Jano Bistro - Wellington

Every now and then it pays to visit a restaurant that lives at the front edge of culinary art, if only to break out of one 's routines and habits. Such a place is Jano Bistro. Frankly, this is one of the hardest reviews I shall ever write. I 've only had this problem a couple times before and each of those times whilst experiencing high end haute cuisine in France. Hard because with such experiences not every flavour is necessarily in keeping with my tastes. But that is not the yardstick by which a dining experience like Jano should be judged. Rather, the entirety of the experience and this isn 't a meal, it is a culinary experience has to be considered. Walking in for our early seating we were greeted warmly by 3 people who turned out to be the entirety of the staff. The young French chef and two associates handled everything from the kitchen to the table to the checkout. And the first mention I must make is that the service here is second to none, anywhere in the world. Each of three took turns delivering courses to our table, and each brought with them some unique knowledge and insight. Never were we rushed (we were there for 3 hours), never did we have to wait. Every question was answered, every dish introduced with knowledge and love. On a scale of 10 to 10, the service was an 11 (with all due respect to Spinal Tap, this is actually appropriate in this instance). Jano offers a set menu, with the option of a wine pairing which we chose in order to experience the full extent of their vision. Each dish was a revelation. I confess here that one or two were not suited to my palate, but between us one or the other enjoyed each. Each course introduced us to some unique method of preparation, some completely new approach to food. Lemon peel from lemons that have been brine cured for months; venison topped with grated dried venison (I could not help but think of a spiced pemmican); a simple butternut squash slow and low roasted for many hours and transformed into a delightful dish; tiny 'spring rolls ' (for lack of a better term) with a pastry indescribably light and crisp; a french onion soup that is not a soup at all but a mouth watering concoction that I have no clue how it is achieved. The list goes on. The food was amazingly conceived, perfectly prepared, and presented with an artist 's eye. The wine parings were, in a word, varied. Some were exceptional. Some, not so much. To be fair, I have to confess here to being a very old wine geek, a one time winemaker, and a lifelong lover of all things wine. So my palate may be a tad more critical than some. But were I to offer a word of counsel to Jano, it would be to up their game just a little on the pairing side of the experience. In a nutshell, Jano is a dining immersion suited best to those who truly love culinary adventures. I choose to give Jano a 5, despite my misgivings on the pairings simply because the service, the artistry, and the experience were so far beyond just excellent that they deserve nothing less. But I do nudge them to re think some of the pairings.

Relatively new place with excellent food, drink and customer service. Vegetarian options are high quality particularly the asparagus.

Jano Bistro is truly superb. Jano is in the class of restaurants that are studios featuring amazingly talented chefs who approach their craft as artists. Each dish is prepared with such careful attention to fine details that final presentations are all worthy of photographs. If these dishes were paintings, they would be in museums. Absolutely in the highest class of culinary creativity. I have only recently experienced such artistry and it takes getting used to. The portions are not large. The focus is on appearance and elegance as well as texture contrasts and complimentarity, a tantalizing of all the senses including hearing (for example the crackle of candied rosemary) and phenomenal multiple flavour profiles. This type and level of gourmet expression is graceful and subtle. Each dish is to be savoured slowly with full attention on the different components. My dinner experience lasted two and a half hours. The pace is super relaxed and very layed back. Jano Bistro offers pre-set 4 course and 8 course regular, vegetarian and vegan degustation menus both available with beverage matching options. I had the 8 course vegan selection and from start to finish everything was perfect. The service is superb and professional. The waiter explains exactly what is in each dish and how to eat the selection (technique and best use of cutlery). The staff consists of the award winning head chef, his partner/assistant and one very kind and courteous waiter. Jano Bistro is set in a restored old Wellington two storey house and the decor is cozy, cute, homey and warm. The tables are in separate booths that give patrons privacy but are still open so the bistro's overall friendliness is celebrated. Jano is absolutely brilliant. The menu changes perhaps every two weeks. The wine list is impressive with local and international selections and there are vodkas, rums, gins, whiskeys, various aperitifs and liqueurs as well as tempting non-alcoholic mixtures, teas and coffees. If you've never had the experience of cusine as fine art, Jano is a must. You won't find many restaurants in New Zealand at this level of perfection.

What a great experience. Staff are awesome, they know their menu. Food was honestly out of this world. Easy to write these reviews but try Jano menu...

Decided last minute to have meal here and what a great decision. Outstanding food, flavours presentation and service. One of the best meals we...