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Waiheke restaurants Te Whau, Cable Bay and Casita Miro were among the winners at the Metro magazine Restaurant of the Year awards announced at a dinner in Auckland this week.
Te Whau was named ‘Best Rural Restaurant’ for the third year in a row. Metro judges commented that “their excellent staff move comfortably from table to table, chatting here, fixing a problem there, getting everything just right. The food is lovely, and the wine, led by Te Whau’s own glorious reds, is something special again.”
“Three in a row, wow, it’s a fantastic result!” says co-owner Tony Forsyth. “I’ve often said that consistency is the hallmark of a good eatery.  Te Whau owner Tony Forsyth with chef Marco Edwardes.
‘Best Service’ went to Cable Bay restaurant and joining both on the Top 50 list for the first time was the recently re-invented Casita Miro at Miro vineyard in Onetangi.
“We were actually finalists in our bar-bistro category,” says Casita Miro owner Cat Vosper. “We attended the awards dinner which was held at Oram’s marine in Westhaven. It was all beautifully presented with silver service and it was just a great surprise, a great treat and a real delight.”
Nine new restaurants gained a place on the list and there were winners in 15 categories. The biggest growth area in the Top 50 list was bistro or bar-bistro, with all but two of the new restaurants in these categories. Judges noted that these eateries were often family-friendly and “devoted to informal pleasure, often with a noisy, good-humoured, busy bar and have surprisingly good food.” Metro editor Bevan Rapson believes that Aucklanders are getting a much wider choice of friendly, informal, affordable places. “This is the new heart of Auckland dining and stuffier places need to take note,” he says.
Fourteen restaurants have dropped off the Top 50 list since last year which judges believed was probably due to the recession-based cost cutting apparent at many places.
They noted that good chefs had been replaced by mediocre ones, floor staff were not trained well and poorer quality ingredients were being used. Also capital spending was deferred, leaving some places with scuffed furniture and fittings and some restaurants had been forced to close altogether.
As well as Casita Miro, the other new entrants were Coco’s Cantina (Karangahape Rd), Ella (Ponsonby), La Cigale (Parnell), Mondial (Grey Lynn), Ponsonby Rd Bistro (Ponsonby), Sidart (Ponsonby), Teppan Dining Bowz (Epsom), and The Mulberry (Mt Eden).
The Supreme Winner went to fine dining restaurant The Grove in St Patrick’s Square, Auckland City. All restaurants were awarded marks for food, service, wine, the physical surroundings and the X-factor; the judges asked themselves “How much do I want to come back?” The Supreme Winner was visited by five judges and the panel included food writers Michael Hooper and Lauraine Jacobs, wine writer Vic Williams and restaurant critic Gilbert Wong. Details of the restaurants recognised in the Metro awards are published in the May issue of Metro now on sale, which also includes a free guide to Auckland’s Top 50 restaurants. • Julianne Evans
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