Aucklanders are proud of their country’s produce, rightly so, you name it, and there is a high chance you will find someone in New Zealand growing it or farming it. Standouts include the free-run venison, excellent beef, succulent oysters and superb seafood, award-winning olive oil, and decadent blue cheese. Not to mention the wines!

It’s not surprising that many chefs choose to use homegrown, seasonal produce as the basis of their inspiration. Eating great food in Auckland is easy with a good selection in and around the city, below are eight recommendations.  

My Top Three
Partingtons – Langham Hotel
Fine-dining restaurant Partingtons has won the New Zealand Culinary Fare’s New Zealand Restaurant of the Year Award for the past two years. It has also been noted for its food, service and extensive wine list by the city’s leading food guides. Young, talented chef de cuisine, Kirk McLean is producing consistently good, contemporary European cuisine using seasonal New Zealand produce that is enjoyed in opulent surrounds. Highly recommend is the constantly changing degustation menu, a nine-course textural and taste delight.

Standouts
Blue Swimmer Crab Tian, Dijon Mustard Icecream, Pickled Fennel and Cocktail Sauce – This dish is divine, with great textural contrasts and is very refreshing. The creaminess of the icecream flirts with the texture of the crab tian, and is prevented from becoming too much by the addition of crunchy fennel.
First Light Waygu Tenderloin on Truffle Galette, Cep Consomme, Watercress and Kikorangi Blue Cheese – Decadence for the palate best describes this dish. The succulent beef and truffle paired perfectly with the rustic blue cheese and was lifted higher by the contrasting texture of the cress.
Fresh Clevedon Oysters with Chardonnay Vinaigrette and Salmon Roe – The oysters were excellent, incredibly tasty and the right level of necessary saltiness, which sublimely merged with the sweet dressing and roe.
http://auckland.langhamhotels.co.nz/dining/auckland_restaurants.htm

Bracu Restaurant
Located out of Auckland in the middle of the beautiful Simunovich Olive Estate, Bracu serves outstanding food that captivates the palate. Heading the kitchen is renowned chef Peter Thornley. The restaurant has a relaxed elegant ambiance and the wine director Joddelin de Gesincourt will ensure that all your food pairs perfectly with the wine; they have 2.500 bottles in the wine library. For the ultimate in decadence take the helicopter to the restaurant where you can indulge in a 12- to 19-course seasonal and unplanned degustation menu in the wine library.

Standouts
Endive Wrapped Goat’s Cheese and Pear, with Roast Beetroot, Sage and Fruit Preserve – This was a perfect marriage of flavours - sweet, bitter and tangy, and wonderful textures.
Roasted New Zealand Scampi with Armagnac Seafood Foam and Scampi Oil served with Onion Mash – From presentation through to taste this was a well executed dish; the hint of clove in the mash a balancing touch.
Beetroot Sorbet – Like heaven, awakening all the senses.
www.bracu.co.nz

Mudbrick Vineyard & Restaurant
Thirty minutes on a scenic ferry from the city is charming Waiheke Island, home to many boutique vineyards and restaurants, olive groves, artists and luxury holiday homes. It is also home to Mudbrick and its owners, a couple who in their late 20’s decided there was more to life; they planted their first vines in 1992. It is easy to see the love (and money) they have poured into the estate, it is beautiful with an amazing vista.

Both the food and the award-winning, handcrafted wine are excellent, some of the best I had while in Auckland. The produce is all seasonal and the restaurant has its own organic potager garden. Heading the kitchen is Kevin Morgan, who has held some prestigious positions including time spent at the Michelin-stared restaurant Fat Duck.

Standouts
Seared New Zealand Scallops with Heirloom Radish, Garden Vegetables and Confit Peach Vinaigrette – The scallops were perfectly cooked and the sweet pea shoots, baby carrots and radish provided a delightful counterbalance. Great presentation.
New Zealand Pure Black Angus Grass-Fed Eye Fillet with Confit Shallots, Pomme Pont Neuf, and Mudbrick Cabernet Merlot Jus – Out of this world.
Cheese Selection – A selection of four artisan cheeses served with fig and pear chutney, rum infused coconut, candied orange and crackers. You can choose four cheeses from a selection of decadently good cheese from New Zealand and France. 
www.mudbrick.co.nz

Plus…
Viaduct Harbour/Soul
The Viaduct is Auckland’s answer to Lan Kwai Fong, with the added attraction of being on the waterfront, with plenty of dining, drinking and partying options. Many of the restaurants have outdoor eating.

Soul is a bustling restaurant with adjacent bar and large outdoor area that is jammed packed on a weekend. The menu has lots of enticing options such as Pan Fried Scallops with Caviar, Confit Bacon and Soft Boiled Egg Dressing; Clevedon Oysters with Salmon Roe, Ginger and Chive Dressing; Crisp Pork Belly on Caramelised Parsnips, Silverbeet and Beetroot; and Chargrilled Quail and Field Mushrooms Served with a pot of Molten Gnocchi with Taleggio.

The restaurant also specialises in fresh-caught fish, including Snapper, Tuna, Blue Cod, John Dory and Hapuku, which is simply cooked and served with a selection of accompaniments. Plus a selection of pasta and risotto. Not all dishes tasted as great as they sounded, but the fish is a winner as was the Fattoush Salad. It is co-owned by TV chef Judith Tabron.
http://www.soulbar.co.nz

The Belgian Beer Café
For some of the best mussels you will ever try head to this busy downtown gastro pub. It specialises in Belgian beers and food. The famous green-lipped mussels are served in a wide variety of sauces or platters, and are juicy and full of flavour; the bar goes through almost a tonne of farmed mussels each week. It also has a large selection of Belgian inspired fare.

The menu comes with beer matching recommendations and tasting notes, and are worth trying. There is also a decent wine list.

It is located in a refurbished pub, The Occidental, which dates back 137 years, and has retained the sense of bustling, old-world charm. It has a few people-watching tables outside.
http://www.belgian-beer-cafe.co.nz
 
Auckland Food Writer Picks
The French Café
Year after year this restaurant is given awards for being one of the best fine dining restaurants in New Zealand as determined by respected food critics from New Zealand and Australia.

It serves classic French with Pacific Rim influences and has been described as “legendary”. Dishes include; Poached White Asparagus with 63º Egg, Spinach Puree, Wild Mushrooms, Porcini Foam, Serrano Ham, and Shaved Parmesan; Crisp Roast Duckling with Sweet Spices, Bok Choy, Mandarin Puree, Kumara Mash and Jus of Orange; and Snail, Chicken and Foie Gras Tortellini with Garlic Butter, Spinach Puree, and Porcini Cream.
 http://www.thefrenchcafe.co.nz/

Molten Restaurant
Molten is also the recipient of numerous food critic awards and is described as “a friendly suburban restaurant” that “punches above its weight” attracts a “discerning clientele” who come for an “excellent dining experience”. It is also noted for its selection of local wines.

The small seasonal menu features such dishes as Waikanae Crab with Spinach and Ricotta Linguine, River Cress, Pernod Cream and Crunchy Shallots; and Chargrilled Hawkes Bay Sirloin with Café de Paris Butter, Veal Jus and Creamy Shrimp Croquette.
http://www.molten.co.nz/

Merediths Restaurant
A newcomer and current talk-of-the-town is Meridiths, which is headed up by rising star chef Michael Meredith. His innovative cuisine has been influenced by the artists of the culinary world, such as Ferran Adria, Thomas Keller and Tetsuya Wakuda. He is shaking up the dining scene with his own artistic creations that leave the diner curious and tantalised.

Smoked Salmon, Candied Fennel, Brandade, Lemon Sorbet and Watercress; and Venison Loin, Slow-Cooked Beetroot, Cocoa, Medjool Dates, and Dukkah are two of his creations.

Address - 365 Dominion Road, Mt Eden, Auckland, Tel - 9623 3140

by Vicki Williams
Vicki@womguide.com