Lillius Restaurant

We had the 6 course menu, food and service were both amazing. 5/5 experience and taste. The egg custard & crab starter was a highlight for me, as well as all their other starters. Butter was super soft & creamy. And each dish was absolutely delicious – fave being the lamb.
As it was our anniversary it got written on a plate in chocolate with a candle which was so cute 😍.

The olive oil pre dessert is heaven we were here to celebrate one of our mates early birthday and lollies delivered the wine pairing is just outstanding I discovered I actually like sauvignon blanc just the lillius way the whitebait custard was amazing I love how the place is not huge it gives you an intimate setting. The service was absolutely fantastic. Will definitely come back

Omg yum! The decor was understated luxury. And if you’re into tiles go visit the bathrooms 😂 Great date night location. Could not fault the food and I tried everything. Personally I preferred the Wapiti entree, lamb main and pumpkin dessert. But man it was tight. The menu is seasonal so these options may no longer be available. Highly recommend!!!!

Good vibe and friendly staff. We had degustation. The plating was good. The food was very tasty but I just didn’t feel it reached a wow taste. However, please take my review with a grain of salt as taste is a subjective factor.

I was excited to finally dine at Lillius after much anticipation and wonderful feedback. The restaurant upon entering is highly impressive and sleek, with polished concrete floors and matte walls with pops of gold and royal blue in the seating and booths. It was very aesthetically pleasing and the staff was simply exceptional, so hospitable, warming and engaging.

The options within three course menu were exciting and featured NZ sourced produce at its best. I was so excited to sample the food and the wine, starting off with a North Otago Pinot Noir which was smooth and silky on the palate.

As a prelude to my first course, I was offered some starters of sweet corn smoked custard with popped rice, tuatua with hollandaise and smoked pork finger and cured pork with creamed egg in rice wafer and these were mouth watering and the perfect preparation to dinner. Next to arrive was their home baked warm sourdough bread with buffalo milk butter and that was extraordinary.

My first course was pressed arrow squid with layered smoked trevally in buttermilk with radishes. This dish was a cold dish and the textures were lovely with the squid being the highlight.

For my main, I thoroughly enjoyed the Houhora pork featuring pork belly and pork loin with parsnip purée and an assortment of charred brassicas featuring Savoy cabbage, cauliflower stems and broccolini. The pork loin was simply heavenly and so tender. The entire dish was so loving and nurturing with the various textures and flavours which complemented perfectly. It was my favorite pork dish I’ve had in a very long time.

I ordered a rose hip hibiscus gin cocktail with freeze dried berries and dried hibiscus atop, it was simply delightful and to accompany my closing dish of NZ cheeses with lavosh, crusty sourdough bread and preserves, I ordered a chilled Yarra Valley Syrah.

The entire dining experience was exquisite and truly memorable from the cuisine to the the beverages and the spectacular service. I will most definitely return and am happy to have discovered a new favorite restaurant. What I appreciated most about the dishes was reminiscing about childhood food flavour memories that evoked at a more elevated level. The use of local produce was front and center stage.

This really is a 5 Star restaurant and it was a true privilege to experience dining here. Highly recommended with distinction!