GION
Cuisine: Japanese
Address: 1/168 Parnell Rd, Parnell
Phone: (09) 379 3344
Drinks: Fully licensed
Reservations: Accepted
From the menu: “Gozen” set menu: sushi, sashimi, tempura, teriyaki chicken, sukiyaki hotpot and extras $82pp
Rating: 17/20
Score: 0-7 Steer clear. 8-12 Disappointing, give it a miss. 13-15 Good, give it a
It was a bad day to have holes in my socks.
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Advertise with NZME.I was eating dinner at the invitation of Japan’s consul-general Matsui Shinji, who told me he’d enjoyed some of my writing about his home country in Viva and wanted to discuss the matter further. He’d suggested Gion in Parnell, and though I usually only review meals I’m eating specifically for that purpose, I couldn’t resist taking some notes about a great Japanese restaurant I’d never heard of, let alone eaten at.
I’d taken some advice on etiquette beforehand because, though I knew Matsui-san would go easy on me after a career in the foreign service, I really wanted to make a good impression. As such I bowed when we met, retained a small gift for after the meal, poured his sake for him (using both hands, naturally) and only came unstuck when the waitress asked me to remove my shoes and I realised I was wearing the threadbare socks I store at the back of the drawer for laundry emergencies. They have pictures of dinosaurs on them.
We were eating at a low kotatsu and though strict protocol would require me to kneel, with my tootsies on display out back, we were both happy to sit more informally with our legs hidden under the sunken table. As such I am comforted by the fact that possibly only the waitress saw my shabby, Farmer’s red dot sale, T-Rex-themed hosiery.
The Gion menu might be the longest in Auckland (seven pages, with 10-15 options on each) and though I’m sure this is meant as an expression of the generosity that flows out of this lovely restaurant, you may find ordering simply too overwhelming. I would strongly recommend instead opting for the set menu “Gozen” option, which will give you a really good demonstration of the chef’s talents — miso, sushi, tempura and teriyaki. And, of course, you can always add a couple more dishes you like the sound of.
This is exceptional Japanese food, and I say that as somebody who, regular readers will know, has turned into a complete bore on the topic (it’s about to get worse — I have an Air NZ direct flight to Tokyo departing at 8am this morning with my name on it). The dishes are beautiful, and the ingredients exceptional. Chef Akari Kugue is a trained sushi chef so please make sure you order some. My hardcore Japanese friends tell me it’s almost impossible to find sushi of acceptable standard in Auckland, but from now on I will send them here.
“This sushi is already seasoned” the chef said as the waitress placed a single piece of nigiri in front of me.
“You mean I shouldn’t dip it in soy sauce?” I asked, always keen to turn a subtle communication into something clumsy and explicit. Yes, he nodded, this is what he meant.
I picked up the nigiri — a sheet of cherry-coloured tuna draped over a perfect oblong of short-grain rice — and put it in my mouth. Matsui-san was telling me a story about some visiting students at the time, when I heard him laugh politely. I realised I was sitting at the table with my eyes closed, my body completely focused on the sweet, deep, savoury flavour of the most wonderful piece of sushi I’d ever eaten.
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Advertise with NZME.“What is the marinade?” I asked the chef when I opened my eyes and saw him still standing there. “What do you do to make it taste this way?”
He said: “I brush it with soy sauce.”
So much of Japanese food is like this. Apparently simple, but requiring a lifetime of training to get exactly right.
Many dishes come with their own rituals and tradition. Like the “sukiyaki” hotpot — a bowl of sweet soy broth placed over a naked flame at your table. When it begins to bubble you pick things up out of it — mushrooms, spring onions, slices of beef — then dip them into a little bowl of whisked egg yolk and bite down on the delicious rewards.
Vegetable tempura is served with a traditional dashi dipping sauce and grated daikon but, as I learnt last year in Tokyo, one of the best accompaniments to this dish is a little sprinkle of salt. Ask chef Akira if he can do you an off-menu tempura eel — a creation of his that pairs that luscious unagi fillet with the bubbly fried batter. He adds a little teriyaki to the meat (“seems to help with the crispness”) and even sprinkling salt on it seemed like messing with perfection.
I can’t think of any other cuisine where an authentic restaurant can transport you to a different world. While there are tables out front just like a standard Parnell walk-up, the back area of Gion is very special — the private rooms, those little half noren curtains that hang doorways, a cobble-stoned path that leads to spotless bathrooms.
It has the peaceful, attentive service of a fine-dining restaurant and the staff show great pride in what they do. How it’s stayed off my radar I don’t know but then that’s Parnell — they could be running a full Disneyworld over there and the rest of us probably wouldn’t know about it.
If you live in Auckland and love Japan you should put Gion on your list — they do your favourite things as well as anybody, and some things better than everybody.
From dining out editor Jesse Mulligan.
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