Restaurant owner Leo Molloy slams SkyCity in social media post

The Sugar Club restaurant at the Sky Tower, SkyCity, Auckland. Photo / Greg Bowker

The owner of a popular Auckland restaurant has taken to social media to bag a rival venue.

HeadQuarters owner Leo Molloy has attacked The Sugar Club in his latest post, calling the SkyCity venue a "god awful restaurant" and claiming the consortium it belongs to survives off gambling profits.

However, SkyCity has rebuked Molloy's claims, stating reviews of both restaurants show neither food reviewers nor the dining public agree with him.

The Sugar Club is located on level 53 of the Sky Tower, and operated by renowned chef Peter Gordon.

Molloy's post came after the NZ Herald's Be Well magazine included an excerpt about The Sugar Club's low-carbon menu.

Crafted by executive chef Josh Barlow, the three-course menu was developed with Enviro-Mark Solutions and WWF-New Zealand.

It was measured and assessed as low carbon using only locally sourced ingredients. And its carbon footprint is calculated to ensure it sits within guidelines to limit global warming below 2C, the Be Well caption explained.

Molloy wasn't impressed and wrote: "When you live in a city that demands a certain amount of wankerage (new word) if you are to make an impression you tend to develop a certain tolerance for posers and tossers, even those from Ponsonby and Grey Lynn.

"But surely this tripe from The Sugar Club exceeds all reasonable levels of 'self pleasuring' and should come with an obligatory box of tissues.

Leo Molloy [left], seen here with Hone Harawira. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

"[Why] didn't they mention that their god awful restaurant has only survived because it's part of a ... consortium that uses pokie money to subsidise its entire hospo portfolio and to prop up operations like this that wouldn't survive in an open market?

"SkyCity / Federal St (except the excellent Depot) is a joke."

Molloy told the Herald he was just "saying the truth, as I always do".

A SkyCity spokesperson said: "Leo is entitled to his views, although given TripAdvisor rates his restaurant as the 287th-best in Auckland with three-and-a-half stars while The Sugar Club, which has two Cuisine Hats, is ranked the 20th-best with four-and-a-half stars, it would appear that neither food reviewers nor the dining public agree with him."

Last month Molley also caused a stir after describing rival restaurants as hangouts for "old white people", "girls with flappy lips" and "young mums in active wear with screaming babies".

The post mentioned Soul Bar, Prego and Apero on K'Rd.

Without naming it he described K'Rd eatery Apero as a place involving "failed comedians trying their luck as food critics, Ponsonby politicians, along with lots of needles and drugs".

The month before Molloy was in the news for his response to a customer who was concerned plastic confetti left on a table by visitors to the restaurant would blow into the harbour.

And last year he branded a group of league fans "mongrel scum and vandals" and described league as a "bogan game" after fans damaged a photo wall.