Gbs Bar Restaurant - Otahuhu

In my very humble opinion this is one of the nicer places to enjoy a cocktail in Howick. There is their special cocktails menu but they will also make old favourites. Their black forest Expresso is my go to. The menu has something for everyone on it. We normally order a number of their sides and share because there is a lot of yummy stuff and we want a bit of everything. I highly rate their fries, perfect texture, served hot and crispy. They also have their blackboard special. Worth looking at these before the menu because they are normally pretty good. Overall a great place. I have been a number of times and will continue to go. If I was going to give it any criticism, they occasionally close early. We have been inside and they have turned people away at 9pm. I am not sure if the reasoning but it’s a bit weird to turn someone away that wants to spend money in your establishment.

I see why this place is always so busy. Went in today being 1st customer of the day (2 of us), the place is run well and the kitchen delivers! Cannot fault them, service, food and atmosphere. We had Bao Buns, Pork Belly, Green Curry Muscles, Pulled Pork Loaded Fries and beverages...on tap beer is fresh and good! Will definitely go in again, highly recommended.

Smashing cocktails! The cherry sour was Devine $19.50 ea but I just had to have two! I had it without sugar syrup and it was silky smooth yet brightly piquant. The food was just OK the pork belly was the best dish we sampled with lots of meat and a beautiful balance of flavours but the skin wasn’t crispy and the fat wasn’t rendered off enough to my liking. The scallops were disappointing the scallop flavour was suspiciously strong and pungent as opposed to subtle and the profile was more salty and oily than light and slightly sweet. The bao were also a bit underwhelming not bad overall but the karaage batter could have been crispier, darker, more flavourful and there weren’t enough pickled elements to balance the sweet bun and creamy mayo. I prefer a bit of spice, crunch and vinegar they were bland. The service was absolutely five star

Was pleasantly surprised at the food on offer here. Unfortunately we had a large group of gluten free people with us and they were unable to offer gluten free fries. Pork belly, hawker roll, buttermilk chicken and beef short rib were all a hit. Not a cheap night out but for those of us who could eat gluten we enjoyed the variety. Miniature dessert platter was a bit of a disappointment. Looked better than it tasted.

A nice bar in Howick that serves tapas style food to share. The tapas menus are located on the wall but they do have a standard menu with drinks and bar snacks. We grabbed a few things to share. Of the lot that we tried, I quite liked the scallops with the sweet potato puree. The other items like the smoked ribs and the chicken tulips were also nice. I have a fairly big appetite so I thought that the portions were small, but that is expected for tapas. It would be a nice place for snacks but probably not for a full meal as it could get quite pricey.