Carlton Bar & Steakhouse

"On a quick overnighter in Christchurch we were looking for an early dinner. We could have had a generic hotel dinner or a choice of quite a few “pub” restaurants nearby, but on seeing the fireplace and the menu I wouldn’t be swayed. I’m so glad we tried it. We ended up sharing a chicken liver pate which was very tasty. The portion size was a little small with a lot of pickled vegetables, but the flavour was delicious. Weirdly the Favourite Husband and I both opted for a Sunday roast. He had pork (piggy) and I had beef. We won’t put anything in brackets for that … I also ordered a side of the cauliflower bake as “it’s only $12, go on” he said. I’d like it noted he NEVER encourages frivolous spending so I wasn’t going to not. I can honestly say, I enjoyed every single mouthful. I savoured it as if it was Gordon Ramsay’s finest. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had a roast that I haven’t cooked for myself so it was such a treat. And good. Three big, thick slices of medium rare, tender beef. Not the tough insole of a sneaker you’d usually expect. Roast potatoes, pumpkin, veggies, Yorkshire pudding, stuffing (unusual with beef but I’m not complaining) and a jus. The pork crackling wasn’t quite there, but to be fair my waist doesn’t need it. The cauliflower bake was small and a little bland, but who cares. The roasts were $25, absolutely outstanding. Also worth noting, the service was super friendly, quick, efficient. So much so that I managed to sneak in a second glass of wine without the Favourite Husband complaining. Great work team"

"The food did not disappointed me and my guests. They enjoyed it so much and exclaimed that it’s like “on top of the world”. There’s a little bit of wait if you are not in a hurry. Excellent service too. Once again, a very pleasurable place to have a nice steak."

"We had a great meal here. All of the staff were really friendly. We were able to reserve a table online easily. I had the beef carpaccio for a starter, it was excellent. The steak for the main was cooked perfectly, and the agria mash I got as a side was delicious. Overall, the meal was really good, and I would definitely go back here again if I was back in Christchurch."