Jesse Mulligan Restaurant Recommendations: Where To Eat In Queenstown; Auckland’s Best Martinis

In this fortnightly series, Viva’s resident dining out editor shares his sage advice on exactly where to eat. He’s eaten a lot of bad meals, so you don’t have to.

Here are some questions he’s been asked lately, and what he told them.

Jesse, we’re doing a lads’ trip to Queenstown next month and I want to make sure we have some decent food while we’re there. Any ideas?

From, Jamie

Hi Jamie,

I’ve visited Queenstown twice recently and can report that the eating is grand. There’s the odd staff shortage, sure, but the hospitality crowd are surprisingly chipper in the circumstances. La Rambla in Arrowtown is worth the trip — great Spanish-inspired food with a lovely list of cocktails to kick things off in the courtyard before you eat. The Sherwood hotel restaurant is as good as anything you’ll find in Auckland, with a great bar you can retire to afterwards — try and time it to catch a live gig there if you can trust the boys not to talk through the music.

For something a little more casual, try the excellent Margo’s Mexican restaurant in Queenstown itself — it’s a lot of fun, with sweet service and fantastic food. Ben Bayly’s new Bathhouse Lakehouse Restaurant looks very promising too.

If you’re up for an adventure, book in at the restaurant at Headwaters Eco Lodge in Glenorchy — I wrote about it recently in Viva. And for brunch the next morning, head back to Arrowtown and seek out The Dishery. I recommend the chicken roti, followed by a hangover-busting walk around the Sawpit Gully loop.

Remember in Queenstown, more than anywhere else, you should book early — not just for your meals but for rental cars and taxis too.

Hi Jesse,

Why don’t you review more restaurants outside of Ponsonby/Parnell/K Rd/CBD/Dominion Rd, etc? What about the Waitākere?

Thanks, Rory

Rory, though I hit the North Shore from time to time, it’s true I don’t often venture west. I had a fantastically curious meal at Chikos a few years ago, which I’d recommend to anybody, but particularly somebody very hungry, with an interest in surrealism. Several people have recommended Cielito Lindo Taqueria, an authentic Mexican restaurant in Henderson, though they inevitably describe it as “right next to the dump”, which may be one reason I haven’t yet found the idea of a visit sufficiently mouthwatering to act on.

Where else is good Rory? Tell me all the local goss.

Jesse, I’m over negronis. Where can I get a decent martini?

I feel you. I still love a negroni but they’re so easy to make at home you do feel a bit ripped off paying $22 for a small one before dinner.

Martinis, on the other hand, are much harder to make well on your own and are having a bit of a moment, due, according to the New York Times, to a combination of “nostalgia for a simpler era [and] the need for a stiff drink for hard times”.

I still find the alcohol burn of a classic martini a little much so prefer a version where there’s something to round off the edges of the gin. At Candela (our best restaurant of 2022) they do this with pickle brine, and it’s magic. Down the road at Alta, they mollify the hard spirits with a little olive oil, a fantastic trick that imparts some flavour but mostly texture and a little haziness to the mix.

And it’s not technically a martini but close enough: Alma replaces gin and vermouth with vodka and manzanilla sherry, along with a little chilli and some tomato water. Think of it as a very alcoholic gazpacho, and order it early before the food has a chance to arrive.

Any questions? Give Jesse as much info as you can. What do you like? How much do you want to spend? If you’re just visiting, where are you staying while you’re in town? Who are you eating with? Does anybody have access issues?

Email Jesse at Viva@nzherald.co.nz and tell him what you need.

Previously: Auckland’s best tiramisu, and the eatery that’s the new Soul Bar