Fauna

Food was absolutely delicious, we had the dry aged ribeye which was to die for… only thing keeping this from being 5 stars was the service. It’s really really sad, not a single server seemed to be happy working there, very little acknowledgment, no smiling or politeness. The food speaks for itself it amazing and I would still recommend that people go here for the food, but this would be a real highlight of a restaurant if the staff were more welcoming. It was so depressing that it did leave a bad feeling in our stomach, even after we filled up on all the amazing food!

Food was hit and miss. Appetizers were good. I had the duck as a main, which was not a full breast and was overcooked. Asked for medium rare but it was was more medium-well done. The scallop and pork belly were good. Desserts left alot to be desired. Cheesecake needed a cooli rather than a compote. The apple tart was also missing refinement. 6/10 considering food quality and price. Service was decent.

Only good things to say! I was so impressed with the food, especially the pasta dish. Service and atmosphere were also phenomenal. Can’t wait to return to try other dishes.

Food, drinks & service were incredible! Appetizers were fresh and the flavours were a perfect pairing. The veal cheek was melt in your mouth. Vegetarian option the maitake mushroom was spectacular. Drinks were perfect and they will whip up custom drinks to a tee.

I have been going to Fauna since 2017, and it’s always been really, really good. But for my most current visit with a good friend (Feb. 1, 2024), I was so, so disappointed. 1. Cocktail menu exclusively gin-based. While I do like my gin, my friend is not a fan. So strike number one. We are told it’s the “chef’s thing”. (For the record: this was not the case when I was there in April 2023). 2. Takes about 20 minutes to get drinks, kind of long to wait (the restaurant was not slammed, it was just past 6:30). Then the food comes 5 minutes later. Um, what? This is not lunchtime. Do you want us to eat and leave ASAP? Not cool. 3. The wine. Sigh. Extensive wine list (yes, granted) but not ONE New Zealand wine? For the price you guys charge for wine, at least give me one choice of something I like (and I understand you need to make money on beverages). New Zealand – it’s not like I wanted some obscure vintage from some exotic location. 4. I order the elk tartare (which I had back in April and absolutely loved). No bread. No croutes. No chips. No vehicle for eating said tartare. I ask our server for some bread and am told, and I quote: “There is no bread in the restaurant”. I ask why. I am told the chef is celiac and has recently decreed : “No Bread In Fauna”. Sorry, not my problem. He doesn’t have to eat the bread, just serve it. And our server, bless her heart, tells me to (and I quote) “just use your fork”. Thanks a lot Sydney - I always appreciate a little dose of condescending snark with my meal. 5. I ask if I could have an order of fries, as an exception, even though it says on the menu that fries (and a few other options) are only available after 9 pm. Can’t hurt to ask – some restaurants I have been to will serve you a side order of fries if they have them, even if they are not listed on the menu. Nope, no can do. Fries only come out after 9 pm. No exceptions. 6. We now come to the WORST part of the evening. This pair of entitled, self-absorbed “food blogger influencers” sitting at the table right beside us keep taking photos of their food. We're talking an entire Hollywood production. She has this extremely bright, hand-held spotlight that she hold way up high over her head to light up their food (and our quadrant of the restaurant) for about 20-30 seconds AT A TIME (I am honestly not making this up), while he manipulates the shot this way and that, moving the food, clicking the camera, trying to take the perfect shot. And this goes on and on throughout the meal, seemingly without end. Even the couple on our other side are starting to look at them, and then at us, like what the..? Indeed. Why couldn’t they have arranged to come in during the afternoon to do this, when the restaurant is relatively empty? And why did the restaurant care more about some possible promotion from an “influencer” over the experience of its other customers? You, Fauna, are in the service industry. You should care about the client experience even if the client is not an "influencer". Please also remember, Fauna is not inexpensive, and part of what you pay for is the ambiance. Thanks to these two “influencers” who imagined themselves to be the center of the universe, there was no ambiance to speak of that night for my friend and I. Likely not for the other couple either. I did mention this to the person at reception as I was leaving about this and was told (and again I quote): “Oh they are from a magazine” like this is a valid excuse. At least pretend! Give me some lame lip service about how sorry you are and how you didn’t know they would be at it for so long. So at that point (I am a bit embarrassed to say), I was at the end of my rope. So I said (and I quote) “I don’t give a s**t” and left with my friend. We actually went to another restaurant downtown and had some FRIES and 2 glasses of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc - and so in the end the evening was salvaged. I will not be going back to Fauna.

Although a bit expensive, the quality of the food is impeccable. Everything was perfectly cooked and delicious. Food we tried: Oysters - Clean and high quality. 8/10 Kanpachi Tataki - Truly shines, very flavorful 10/0 Elk Tartare - Delicious and flavorful, although it comes with thin crunchy kale slices in place of traditional crostini or bread. I think it could benefit from a crostini instead. 8/10 Mains: Scallop + Pork Belly - The pork belly bites were perfect, and the scallops were delicious. The portion is small of each and the rest of the plate is filled a bit with extras that leave you a bit to be desired. I don't think this is a good plate to get as your solo main, but wonderful to share multiple mains with. Next time I might look to try the duck or venison. 8/10 Pappardelle - I usually avoid pasta at restaurants like this but the reviews made me try it. It was incredibly flavorful and perfectly cooked, I would order this again 100%. Definitely try this. 10/10