In his fortnightly foodie advice column, Viva’s resident dining-out editor shares his recommendations and insider advice. This week, Jesse’s tips for Auckland’s best high-end Indian restaurants, recommendations for a pre-dinner drink, and where’s good in Parnell.
Where to go for great Indian food
Are there any
good (upmarket) Indian restaurants in the city? I have a client who I know loves a good curry but I don’t want to take him somewhere that feels low rent. Is Goat any good, do you know?
I wouldn’t call Goat the G.O.A.T. but it will definitely tick the boxes for you – really wonderful, refined Indian food in a smart dining room on Wyndham St. You can read my review here, in which I called it a “genuine culinary adventure”.
Cassia is the city’s greatest Indian restaurant, even if I never quite gelled with it in its SkyCity location. Later this year it is moving into new premises next to the voco hotel so, if you can wait until June, put it in your diary.
Times of India in Graham St is really good too – in fact, I rated it just a little higher than Goat with a 17/20 when I visited a couple of years ago. Confusingly, one of the best dishes here is the goat, though it’s served bone-in, so before ordering make sure you and your client are comfortable enough to navigate it together.
Fino or manzanilla, a bone-dry sherry, is Jesse Mulligan’s recommendation for the best pre-dinner drink. Photo / Getty Images
Pre-dinner drinks recommendations
Jesse, this might sound like a strange question but what do you order as your first drink in a restaurant? Just curious?
It’s hard to go past a beer and I’ll usually look to see what they have on tap – it’s hard to review a beer if all the restaurant has done is open the can. I was at an Italian place the other night and ordered a Peroni for this reason, even though it’s not my go-to brand. When in Rome, etc.
I sometimes find cocktails a little full on and I like what they’ve done at places such as Gilt, where you can get a “mini-version” of, say, a Negroni. As with most mini things, they’re not especially economical but you do spend less overall.
If I’m with my wife we’ll often order bubbles to celebrate the kids not being there a lovely evening out, plus the temperature and fizz is a good way to find out if the restaurant knows what it’s doing.
But my favourite first drink of all is bone-dry sherry – technically a fino or a manzanilla (fino-by-the-sea). Any serious wine expert will put a sherry among their top 10 favourite wines, despite its reputation as something your nana drinks at Christmas. It’s a full-on drink so be prepared to recoil at first, but served with food, it is unbeatable – you might even describe it as moreish.
Charred avocado toast with coriander and kimchi from Rhu in Parnell. Photo / Rhu
How is Parnell looking these days? We don’t venture over that side very often but restaurants keep popping up in my Instagram feed and I wonder which ones are worth trying?
It’s a really impressive strip. I would say it rivals Ponsonby Rd but while there may be roughly the same number of quality restaurants, Parnell is still a much more conservative vibe (in Ponsonby, the teenagers dress like Sabrina Carpenter; in Parnell, they dress like Katherine Mansfield).
If you’re heading over there, start with pizza. Napoli Contemporanea has just been named one of Asia-Pacific’s top 50 pizzerias for the second year in a row. You might be thinking that’s like being named one of Europe’s top 50 pad thai restaurants but given the huge Italian immigrant population Down Under, it’s a huge achievement, so put them on your list for a margherita.
There’s a bit of an Italian stronghold there, actually, with the brilliant Cornelia and the classic NSP. Beyond that, look for Top 50 favourites Rhu, our supreme winner Tala, and you can find out what I thought of newcomer Aarth in my review this coming Wednesday.
What you’ve asked, and what he’s shared.