On an unpleasant evening with not much to lure one out, the place was packed. And it is a big venue, occupying most of the second floor of its waterfront building with a big bar area and benches around the kitchen to cater for overflow when the tables are all occupied.
The decor is contemporary and bright and takes full advantage of the harbour view, although that view is not the city's most attractive unless you have a taste for row upon row of imported cars. Our table also looked inward to the kitchen, which offered a rather more interesting spectacle as the staff, appearing more cheerful and less stressed than is usually the case with visible catering, went about their business with controlled frenzy.
A sizeable percentage of the menu here doesn't need much staff intervention as the raw bar is one of the features of a fairly small list, which relies heavily upon local ingredients with seafood having pride of place.
As usual, I was tempted by the oysters and clams but less attracted when I noticed the eye-watering prices. While the food here is essentially simple and elegant, your bill for a full evening feed is going to be in the higher reaches of Auckland dining.
Having passed on the raw bar (although I remembered from our previous visit the kingfish crudo being particularly good if less than substantial in serving), I went for one of the specials, which might have been one of the dishes that impressed the Australians, being that New Zealand favourite, a whitebait fritter.
This was terrific, stuffed with enough whitebait to deliver a mouthful of that inimitable taste and wrapped in a piping hot omelette. Our other dish was seafood soup, a modest-sized bowl with prawns, clams and other goodies in a decently flavoured broth, a respectable dish without being particularly memorable or distinctive.
We switched from seafood for one of our mains, Canterbury lamb rump. This was, unusually these days, not slow-cooked but served beautifully pink, with a freshness of flavour that was really appealing, and it was appropriately accompanied by parmesan eggplant puree, a little goat's cheese, and enlivened with a hint of harissa.
I went for the flounder, as simply prepared as its delicate flavour deserved, with a classic beurre noisette sharpened with capers. I loved it and the accompanying chips were among the best I have had - crisp, hot and given a little twist with herbs.
We certainly had room for another course and I opted for topping up with their cheeseboard. This was nicely balanced with a good provolone, a brie and a blue and a generous assortment of bits and pieces including a chutney and fig bread but the lavash-style crackers were far too strongly flavoured for the cheeses.
Our dessert choice was a good example of chocolate fondant prettily topped with a violet and with a well flavoured salted caramel icecream.
The service throughout was impeccable, helpful, well-informed and efficient without being brusque.
Ostro describes itself as a bar and brasserie and the drink choice and service were particularly impressive. The whole package delivered an evening that could withstand scrutiny from even the most critical visitor except, perhaps, those mindful of their bank balances.
Our meal: $245 for two starters, two mains and one side dish, one dessert and one cheeseboard. Plus four glasses of wine.
Wine List: Not the cheapest list in town but very comprehensive and with, as expected, good cocktails. I enjoyed the mellow classic West Brook chardonnay and the Te Whare Ra pinot noir complemented the lamb.
Verdict: Deservedly popular with the after-work business crowd but equally appealing to those who are not city types but who appreciate simple, elegant style.
