When Chef and travel documentarian Anthony Bourdain implored us to ‘Eat at a local restaurant tonight’ and to ‘Go somewhere you’ve never been’ his message was clear: meet the world with an open heart (and a hunger for exploration) and it will reward you.
Happily, gourmet gallivanting doesn’t always require booking a ticket on a jetliner. At SkyCity you can let your tastebuds soar by simply visiting one of their top-flight eateries. For the month of November, SERVED, a series of events and set-menu specials starting from $50, invites committed foodies to take the full round trip of nine different venues where you can sample a global menu.
HERE’S HOW:
Begin your journey close to home with Pacific flavours reimagined. At Metita (a one-hat award winner in the Cuisine Good Food Awards), chef Michael Meredith translates his heritage into a menu that is a thoroughly original take on the tastes of the tropics and of the sea. As Bourdain advised ‘eat an oyster’ (here served natural with hibiscus vinegar or cooked in beef bone marrow with paprika) or, if fish is your dish, steamed snapper with cucumber, tarua and makrut lime is as fresh as it gets. The passionfruit, sasalapa and coconut yoghurt dessert will transport you to sublime climes at first sight.
Cassia is your passage to the sub-continent. Join an aromatic adventure through India at this two-hatted restaurant guided by uber chef Sid Sahrawat who grew up in Chandigarh near the foothills of the Himalayas. Discover why the pani puri with potato, chickpea and mint is so legendary or take Bourdain’s lead and ‘Get the cream sauce’ – the Delhi Duck with makhani gravy, lychee and cardamon is an exotic exploration of Sid’s childhood memories made modern.
With the reopening of The Grill at SkyCity, steak and seafood lovers can take a tour of family-run producers from across Aotearoa offering exceptional-quality products that are seared under the flame of a Montague grill to lend a subtle smokiness to the cooked result. Beef cuts are a standout and, as carnivores will appreciate, it pays to do as Bourdain says and ‘order the steak rare’.
Drop into crowd favourite Depot (one hat) and, before you sample oysters, clams or sashimi from the raw bar or dig into their version of ‘fush and chups’, watch in awe as Al Brown’s team keep it real in this restaurant inspired by the casual vibe at the Kiwi bach, teamed with culinary snapshots of his travels around the world. Next door at Fed Deli, Brown channels the New York Jewish diner and the meatloaf with potato and gravy is soul food made manifest. It all goes down rather well with ‘a cold pint, even at four in the afternoon’. Bourdain would approve.
‘Have a negroni. Have two’ as Bourdain encouraged. At SkyBar (Aotearoa’s highest cocktail counter), they make a negroni that’s not so classic, with a black-forest dessert twist. If that’s not your preferred tipple, one from the bespoke SERVED menu might lift your spirits. Be wowed by the 360-degree view as you sip a ‘Tāmaki Tea’ cocktail with decadent desserts. You can also dip into tohatoha grazing plates, late-night bites or kai reka (sweet treats such as a golden hazelnut teardrop with a soft caramel centre that will melt away your troubles). If it’s bar food you’re after in a more casual setting, Andy’s Burgers & Bar is your ticket to crafted burger classics and hot or soy buttermilk-fried wings straight outta Buffalo.
No culinary trip around our planet would be complete without a visit to Asia. At MASU by Nic Watt, the journey is Japanese, with a minimalist presentation and maximum flavour. Say kanpai to shared plates from the sushi bar, kitchen and robata grill. Next up, a Chinese feast fit for an emperor at Huami. From delicacies such as dim sum and dumplings to signature dishes such as wood-roasted Peking duck or mānuka-honey glazed char siew pork, the tastes of Hong Kong are right here at your Tāmaki Makaurau table. Made for gatherings, these Asian occasions offer the most delicious opportunity to, as Bourdain advises, ‘Check in on your friends’.
Discover around-the-world dining by visiting the SkyCity Profile Page Here