ADDRESS:   236 Orakei Road, Orakei
CHECK WEBSITE FOR OPENING HOURS
MAINS:   $34 – $41
WEBSITE:    copia.nz
CONTACT:   09 520 2234
SCORE:   16 / 20

Chef/owners Ken O’Connell and Sam Sykes state their case clearly on their menu. “We are dedicated to sustainability, ethical dining and combining old-world techniques with modern dining,” they declare. And on the lower level of Orakei Bay Village, they are putting their money where their mouths are. Copia has its own garden and greenhouse on site, which is particularly fitting given that this is the former premises of King’s Plant Barn. Shared plates are the big thing here. This is not food you cook at home: expect duck breast, charcoal-grilled beef Scotch with bone-marrow crumb, lamb sweetbreads with butter- fried focaccia. It’s well-designed food that rarely trips up, and a couple of meat- and fish-free dishes equally exude taste and flavour. The good folk of Orakei have long waited for something like this. Long may she reign.

IN BRIEF: Short, seasonal, smart: a menu to share