Trans-Tasman tastes

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This was published 10 years ago

Trans-Tasman tastes

Depot restaurant, Auckland.

Depot restaurant, Auckland.

A new-wave movement has brought fine dining to Auckland, writes Simon Farell Green.

For much too long, Auckland's dining scene could have been described as lacklustre. Despite a rapidly growing city - booming, even - the city's eateries seemed staid; new openings were rare and with a few exceptions, there wasn't much to get excited about. Aucklanders interested in food were more likely to be excited about the raft of ethnic eateries opened by immigrants from China and India, which have changed the suburban shopping strips.

Call it the Rugby World Cup, call it the result of the new Auckland council - which united the seven former warring political authorities - or just call it a city finally getting its act together, but in the past couple of years Auckland has suddenly had some heave to it. Formerly derelict industrial areas have been rejuvenated - hot spots include the City Works Depot, in beautiful 1960s modernist bus workshops, and Britomart, where restored brick warehouses sit beside sleek modern insertions. In them - and in more established, if gritty, environs - is a new wave of restaurants. Here are some of the best.

Downtown dining room

Ortolana

Ortolana is a serene space - all reclaimed brick, metal-framed windows and soaring plywood ceilings. The kitchen opens at 7am and closes at 11pm and runs through breakfast, lunch and dinner - so it's the kind of restaurant you find yourself wandering into at odd times of day, a late lunch, say, or early dinner. Head chef Jo Pearson's menu is seasonally driven, using heritage vegetables from the owners' farm 30 minutes from the city. Plating is loose but beautiful and the flavours are clean - the slow-cooked lamb with green lentils and labneh is a stunner. No bookings.

Ortolana, 31 Tyler Street, Britomart, +64 230-4561, britomart.org/ortolana.

Cult oyster bar

Depot

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It took Wellingtonian Al Brown to show Aucklanders what they never knew they wanted. Depot takes no bookings, has a simple menu that starts with oysters, runs through lamb ribs and ends with a roasted pork hock, and serves wine from a keg in tumblers. The fitout is reminiscent of a butcher's shop - white tiles, distressed timber, industrial light fittings. The result? Queues every night of the week. Look out for the Pacific oysters from Mahurangi Oysters grown just north of the city.

Depot, 86 Federal Street, Auckland, +64 9 363-7048, eatatdepot.co.nz.

Fine diner no one has heard of

Kazuya

Many Aucklanders haven't heard of Kazuya, which is a shame - it describes itself as "French Japanese" and seats just 25 diners. It's dark on the inside, with large leather booths and dim lighting. The service is high-end Japanese: white-gloved waiters bring you your food, while maitre d' Mojo Horiuchi's enthusiasm and wine knowledge are infectious. The food? It's sublime - the "textures of vegetables", with 30 different vegetables on one plate, is quickly becoming a cult dish. The best bit? It's the best-value degustation in town: seven courses costs just $NZ85.

Kazuya, 193 Symonds Street, Eden Terrace, +64 9 377-8537, kazuya.co.nz.

How to reinvent a classic

The French Cafe

The fine diner has sat behind its frosted-glass front on a gritty uptown corner for nearly 20 years, the past 10 under chef Simon Wright and wife Creghan Molloy-Wright. The food has always been extraordinary, the service polished, the room urbane and restrained. Earlier this year, the couple transformed the former stables at the rear into a chef's kitchen, looking out to a courtyard where Wright tends an impressive vegetable garden that partly supplies the restaurant. It's available for private bookings, but also runs regular chef's dinners.

The French Cafe, 210 Symonds Street, Eden Terrace, +64 9 377-1911, thefrenchcafe.co.nz.

Modern Japanese

Ebisu

Thanks to a wave of language students, Auckland has a lot of Japanese cheap and cheerfuls - izakaya and ramen shops, tiny and brightly lit, with brilliant food. What it didn't have, until Ebisu opened, was a smart, contemporary version you'd actually want to spend time in. The place has already become an Auckland classic - you'll find it in a century-old warehouse on the waterfront. The food is classic Japanese tapas, only twisted and pulled. No bookings.

Ebisu, 116 Quay Street, Britomart, +64 9 300-5271, ebisu.co.nz.

Fish shack

Jimmy the Fish

Jimmy "The Fish" Gerard used to own a big, flash fish restaurant on the harbour; he also runs a wholesale fish business and has a regular stall at the La Cigale farmers' market. Earlier this year, he opened in the Ponsonby Central development: there's a counter out into a lane and a couple of big tables, and the fish is whatever Jimmy feels like serving that day - Tuscan seafood risotto, or it might be "Lion Red" battered fish with hand-cut chips. Brilliant.

Jimmy the Fish, shop 8, Ponsonby Central, 136 Ponsonby Road, Auckland, +64 9 360-1554.

Drinks across the ditch

Brothers Beer Heaven for craft beer geeks — 18 guest taps and 200 bottled beers. City Works Depot, 90 Wellesley Street, city, +64 9 366 6100, brothersbeer.co.nz.

The Golden Dawn The best courtyard in Auckland. Crossroads of Ponsonby and Richmond roads, Ponsonby, +64 9 376 9929, goldendawn.co.nz.

Fukuko Japanese-influenced bar on a back lane. 48 Tyler Street, Britomart, +64 9 300 5275.

Mea Culpa Tiny bar serving brilliant cocktails. 3/175 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, +64 9 376 4460.

Coco's Baretta The bar of Coco's Cantina. Inexpensive winelist and a short food menu. 374 Karangahape Road, Newton, +64 9 300 7582, cocoscantina.co.nz/about/barretta.

Trip notes

Getting there

Daily flights from Sydney on Qantas, 13 13 13, and Air New Zealand, 13 24 76.

Staying there

Hotel DeBrett (2 High Street, city, +64 925 9000) has a long and patchy history. Built in 1841, it was rebuilt in the 1850s and then again in 1925 after fires, rejuvenated in the 1950s and then spent many years in ignominy as a backpackers. After a top-to-bottom restoration a few years ago, it's now a 25-room hotel with a beautiful mid-century feel, comfortable rooms, a good atrium restaurant and beautiful art deco House Bar. Rooms start at $NZ300 ($249) a night. hoteldebrett.com.

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