Read what Jesse Mulligan thought of five Michelin-starred New Zealand restaurants.
On Tuesday night, a crowd gathered at the invitation of the Michelin Guide, to find out which – if any – of our local restaurants would be awarded with the coveted Michelin stars.
To the surprise of many,
15 restaurants came away from the event having received Michelin’s twinkly recognition (110 were included in the guide itself).
Below, revisit the reviews for a handful of star-winning kitchens from Viva’s restaurant critic Jesse Mulligan.
One of Tala’s signature dishes, presented in a coconut shell with smoke. Photo / Supplied
Tala
Number of stars: One Michelin star
The food is exceptional, without exception. Even a simple dish of fruit is special – the slice of apple, for example, humming with the citrusy flavour of the spices sumac and amchur. It’s served with a little coconut butter to add fat to the mouthful and in fact coconut works as a lovely throughline over the next couple of hours via cream, yoghurt, labneh and more – surprisingly, you never get bored of it.
Ahi’s Queen paua crumpet with fermented peanut butter, smoked dulse and celery leaf mayonnaise. Photo / Tez Mercer
Ahi
Number of stars: One Michelin star
I wrote pages and pages of notes about this meal, as tends to happen when I eat food this fine: every dish is an oil painting, every ingredient has a story, each garnish and utensil has been chosen with care and precision. Later I briefed our Viva team on what might look good in photos but I could have just sent them the itemised receipt and said “take your pick”.
Snacks on the menu at Paris Butter restaurant in Herne Bay. Photo / Babiche Martens
Number of stars: One Michelin star
I suspect there’s only one restaurant where the staff would be disappointed to be named “second best”. Paris Butter was runner-up in our recent Viva Top 50 Restaurants, but its kaupapa is all about shooting for number one in Auckland, in New Zealand, on the planet.
Co-owner Nick Honeyman already has a Michelin star for his Le Petit Leon in southern France, so he doesn’t just know the international benchmark, he helps set it. For my final review of the year, I wanted to remind you that, in Paris Butter, you have a restaurant worth flying around the world for. Fortunately, you only need to drive to Herne Bay.
The pāua, with lemon, pickled dill, smoked silver warehou and truffle, on the menu at Inati. Photo / Jerome Warburton
Inati
Number of stars: One Michelin star
It has a reputation as the fanciest place in Christchurch but the only intimidating aspect is the height of the stools that surround the kitchen bar. It is a long way up, but worth it. When you reach the summit you have a great view of the busy kitchen and the other diners, most of whom looked like they were tourists too (not to say we don’t have elegant and glamorous people in New Zealand, but it’s rare to see all eight of them in one room).
The menu is arranged by Earth, Land and Sea (vegetables, meat and fish) and though each dish lists a number of ingredients, you can never quite predict what form it will take.
Pickled Stewart Island mussels, carrot and saffron from Sherwood, Queenstown.
Sherwood
Number of stars: One Michelin star
There are more famous Central Otago restaurants but I’d be surprised if there was anywhere that could give you a better introduction to unique New Zealand proteins. I think I’ve only ever seen whitebait served in an omelette or fritter but here it is given a starring role atop a flame-scorched flatbread, the individual īnanga served in a pile with mayo and for once unobscured by egg, except for a few strings of cured yolk scattered over as a garnish.
More on Michelin
See the full list and form your own opinions.