Euro, Auckland City

Euro is the signature restaurant for Simon Gault and the Nourish Group. Picture / Babiche Martens

Herald rating: * * * * 1/2

To unwind he straps himself inside a tiny burgundy and white one-man plane, the fastest of its kind in New Zealand, throws the pair of them into the sky, and loops, barrel-rolls and dives.

Simon Gault is not a man who likes to sit still. Which is why, after three weeks crisscrossing the United States, and visiting restaurants in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, Gault is in freefall over what he's seen and eaten. And the ideas that he's come back with. And where he can set them up.

Tonight, though, he must sit across the table in Euro, signature restaurant of the Nourish Group. He's a partner in the group which owns the neighbouring Green Room, Pasha and Danny Doolan's, and Shed 5 in Wellington.

Gault wrote the spring menu before he went Stateside. Now he wants to table-test it. Front-of-house staff know chef is in the house. So does the kitchen.

This is not the side of the stoves that he prefers. There is a certain nervousness all round. Chef runs his finger down the menu and orders a platter of this and a dish of that. Oh, why pretend? It's soon obvious that possibly every dish will be sampled. Gault specifies how each is to be cooked, presented and served, then leans back and grins to the waiter, "I suppose I should just let the kitchen do it. They know what they're doing. That's what I pay them for."

Famous first words. Each plate will be scrutinised before we are allowed even a bite. Some will be sent back for adjustments. Others will be praised. Compliments from the chef.

Checking next day, we tasted more than a baker's dozen of dishes. The highlights:

Truffle and corn salad, a cheeky take on old-fashioned Caesar, toss-your-own black trumpet mushrooms, cos, croutons, aioli, egg yolk and ground corn.

Peking duck, far less glutinous than the original, a steam-basket of Chinese pancakes, dipping dishes of orange and onion crush, jalapeno jelly, grape and citrus hoisin. Yep, smear and assemble and wrap and eat. You're getting the idea. Self-serve.

Trio of tuna - Japanese-style morsels of tuna sashimi with grapefruit ponzu, tuna tartare on potato blini, prosciutto-wrapped tuna roulade with basil icecream.

Classic navarin is lifted into a lighter dish, with lamb shank teased off the bone, braised baby carrots, and potato slow-cooked in pinot gris.

As always at Euro, there's seafood. Tonight, tarakihi, has been wood-baked, served on potato mashed with crab, presented in a champagne, thyme and fennel sauce. Hapuku arrives majestically, with tubes of baby squid and sausage dumplings, the sherry sauce scented with mussels.

"You could do the fish sausages and sauce in a risotto," I suggest. Gault: "That might work."

If it appears on the menu, I want royalties.

We barely nibble on dessert - chocolate on gingersnap crunch and feijoa crumble with vanilla icecream.

The menu seems less blokey than many offered over seven years at Euro, I venture. Gault raises an eyebrow and gestures around the restaurant. "Our clientele is 50-50 ... maybe it does have that reputation, and we do sell a lot of eye fillet. And we won't be taking it off."

Euro has always had a reputation as a place to be seen, a celebrity haunt, and Gault recognises someone at the next table. He shakes a hand and is introduced to the internationally famous spy-mistress here to spruik her autobiography.

Returning the conversation to his trip, Gault enthuses about his newest new-to-NZ concept. He details the special piece of kitchen equipment he will need, lusts after. He describes his debate with MAF as to why he has to import a specific ingredient and why it is not the same as the local product. He chortles over the six nights that he pressed a fellow professional who would not part with his secret. So he took him out for a few drinks. "Got it in half an hour," he says.

Address: Princes Wharf
Phone: 309 9866
thenourishgroup.co.nz
Cuisine: Modern NZ
From the menu:
Buffalo mozzarella on tomato tapenade brioche cake with fresh tomato and basil balsamic and olive oil $17.50
Angus eye fillet with foie gras dumplings in porcini and Tio Pepe sauce with tempura shiitake $38.50
Parfait of caramel topped with toasted marshmallows and chocolate sabayon
Vegetarian: A-plenty
Wine: Top shelf