Auckland cuisine on visitors' menu

When Ben Bayly returned to New Zealand, he couldn’t find a restaurant he wanted to work in.

The talented chef had spent more than a decade in Michelin-starred kitchens at the Ledbury (London), iconic French restaurants (Restaurant Jean-Paul Jeunet and Atelier de Joel Robuchon), and in Melbourne and Las Vegas.

Ten years on, Bayly has guided The Grove to become one of the country’s most awarded restaurants and produced several of our most exciting young chefs, and founded his own eatery, the Grounds in Henderson.

He froths with enthusiasm at the revolution in Auckland’s food scene. “We’re a little city becoming a big city very quickly. The food scene is very dynamic - you have to be really good to be successful – and very competitive, which increases everyone’s standards.”

If Auckland’s cuisine scene has a challenge, it’s “waving our flag on the world stage. We’re a long way away and getting international recognition for our food is difficult.

“I believe we’re as good as Melbourne and Sydney. We’re smaller than them, we don’t have the population, but people are starting to come to Auckland as a food destination in the same way that people will go to Melbourne, Sydney and San Francisco just to eat.

“I think we’ll soon be at the point where food tourism will be really important. It already is, with Asian cultures.”

But what about local foodies? Restaurant writer Ewan McDonald thinks the greatest change on Auckland’s plates has been the development of new dining precincts.

“When I began my Viva column in 1998, it was pretty much a case of ‘Where on Ponsonby Rd shall we eat this week? Oh, let’s have a change, let’s go to Jervois Rd’,” he recalls.

“That’s certainly not the case any more. Over the past decade, the whole culinary map of Auckland has changed. Sure, you’ve still got Ponsonby and Jervois roads, and they offer more variety and higher standards than ever.

“There are so many more restaurant hubs now. It started with events like the America’s Cup and Rugby World Cup, and projects like the transport centre - it felt as though there was a new energy across inner Auckland. That spread out to Viaduct Harbour, Britomart and Federal St – every one of them became a centre for new bars, cafes and restaurants.

“Later we had the Wynyard Quarter, and new businesses, hotels and apartments are opening there just about every week. The hospitality offering in that area covers everything from the fish market to pub grub and top-end dining.”

Our tastes have broadened, too. “Auckland has a long tradition of cultures arriving here and expressing their heritage through their cuisine. Every night we can celebrate Asian food along Dominion Rd, or Indian dishes in Sandringham.”

Bayly and McDonald agree the hottest eat-street in Auckland is Karangahape Rd, which has shed its once-sleazy reputation and become home to some of the city’s best contemporary cuisine.

Both say the revolution is not limited to the inner city. One of the most exciting developments has been new dining destinations in city fringe suburbs like Mt Eden and Kingsland.

Those have flourished since the Rugby World Cup was centred around Eden Park; father-and-son architects Pip and Nat Cheshire are currently creating a new restaurant, tavern, café and community centre in Morningside, next to Kingsland.

What’s next on the menu? For starters, Bayly singles out three recent eateries with young chef-owners – Lillius (Fraser McCarthy and Shannon Vandy), Gemmayze St (Samir Allen) and Apero (Leslie Hottiaux and Ismo Koski).

He says the Commercial Bay shopping and entertainment centre, at the foot of Queen St, will be next on our plates, and notes the emergence of outer suburbs, such as Kumeu-Huapai.

McDonald predicts Viaduct Harbour will be cooking when the America’s Cup comes around in 2021. “The seismic shift in our entertainment habits will be the City Rail Link.

“When people can get around the city quickly and easily on public transport, the culinary geography will change once again. Think about London and Paris and Barcelona: the areas around the metro stations, where people are coming and going, are where the social centres spring up. That’s something for everyone in Auckland to look forward to.”

Bayly applauds the new wave of architects creating new precincts on formerly rundown sites like Fort St and the City Works Deport: “When you look at what people like Nat Cheshire and Jack McKinlay and other talented designers are coming up with, these cool places, and you see the 20-year plan from council, it’s really exciting.

“When I left New Zealand all those years ago I thought I’d never come back. Now I can’t imagine myself living in any other city. I’m from Te Awamutu but I’m an Aucklander now.

“I love this city. It’s awesome and I’m looking forward to the next 10 years. It’s a really exciting time to be here.”

Discover the flavours of Auckland at www.aucklandnz.com/flavours