very high level. The cocktails are fantastic. The seating arrangements are perfect. There are these moveable dividers between tables made of fringing. They offer privacy without feeling like you’re separated from the rest of the patrons.
The architecture is pretty bloody good. If you go, anything you order will be good so I have no recommendations. All I can say is make sure you visit the bathrooms because they are super nice and even the most snobby will appreciate the design.