Dining out

Bill us for the lot
One of Parnell's landmark restaurants has been bought by three of its patrons. Pete and Cherry Vanderbeke and Greg Sitters, the new owners of the Veranda Bar and Grill (VBG), will leave the day-to-day running of the restaurant to manager Jeremy Ellis and chefs Dale Drake and French-born Jerome Bihan.
"Because of the requests of many of our diners, we've made a few adjustments, says Pete. "We discovered many people yearn for traditional New Zealand food and customers missed the "grill" part of the Veranda Bar and Grill so we've re-established things like T-bone steak, Chateaubriand, surf and turf plus pork dishes and bangers'n' mash on the menu." VBG's wine list has also been reworked.

Eye for detail
White restaurant at the Hilton has a new manager in John Logan, formerly at Huka Lodge and small luxury hotel Mangapapa Lodge in Hawkes Bay. Logan plans to emphasise impeccable service and is training waiting staff to pass on more information about the food and wine they serve, such as where the oysters and salad greens originate from.

Cooking international
Celebrity chef Peter Gordon will be a presenter at the World Association of Cooks Societies Congress, to be held in Auckland in March. Gordon, whose trips here from London have grown more frequent since he opened Dine at SkyCity, will add an international flavour to what promises to be a top lineup of speakers.