New Zealand people have wanderlust second to none, and as they have travelled the world a complicated dining palate has been awakened, evolved and brought home which demands creative dining experiences from local chefs that can match or go beyond those needs. Merediths restaurant’s Friday and Saturday night degustation menu is one such occasion where this is guaranteed to happen. If you can get a table…

By Thomas Jones

A good restaurant should be a place where you go to experience food you could never recreate at home, Those familiar with degustation menus know that it not a regular meal; it is an event that should fill you to bursting with all that is amazing in the world of food and wine. It can be intimidating to the novice, but the key is to sit back and let the experts take total control. A guest must realise that the chef knows just what to do and that one must throw oneself into the path of this juggernaut of creativity and simply enjoy each bite as it comes.

Over a 7-10 course meal you have the chance to taste a wide range of flavours and textures, some familiar, some left-of-field, and still walk away feeling like you have been privileged in experiencing something wonderful. It is only afterwards that you can judge the experience in its entirety, but it has the potential to be one of the most intense and interesting experiences in your continuing education in fine dining. Accordingly, it must be accompanied by the right occasion, the right people, and definitely make no plans the next day.

Owner and Head Chef of the self-named restaurant in Auckland, Michael Meredith, had always wanted to own his own restaurant. Mt Eden was where he grew up so it was an obvious choice of location, with its inner city feel and reputation for good restaurants, and so it was that in 2007 he opened his doors with the aim of serving Aucklanders with things very, very good and tasty on their Friday and Saturday nights.

Michael and his talented team start guests on their personal gastronomic journey from the moment they arrive and keep the momentum high right through until they leave several hours later. The design of the restaurant was created for comfort with the focus on food, wine and service in an intimate setting with the atmosphere of a French bistro. The service is extremely personable and one is instantly put us at ease by the impeccable and effortless manner of the maitre d’. The kitchen is very casual, all tattoos and T-shirts, and is open for all to see, for the only secrets are those in Michael’s head. It’s performance art in seven acts; drama without pretension or overacting.

The menus focus on food that is seasonal, produce driven and as local as possible, all mixed in with a fair amount of the great technique Michael has gleaned in his 16-year career. The most stand-out dish on the night was a perennial Kiwi winter favourite; Pea with Ham Soup. What appears in a bowl is a dollop of pea puree surrounded by torn bits of ham off the bone, a sprinkling of snow pea shoots and a further smattering of frozen peas. Hot broth is poured over top at the table and the resulting product would have anyone’s grandmother rolling over in her grave and demanding a spoonful. Seafood, duck, lamb, quail and salmon, all accompanied with winter vegetables and the many delights of Michael’s repertoire, were in the dishes that followed. Each mouthful was a delight and we were filled to bursting by the end, although we saved room for dessert which was hard but oh-so-worth-it for the beetroot ice cream alone. á la carte is available during the week, but testament to the quality and popularity of the degustation theatrics, there is a six week waiting list for a table on weekends.

Merediths is fun. It’s an experience, it’s different, and, although it’s a bit on the pricy side at around US $75, with an optional 50 for the accompanying wines, it is eminently worth the experience of taking a ride into the best that NZ and this talented chef have to offer the discerning and adventurous diner.

A word of warning, however; the food is made all the more better by the plethora of wines that accompany each dish, and with seven courses plus an aperitif this is definitely a lot of wonderment to consider. After this you wouldn’t want to be driving, and there should be no missing out for a designated driver, either. It just wouldn’t be fair. Allow a bit of a extra cash for a taxi. You will be glad that you did.

Merediths
365 Dominion Road
Auckland, New Zealand
Tel:  + 64 9 623 3140
www.merediths.co.nz

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