Much loved by locals, this Mt Maunganui restaurant is a contemporary, high-end dining experience where you can sit back in the very comfortable dining room and drink in the ambience or sip on an apéritif. As you enter there’s a very well-stocked, excellent temperature-controlled cellar that indicates a serious focus on fine wine. Couple that with a custom-designed meat locker and the rare and unique Mibrasa charcoal grill, imported from Spain. The chefs use this to impart a distinctive charcoal aroma and flavour as it transforms grass-fed meats with the power of fire, or fish that has been freshly delivered from the wharf. At lunch time there’s a $70 menu with entrée and main course. Dinner begins with interesting plates such as a shiitake filo with shiitake, kale, sesame, miso and hummus, East Rock crudo with leche de tigre, corn salsa, kūmara and chilli and beef kushiyaki chermoula, garlic and blueberry. For mains there’s a comprehensive selection of beef from the meat locker sourced form the country’s finest producers. If meat’s not your thing there are plenty of other equally delicious choices. This serious dining.   

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