Quality tucker

January 14, 2004 – Significant New York Times feature ‘The Other Down Under’ chronicles NZ’s culinary revolution – from land of the long boiled mutton to world-class gastronomic player. The new breed of Kiwi chefs are seasoned travellers who weave international flavours with local produce to create an entirely unique cuisine. Says interviewee Alistair Brown – of Wellington’s Logan Brown Restaurant – “What we see and taste, we want to emulate or improve on when we come back home. We are a very young country, not stuck in tradition.” The Times‘ tour encompassed the eateries and vineyards of Martinborough, Wellington, the Hawkes Bay, and Auckland, with highlights including Logan Brown (where “quality is as dependable as the tides”), Martinborough’s Wharekauhau Inn (“under pink clouds at dusk it made an unforgettable impression”), the Te Whau vineyard and restaurant on Waiheke Island (“an award-winning restaurant of Corbusier-inspired design … [which] offers more than 600 wines, including every big NZ name), and Auckland’s O’Connell Street Bistro (“if we could have stuffed [it] into our luggage and brought it back to the States, we would have”). A Toronto Star feature attributes a swell of interest in NZ produce in Canada to – what else – the Lord of the Rings. “Never has a country’s public profile been raised so high, so fast. Its food exports capitalize on the pristine environment, the lush pastures and clean waters, the fresh air, the reverse seasons.”