What is the food of this country? Trying to find a concise answer is like attempting to catch the elusive, ever-changing wind. (Or maybe it’s the question itself that’s tenuous.) At Ahi, chef Ben Bayly presents his own take on the matter with a menu of Aotearoa-based producers, suppliers, ingredients and techniques. The fit-out acts as an initial clue to this ethos, with reclaimed native timber and a woven-wood ceiling grounding you in place and helping you to forget that you’re in a mall.

We talk about it a lot, this idea of provenance. Most of us these days are interested in the who, what, where, when and why of the components on our plate — but few restaurant menus make as explicit an effort to answer that as this one. Nearly every item here is tagged with its region, as well as how far it’s travelled to get to your plate, and everything seems to sing with ferments and pickles and so much textural intrigue. When you go, let the snack section, which changes season to season, be your introduction to these origin stories. The tartare with puffed wagyu tendon and Ahi’s distinct fermented hot sauce is made with wallaby that travelled 900km north from Hunters Hills in Canterbury. The eel, barbecued and served alongside Kiwi onion dip and cucumber, comes from Ngāruawāhia, 108km away. Provenance isn’t just a buzzword here; it’s the backbone of every single thing you chomp into.