Soaring to greater heights
Divine food, attentive waitstaff: what more
could you want for a celebration meal?
One of my ‘‘besties’’ was in need of a cheer-up birthday dinner to forget that she no longer qualifies as 30-something. I knew just the place to make her feel better. At least I hoped that The Grove, in St Patricks Square in central Auckland and sporting a new chef, Ben Bayly, would deliver to its stellar reputation.
Previous chefs have included the talented Michael Meredith and Sid Sahrawat, both of whom helped to cement The Grove as one of Auckland’s finest restaurants, and owners Michael and Annette Dearth pride themselves on selecting only the best chefs to carry on the tradition of excellence.
The first feel-good factor arrived by way of the valet parking person who greeted us at the entrance. Settling in, we noted that the wine list was more ofawine encyclopedia, with Michael Dearth sourcing great wine from around NZ and the world. My friend is allergic to wine so she ordered a citrus blush cocktail and I opted for a glass of Peregrine 07 Pinot Noir.
To start I decided on the quail ballotine
while the birthday pal selected the potato
gnocchi. Both dishes were divine. The gnocchi
encased goat’s cheese, tortellini style, and
was accompanied by medjool dates that added
sweetness to the cheese’s pungency. My quail
was tightly rolled, and boned with a black
pudding pinwheel, soft pate and pickled apple.
My choice of main was glazed pork belly, perfectly
square, with crackled skin and melting layers.
I was struck with the balance of flavours:
mangosteen and butternut squash were the perfect
ingredients to complement the pork.
The birthday girl’s dish of lamb rack, all
pink, juicy and rare, and lamb shoulder, slow-cooked
and falling apart, showed off the chef’s treatment
of classic-style dishes. One of the evening’s
highlights came as a side dish —fries infused
with truffle oil. Our other side dish—globe
artichokes with capers, caramelised garlic
and shaved parmesan—also proved the attention
to detail that had gone into this menu. We
thought it only right to finish with desserts,
despite lamenting our widening girths. My friend
ordered the caramelised banana galette which
was a banana, sliced thinly, then layered on
pastry, and caramelised. I settled for petits
fours which included a small elderflower macaroon,
a citrus chocolate fondant and a honeycomb
chocolate.
The notion of fine dining can be offputting but my advice is: visit The Grove and you will be converted. The staff were polished, yet with a put-you-atease approach, and the food was outstanding. This was fine, innovative dining at its best and Ben’s influence on the menu appears to be taking The Grove to even greater heights. Cheered up? Ecstatic.
