{"id":172965,"date":"2025-12-08T02:31:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T02:31:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/172965\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T02:31:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T02:31:06","slug":"what-jesse-mulligan-really-thinks-about-the-michelin-guide-coming-to-nz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/172965\/","title":{"rendered":"What Jesse Mulligan Really Thinks About The Michelin Guide Coming To NZ"},"content":{"rendered":"

In his fortnightly foodie advice column, Viva\u2019s resident dining-out editor shares where to take an 86-year-old for dinner, where to find the best Indonesian food in Auckland, and more.<\/p>\n

Putting Michelin into context<\/p>\n

\n Jesse, I don\u2019t think you\u2019ve told us what you think about the Michelin Guide coming to New
\n Zealand. Are you worried about your job? Maybe they\u2019ll hire you!\n <\/p>\n

For a while there my thoughts on Michelin changed every time someone shared an opinion on it. Yes! It is a waste of taxpayer dollars. Yes! It is a crucial way of attracting high value tourists. Yes! If London doesn\u2019t have to pay for their Michelin inspectors neither should we. Yes! It will encourage excellence by giving local chefs an international benchmark. <\/p>\n

But now my thoughts have settled in a bit and here is what I really think. The system is for overseas tourists, not for us \u2013 and $6 million to put a big neon sign above New Zealand telling rich, dim Americans where to go is probably value for money. <\/p>\n

But the Michelin system will mean almost nothing locally; crucially, the judges look only at the food, not at the 10 other aspects of a restaurant that make it worth spending your money on. If I ask you about the best restaurant meal you\u2019ve had in New Zealand, chances are you won\u2019t be picturing what was on your plate \u2013 you\u2019ll be thinking of the lighting and the mood and the waiter and the music and the dining room. A restaurant is all of these things and, even more significantly, its value depends on context \u2013 what has come before it, what it offers that other places don\u2019t, why it is precisely the right place for precisely the right occasion. <\/p>\n

Basically, I am saying that you need to be an Aucklander to really appreciate the best of Auckland. International guides are all very well, but I\u2019d take the recommendation of my plumber over a Michelin inspector, any day of the week. <\/p>\n

\"TheThe beef sirloin on the menu at One Tree Grill. Photo \/ Babiche Martens<\/p>\n

Family-friendly dining<\/p>\n

Jesse, my father is visiting us in Mt Eden. He is 86 but enjoys good food and I\u2019d like to take him out somewhere not too far away from home while he\u2019s here. Do you have any suggestions? <\/p>\n

Hi Richard, good to hear from you. <\/p>\n

I think your father would really enjoy One Tree Grill. It didn\u2019t quite make our recent Top 50 list<\/a> but it\u2019s a very good restaurant and less noisy than most places, so he won\u2019t struggle to hear conversation. Tell him the steak is great. <\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t checked in on Pasta & Cuore since it changed ownership but that has always been very solid, and who doesn\u2019t love pasta? <\/p>\n

If you think he\u2019s up for something more exciting, consider Cazador down the far end of Dominion Rd. It\u2019s done a great job over the years of being all things to all people, and I\u2019m sure your father will find plenty on the menu he\u2019ll enjoy, while admiring the stuffed animal heads adorning the textured plaster walls. <\/p>\n

\"FluorescentFluorescent lights, stools and accoutrements bring a brightness to Bali Nights. Photo \/ Babiche Martens<\/p>\n

Hi Jesse, I used to eat a lot of Indonesian food when I lived in Amsterdam but it doesn\u2019t seem to be as popular over here. Do you have any recommendations? <\/p>\n

There are four places you might like to try out. I really love the food and energy at Bali Nights, an easily overlooked restaurant at the top of Williamson Ave in Ponsonby. Their food is fresh, generous and reasonably priced \u2013 order something off the grill and take advantage of their excellent vegetarian options, like the jackfruit rendang. <\/p>\n

They\u2019re more street food-focused at Java on Karangahape Rd, and (understandable, given the location) the whole setup is funkier and more stylish. The menu is mouth watering and you should try the Indonesian fried chicken, alongside a selection of the house-made sambals. <\/p>\n

Or if you\u2019re into more of a hit-and-run experience drop past either Makassar Corner or Raos in Dominion Rd. Both are super authentic and, though you wouldn\u2019t choose them for your 10th wedding anniversary, they will be perfect (and open) next time you get Sunday cravings after a big Saturday night. <\/p>\n

What you\u2019ve asked, and what he\u2019s shared.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In his fortnightly foodie advice column, Viva\u2019s resident dining-out editor shares where to take an 86-year-old for dinner,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":172966,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[111531,1443,1665,51,3390,9853,24004,75514,2946,32896,156,1866,564,83891,75512,228,20924,2537,54677,130,2538,111,139,69,5970,10710,180,199,223,36672,61,75513,6923,540],"class_list":["post-172965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-86yearold","tag-about","tag-advice","tag-auckland","tag-best","tag-column","tag-coming","tag-diningout","tag-dinner","tag-editor","tag-entertainment","tag-find","tag-food","tag-foodie","tag-fortnightly","tag-guide","tag-indonesian","tag-jesse","tag-michelin","tag-more","tag-mulligan","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-really","tag-resident","tag-shares","tag-take","tag-the","tag-thinks","tag-to","tag-vivas","tag-what","tag-where"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172965\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/172966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}