The Brewer's Apprentice product reviews

I have been to The Brewer's Apprentice twice now for dinner and drinks, and both times have had a good experience. The revamp they have undertaken since the tired old 'Fat Ladies Arms' premises is extraordinary. Inside you will find polished wood floors, big windows and doors for great indoor/outdoor flow, classy leather seats, fireplaces and big tv screens. The dining area for sit down meals is tucked away from the main bar area, but still visible and close to the bar. There is a view into the kitchen, well a slightly cloudy view - the window is covered by a patterened semi-see-through screen, but you can still see in.

Both visits I have had here have been casual dinners with a group of 8 colleagues. Everything went extremely well, we were seated and looked after by our wonderfully friendly and attentive waitress. In particular, the drinks waitresses were excellent - keeping an eye on everyone and at your beck and call straight away once you had finished your drink, ready to get you a new one - only if you wanted, mind you. If you didn't, they weren't pushy at all.

Mains were ordered and arrived all at the same time after a short wait. I have enjoyed my mains both times I have been here. Only one complaint from one of our group - the gnocchi was a bit bland. Overall everyone was really happy with their food and the service.

There were some slight hiccups last time I dined here. Before going, I looked up their website (www.brewersapprentice.co.nz) and noticed that on the night we were going, there was a special on, which stated that with every main ordered, you receive a free tap beer. Nothing had been mentioned to us before we were due to order, so I asked the waitress. She asked the manager, and came back and informed me that special had expired. Very strange it is still on the website then, I thought, but I accepted that without fuss. About 10 minutes later she came back again to say they had looked on the website, and the special WAS still running! So, in the end, those of us that ordered mains received a free tap beer. It pays to keep up with these kinds of things!
It did bother me however that the website information was not being relayed to wait staff.

The second hiccup came at the end of the meal, when we all went to pay. I was the last to pay, and by the time I did everyone else had pretty much left. The bar staff ran through what was left to pay on the receipt, and it turned out there was an extra orange juice, an extra bottle of beer, and an extra side of onion rings. I thought perhaps some people had forgotten to pay for their items, however when questioned the next day, everybody assured me they had indeed paid for everything they had eaten - including the items that were left on the list. So, unfortunately, the bar staff had made a pretty bad error which we ended up forking out for.

That aside, this place is absolutely ideal for after work drinks and dinner - have a few drinks outside or in the bar then head in to the dining area for a meal. A great choice for a meal out with the added bonus of being able to have a few drinks at the bar beforehand.