Where do we go when we’re away to enjoy the best of New Zealand produce?
Mission Estate, Hawke’s Bay
While Hawke’s Bay is no stranger to incredible winery restaurants (including the acclaimed Craggy Range and Black Barn), Mission Estate, I think, has something many others don’t, and that’s
heritage charm and history at its core. The culinary journey starts from the drive-in up a winding hill through the vines, and past the iconic concert venue that’s hosted everyone from Rod Stewart to Robbie Williams. Your dining room, still decked with elegant heritage finishes, was once a mission for French winemakers whose winemaking philosophy is reflected in both the food and drink. There’s also a stunning open terrace with a view of Napier, should the day or night be warm. The heart and soul of the Mission shine through in the food, which is both hearty and beautifully presented. French and Italian influences are apparent in the bold flavours, but local ingredients like the stunning Hawke’s Bay-caught fish and Silver Fern Farms lamb are the stars of the show. Even things as simple as the potatoes (and their unreal potato doughnuts) are some of the best I’ve ever eaten. This is simply good food done right in a stunning location. You can’t get any better than that. – Mitchell Hageman
Sourdough pizzas from The Falls Retreat.
The Falls Retreat, Karangahake Gorge
The walk up to the dining room at The Falls Retreat gives you some idea of what to expect from your meal. Just before the entrance way, there are rows of green produce growing in tidy, vibrant gardens, along with a small coop where hefty hens sit and cluck. The restaurant itself, which serves up a four-course degustation menu to visitors, is housed within a sunny, open-air dining room amongst a rolling garden.
The menu is designed to showcase as much homegrown, seasonal and organic produce as possible (owners Brad King and Emma Waters call the approach ‘paddock-to-plate’). On my visit last summer, the menu featured kofta with peas and avocado, fritters with courgette, tomato, asparagus and leek, and a rhubarb and strawberry-topped cake. Plates were playful, but not too fussy, and ingredients were allowed to speak for themselves. If a harvest is particularly healthy, the overflow is preserved and sold in their small shop, which also showcases pieces from nearby makers.
The sense of awe produced in The Falls Retreat is inseparable from its location within the Karangahake Gorge. Visitors often spend their time bike riding and hiking riverside in the valley (the Hauraki Rail Trail is close by), before stopping in for their meal. There’s the opportunity to enjoy the produce more casually, too: on Sundays, the kitchen opens to serve sourdough pizzas with a pop-up called ‘The Local’. – Madeleine Crutchley
Kisa, Wellington.
Kisa, Wellington
Opened three years ago mere metres from my ex-Cuba St digs and taunting me on Instagram ever since, Kisa was top of my list when I revisited my old haunts. The always-buzzing, earth-toned space comes courtesy of Mosaic Venues, the clever team behind Mr Go’s and Island Bay newcomer Parla. Each dish is built for sharing, and happily so, because you’ll want to taste as much on the menu as possible. We broke bread over warm, house-baked pita and a trio of dips; the date labneh and muhammara in particular had us sparring over the final swipes. Small and large mezzes followed, introduced by our faultless waiter with the kind of care that feels like you’re digging into a home-cooked meal. The spiced wild goat flatbread with candied jalapenos and toum won special praise from our table, and the fall-apart lamb shoulder was a firm standout, although the steamed market fish and vegan-friendly falafel looked equally delicious. The drinks list is both thoughtful and exhaustive, spotlighting local spirits in carefully crafted cocktails and New Zealand wines practically deserving of their own menu. With its Middle Eastern influences and modern finishes, Kisa is worthy of its own pilgrimage. – Tom Rose
Sugarloaf, the restaurant at Flockhill luxury lodge in Canterbury, is open for lunch and dinner bookings, even if you’re not staying overnight.
Sugarloaf at Flockhill, Canterbury
Previously only available to in-house guests, the fine-dining restaurant at luxury lodge and homestead Flockhill this year opened for public bookings for lunch and dinner, Fridays to Sundays. Sugarloaf is a 90-minute drive from Christchurch across Porter’s Pass, on the way to the West Coast. Named for one of the surrounding mountains that can be seen from the restaurant’s wall of expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, the interior is sleek and modern, yet still reassuringly rustic. The open kitchen is tucked in one corner of the dining room, where executive chef Taylor Cullen and his team cook over flames on the grill and in the hearth. Up to 70% of the restaurant’s produce is grown in the gardens and greenhouses opposite Flockhill’s luxurious villa accommodation, or foraged from its 14,500ha working sheep and cattle station. Note that this is at the high end of fine dining – lunch costs $225 per person and dinner is $295 per person, not including drinks – but if you’re looking for a truly special place to celebrate a very special occasion, Sugarloaf at Flockhill will almost certainly fit the bill. – Stephanie Holmes
Lillies, Christchurch.
Enveloped inside an industrial workshop building, just outside of the bustling Christchurch CBD, you’ll find the teal interior culinary powerhouse that is Lillies.
Locals know it for its people; owners Will Lyons-Bowman and Liam Kelleher are what make this place, and their loyal clientele keep it pumping. When we visited, Liam hosted and exuded warmth with his knowledge of food and his ability to perfectly pair it with organic ciders and wines.
The menu changes weekly, but standards never slip; the perfect woodfired pizza will always be on hand, be flavourful and best paired with one of their fresh citrus or parmesan-laden leafy sides. Add in a handmade pasta, or delicate tartare, and you’re in for a night of culinary excellence without any showboating. – Jenni Mortimer
Gathernings, Christchurch. Photo / Nancy Zhou
Gatherings, Christchurch
In April, Christchurch was already cold and dark. At Gatherings, I sat under the glow of a daffodil-yellow light box, read a menu that encouraged me to “graze as you would at home” and immediately felt six degrees warmer. It’s a tiny restaurant with mostly picnic table-style seating – an ageing posterior will not be here for the long haul, but the food lingers. We ordered “a bit of everything” and received a dinner that was bookended by standouts. We finished with a tricolour kiwifruit carpaccio with lime leaf pannacotta that was both rich and refreshing. And we started with a plate of freshly steamed spinach and cockles, shiny with sherry butter, the briny juices soaked into a slab of toasted brioche. It was Sunday night, circa 1976, and my grandma was just back from the beach with a bucket of shellfish and a loaf of white bread. I grazed like I was home. – Kim Knight
Cellar Door, Christchurch
It’s not just the wine list (which is actually a book). It’s not just the punny collection of tasting flights with exceptionally reasonable price tags (four bubblies for $24? Let’s Get Fizzical!). It’s not even the unparalleled ambience of the restaurant with a built history that goes back to 1877. Cellar Door is, simply, a terrific place to dine. It totally delivered on a date night for two – the fish-venison-duck-etc mains are so substantial you barely need sides, but try hard to find room for the potato pave. More impressively, a table of six highly opinionated Word Festival visitors thought both the chicken liver parfait and the contents of the 24-plus wine glasses they amassed between them were seriously worthy of consideration should you be looking for a delicious night out in Ōtautahi. – KK
Address: 1 Hereford St, Christchurch Central City. Contact: Cellardoor.nz
Super, Lyttleton
Lyttelton’s Super serves an intriguing fusion of Japanese and Māori cuisines. Its fresh, flavourful menu, built on seasonal organic ingredients, focuses on lighter fare with seafood and vegetable dishes aplenty. Current highlights include a fabulous fusion boil-up and ultra–umami-rich cabbage rolls stuffed with shiitake and edamame, braised in a ginger-dashi broth. Drop in for a glass from its natural-leaning wine list, or an eclectic fusion cocktail, and it’s hard to resist snacks such as edamame in kawakawa miso butter or its now-legendary kimchi fries. Erratic service in the past may have prevented its food from getting the recognition it deserves. However, over many recent visits, more assured manaakitanga has been in evidence. – Jo Burzynka
Inside wine bar Toast and Oak, in Tāhuna Queenstown. Photo / Isabella Rubie
Toast & Oak, Queenstown
Toast & Oak may not be the first restaurant you think of ahead of a Queenstown trip but it should be. It is a truly wonderful dining room and (bonus) it doesn’t require a $100 taxi ride to get there; it’s in the centre of town, though the entrance is subtle enough that you could easily walk right past it. Wine is a central part of the experience – you’re encouraged to chat with the sommelier and discover something new. And then there’s the food, which is beautiful to look at and exciting to eat: the tasting menu would give any Auckland restaurant a run for its money. This is my new Queenstown favourite, a perfect place to eat the region and the season. – Jesse Mulligan
More dining in Aotearoa
From mountainous peaks to eating in the capital.