WHY CHOOSE THIS RESTAURANT?

Parro is a jewel on Dominion Road, an intimate, warm dining room with every seat offering a view of the small open kitchen where the food is crafted responsibly, with simplicity and respect for every ingredient.

ABOUT THE MENU

Centred around a charcoal grill and impeccably picked ingredients, it’s a menu that confidently showcases the diverse career and talent of the chef. Cured fish on a bed of creamy white gazpacho spliced with orange and kiwi berry was unexpected in its depth of flavour, while allowing the spankingly fresh fish to remain the hero. In fact, the Parro menu delivers many time-honoured favourites with just the right amount of re-invention. For example, the barbecued eggplant is almost creamy in texture, with a gentle smoke that carries through the familiar Romesco sauce, then spiked with parmesan and cloaked with crunchy shards of amaranth crisp. Tiger prawns are cooked over flames and served whole in a deeply delicious sauce made with prawn heads and chilli. Flavours of smoked paprika, sizzling garlic and charred lemon took our Spanish guest back to his favourite chiringuito (beach bar), while the uniquely intense sauce remains the property of Parro. Chef calls his lamb shoulder a love letter to New Zealand produce. It provides the perfect balance of juice and fat while his process is meticulous – it’s cured for 24 hours in a house-made rub, slow-cooked for 14 hours in a master stock that has been building in his kitchen for two years, rolled and rested for 24 hours and then finished over the charcoal grill and served with labneh, harissa sauce and a rich lamb jus.

The desserts, too, are a legacy of gathered knowledge. We hadn’t intended to indulge, but a glimpse of a passing dish of tiramisu seemed to have the traditional ladyfingers (savoiardi) individually suspended as if floating within a pillowy mound of the famous mascarpone, marsala coffee cream. It did not disappoint, its journey having started with chef Otis Shapiro and Tiramisu 101 at Lilian, then cleverly refined with Jordan and Sarah MacDonald at Osteria Uno. The Parro crema catalana is a compelling mix of grandmother’s apple tart – a spectacle of shortcrust pastry, crème pâtissière, sliced fresh apples and orange glaze – and Catalana technique. A bridge between childhood memories and Barcelona, it is nostalgic and yet not crema catalana as we know it. We could not put down our spoons.

Parro’s chef and owner Gleber Chaparro with sub-chef  lagor Felipe and restaurant manager Beatriz Nascimento

interior of Parro

tiramisu at Parro

ABOUT THE CHEF

Chef and owner Gleber Chaparro has Brazilian roots with a pinch of Spain and Italy added into the family tree. He worked up some serious Auckland flavours in his time working in the kitchens of well-loved restaurants such as Depot, Lilian and Amano before heading to Barcelona to intern in the industry’s holy grail, Disfrutar. With Parro he gives us a taste of his unique world where every little detail is of huge importance and where every plate that comes from the kitchen shows immense respect for great local ingredients.

ABOUT THE TEAM

Restaurant manager Beatriz Nascimento and sub-chef Iagor Felipe have been at Parro from day one in 2024, now becoming a vital part of his team. Together with their extended team they have developed an incredibly memorable restaurant.

OF NOTE

The wine list here is as carefully thought through as the menu and offers an opportunity to try a small selection of unique producers from around the world that fuse perfectly with Gleber’s flavours and style. Terrific to see the beer list dominated by Sawmill (one of New Zealand’s best) with a taste of Barcelona via Estrella Damm on tap. A Negroni or a Chilli-Marg will provide the perfect start.

359 Dominion Rd, Mount Eden,
Auckland
Check website for opening hours
Sharing style $24-$43
022 490 7935, parro.co.nz