NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • Generate wealth weekly
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Restaurant hits back at disgruntled diners, reviewing them

Herald online
27 Apr, 2015 09:45 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Molten Restaurant, Mt Eden, was named Best Value for Money in the 2015 Metro Restaurant of the Year Awards.

Molten Restaurant, Mt Eden, was named Best Value for Money in the 2015 Metro Restaurant of the Year Awards.

Popular Mt Eden restaurant Molten has hit back at a group of disgruntled diners, responding to their Zomato post by "reviewing them as guests" on Facebook.

A patron, known on peer review website Zomato as "Irish Eyes", rated Molten a measly 1.5 "poor" for "the worst dining experience ever!"

The casual dining bistro had previously received 20 reviews on Zomato with an average of 3.8 out of 5.

• Read Viva's recent review of Molten

In Irish Eyes' first Zomato review, they wrote:

"... my Chicken main course was very salty! It was supposed to have been wrapped in prosciutto but it looked more like bacon to me. My husband said his Lamb was tender but quite salty as well. The side of Roasted vegetables was ok but some of the chargrilled root veges were so overcooked and tough that they were not edible."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The review was pulled down from the website this morning.

After being alerted to the harsh feedback, Molten Restaurant responded to "Table Six from last Saturday night" with a vehement review of their own.

"You were rather rude to the people that worked at our restaurant. Please bear in mind that we are not out to sabotage your evening, in fact quite the opposite - we are trying everything in our power to make your experience an enjoyable one so that you come back.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"... When we first asked how your meals were you said fine, then ate them in their entirety, then upon the plates being cleared you let us know that it was the worst meal you've eaten in a decade and that it was too salty for your tastes. Maybe next time you could let us know upon tasting the meal that it wasn't to your taste so that we have an opportunity to fix it.

"... Also, please don't complain that the prosciutto on your meal looked like it was bacon in your online review. The simple explanation for this is that it was pancetta. As per the description of the dish on the menu."

The poor review of Molten on Zomato. 
Photo / Zomato
The poor review of Molten on Zomato. Photo / Zomato

Molten owner, Sven Nielsen, told the nzherald.co.nz that Irish Eyes' review was unfair, unjust and "a little bit vindictive", prompting him to stand up on behalf of restaurant owners.

"There were some inaccuracies in the review and there was some hyperbole. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the worst meal they've ever had," Nielsen said.

Discover more

Lifestyle

Food critic slams 'amateur diners'

21 Feb 04:00 PM
Lifestyle

Dining: Feast for the senses

05 Apr 12:20 AM
New Zealand

Restaurant Review: Molten, Mt Eden

16 Apr 05:09 AM
Lifestyle

Depot named restaurant of the year

20 Apr 06:27 PM

"I think things would be dealt with a lot more constructively if the problems were brought to our attention beforehand so we can have the opportunity to address them.

"There's some people that feel that they should not mention anything and go home and write anonymous reviews and it just seems a little bit vindictive to me."

Sven Nielsen, owner of Molten Restaurant in Auckland.
Sven Nielsen, owner of Molten Restaurant in Auckland.

The Mt Eden eatery took out Best Value for Money at last week's Metro Restaurant of the Year Awards and were runner-up for Best Drinks Service.

Molten wrapped up their online rant with a reference to the opinion of local food legend, Lauraine Jacobs, who recently slammed "commercial sites" like Zomato.

"Unqualified amateur diners who are rewarded with stars for the sheer number of reviews they post, but usually are lacking in expertise and have no knowledge of the industry, can completely destroy the trade and reputation of good restaurants," chef and food writer Jacobs wrote in a leaked email.

Zomato spokeswoman Yatchi Yan hit back at the perceived food snobbery at the time, saying the website was a positive service enabling "anyone and everyone to comment on their experiences".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Join the conversation on the Herald Life Facebook page

- nzherald.co.nz

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
Lifestyle

The low-effort activities that help fend off midlife spread

Premium
Lifestyle

Habits to remain injury-free, according to physical therapists

Premium
Lifestyle

What happens to your body when you stop taking weight-loss drugs


Sponsored

How to make it easier to buy and own property in 2025

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
Premium
The low-effort activities that help fend off midlife spread
Lifestyle

The low-effort activities that help fend off midlife spread

Telegraph: ‘Zone zero’ activities can deliver powerful returns, if you do them regularly.

09 Sep 06:00 PM
Premium
Premium
Habits to remain injury-free, according to physical therapists
Lifestyle

Habits to remain injury-free, according to physical therapists

09 Sep 06:00 AM
Premium
Premium
What happens to your body when you stop taking weight-loss drugs
Lifestyle

What happens to your body when you stop taking weight-loss drugs

09 Sep 01:00 AM


How to make it easier to buy and own property in 2025
Sponsored

How to make it easier to buy and own property in 2025

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP