Pasture - Auckland

With one set menu designed for the season and talented chefs using various techniques such as cooking with wood fire, fermentation, dry aging and cheese making, your meal at Pasture is one of its kind. The restaurant only seat 6 and takes two seating times at 5:45PM and 8:15PM. Instead of seating at secluded tables hidden in the dining room, you’re in the middle of it all at the Chef’s Counter where you can directly engage with the kitchen.<br/ <br/ <br/ <br/ Booking a table pre COVID has always been a hard task with the weekends being taken up as soon as bookings become available. We managed to get a table as soon as they started taking reservations under level one Understandable as this award winning restaurant is well praised in the dining community (3 Hats in Cuisine, 2019 Metro Restaurant of the Year, Best Chef Fine Dining Restaurant)<br/ <br/ <br/ <br/ My meal at Pasture last Sunday was exceptional. We paired our meal with a non alcoholic pairing and was thrilled at the creative choices of matches of beverage to dish. Each dish is surprising and innovative, creative with attention to detail. Watching the chefs elegantly assemble and prepare your meal right in front of you is a real treat. <br/ <br/ <br/ <br/ If you have any dietary requirements, this might not be suitable for you. I haven’t eaten a banana in 20 years and have managed to avoid red meat for the last 6 months. This changed last night and I have no regrets. The set menu also sets you back $250 and the non alcoholic pairing is another $70 per person. It’s not a cheap meal.<br/ <br/ <br/ <br/ Do I love and recommend it? Yes!<br/ <br/ Would I be back next season when the menu change? When my wallet recovers<br/

New Zealand’s fine dining scene has come a long way. When I grew up in Auckland circa late 80’s – early 90’s, haute cuisine meant the local Chinese restaurant (and honestly, we weren’t complaining). Fast forward to 2020 and Auckland boasts a chef’s counter restaurant extraordinaire with a mere six seats per sitting, accommodating a total of just 60 fortunate diners per week…that restaurant is Parnell’s Pasture.

Ed and his team provided excellent service. They were attentive and accommodating, and it was fascinating to watch them work in the kitchen. Everyone was involved in preparing each dish. I can't pick a favorite dish as they were all equally fantastic. Since the menu is a secret, I won't spoil it for you, but I've attached a photo as a hint of what to expect.

Had the most amazing dining experience @pasture_akl this week. It was a 3-hour culinary show, enjoyed every second of it! Some of my favorite dishes are photographed 1️⃣ Smoked Blue Mackerel 2️⃣ Rock Lobster 3️⃣The Pig Crumpet 4️⃣New Zealand Wagyu Seating only six people a session, make sure to book with them early! The chef said he loves his seafood and I absolutely agree, his seafood dishes were mind blowing! Head to @pandadrools on Instagram for more honest food reviews!

Can I give 6 stars?! Without doubt this is the best food experience in NZ and based on my travels, would rival anything available elsewhere in the world. The imagination, the creativity, the understanding, the technique, the precision and the passion on show makes for an incredible experience. Faultless.