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South Island Restaurant of the Year 2008
For a long time I have believed in the beauty of well chosen, simply prepared food. When cooked with care and respect for the history of the ingredient it can become a true eating experience. As a chef my responsibility is to showcase stellar produce and use a healthy dose of restraint in how we prepare a dish. It is not unlike a wine maker coaxing subtle flavours from a grape, which has been passed to them from the vineyard. In the kitchen we have a duty to uphold the veracity of the ingredient handed to us by our growers and farmers.
It is easier to add more to a dish and to make it clever and more complicated. This is often to cover poor produce or bad technique and shows a real immaturity for the craft of cooking. It is my firm belief that the focus should be on the quality of the raw component of any dish. Handled with reverence and genuine understanding a simple dish can speak volumes for the integrity of the restaurant.
Our dishes are designed to highlight the key ingredient. Any additions to the plate are purely to accentuate the primary focus. We take our relaxed approach to food very seriously and hope you embrace the pure joy of new flavours, open your mind to new wines and have a true dining experience
Cook often and drink well
Jonny Schwass and Lee the Maitre D'
Handled with reverence and genuine understanding a simple dish can speak volumes for the integrity of the restaurant.
