May 2, 2019 Restaurants
The Grove is a finalist in the Metro Peugeot Restaurant of the Year 2019 awards for Best Fine Dining Restaurant and Michael Dearth was Restauraneur of the Year runner up. To see a full rundown of all our winners, click here.
The Grove is the quintessential inner-city fine diner; it’s a long narrow room, all bricky and high-ceilinged, with tall casement windows looking out over the city through magnolia trees. There’s always an ebullient welcome from Michael Dearth, and four well-paced courses for $119 or seven for $165, and a steady flow of extras, which feels like the sort of generosity that seems rare in Auckland. The food’s wonderful. Swiss-born head chef Kira Ghidoni joined the team under former executive chef Ben Bayly and took over last year – a former pastry chef, her dedication to ingredients is admirable. Here, they’re respected and honoured, carefully treated. Two perfectly pink cuts of sirloin and fillet, say, or a stuffed, lightly battered zucchini flower in a zingy herb sauce. Each element is at once clearly legible yet part of a cohesive whole – a rare treat.The Grove is the quintessential inner-city fine diner; it’s a long narrow room, all bricky and high-ceilinged, with tall casement windows looking out over the city through magnolia trees. There’s always an ebullient welcome from Michael Dearth, and four well-paced courses for $119 or seven for $165, and a steady flow of extras, which feels like the sort of generosity that seems rare in Auckland. The food’s wonderful. Swiss-born head chef Kira Ghidoni joined the team under former executive chef Ben Bayly and took over last year – a former pastry chef, her dedication to ingredients is admirable. Here, they’re respected and honoured, carefully treated. Two perfectly pink cuts of sirloin and fillet, say, or a stuffed, lightly battered zucchini flower in a zingy herb sauce. Each element is at once clearly legible yet part of a cohesive whole – a rare treat.
What it offers: Dégustation / À la carte by request for groups / Good for vegetarians / Takes large groups / Bar
A favourite dish: Pineapple and spiced-rum brioche with basil and pineapple sorbet
Hours: Lunch Thur-Fri, Dinner Mon-Sat
Bookings: Yes
Price: $$$
Chef: Kira Ghidoni, head chef
St Patricks Square
Wyndham St,
Ph 368-4129
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