DEPOT REGAINS ITS CROWN AS AUCKLAND'S TOP RESTAURANT

Al Brown’s SkyCity eatery takes out top restaurant award

Federal St eatery Depot has taken out the accolade of Metro Peugeot Restaurant of the Year while five-time previous supreme award winner The French Café is runner up.

Depot also takes out the Best City Bistro award while The French Café gains awards for Best Service, Best Chef (co-owner Simon Wright) and Best Fine Dining Restaurant.

Now in their 13th year, the Metro Restaurant of the Year Awards have a new sponsor in Peugeot and have been announced at a dinner and awards ceremony in Auckland tonight (April 20).

Depot was supreme award winner in 2012 and also won Best Casual Bistro in 2013. This year’s supreme award is a bittersweet accolade for the Al Brown-operated restaurant. It was shut down by a crippling fire the day the Metro judges had their final meeting to decide the 2015 winners.

The coveted Restaurateur of the Year Award goes to enterprising duo Mark Wallbank and chef Che Barrington who operate four restaurants, three of which made it to the Top 50 Restaurants in 2015 (The Blue Breeze Inn, MooChowChow, Woodpecker Hill).

Wallbank and Barrington also pick up awards for Best New Restaurant for Woodpecker Hill and the Peugeot People’s Choice Award for Auckland’s Favourite Dish, The Blue Breeze Inn’s renowned pork buns. Woodpecker Hill is also a runner up in the Best Room Category.

Japanese restaurant Cocoro takes out the Best Drinks Service and Best Smart Dining Restaurant awards.

Other notable achievements this year include the fact that two of the four restaurants making a comeback to the top 50 are on the winners list. Ponsonby Road stalwart Prego is judged Best Renewal while Mt Eden’s Molten is judged Best Value for Money.

The latter has recently reinvented itself with a new ‘feasting’ menu and other menu makeovers. Prego has undergone extensive renovations, and renewed its status as the doyen of Italian al fresco dining. It’s been a major part of the Auckland dining scene since 1986.

Metro editor Simon Wilson describes Depot’s win as “triumphant”.

“In a town where the quality of fine dining and smart dining are both getting better every year, it’s remarkable that a busy city bistro manages to match them every step of the way. The food is terrific, the service is outstanding and the atmosphere so exciting. Testament to that? Four years after it opened, Depot is still the busiest place in town.”

Wilson says the judges are especially pleased to award Depot the supreme prize in the wake of the fire it suffered just a few weeks ago.

“In fact, the judges had their final meeting on the same day as the fire. We didn’t know about it when we made our decisions, but it does feel right to be able to say we have every faith they will bounce back as strongly as ever.”

Of the nine new restaurants gracing this year’s Metro Top 50, only Odettes in City Works Depot has been able to achieve the ultimate accolade in any category, taking out Best Room. It is also runner-up in the Best All-day Restaurant category.

Other category winners include Ortolana (Best All-day Restaurant), The Engine Room (Best Neighbourhood Restaurant), Poderi Crisci (Best Destination Dining Restaurant) and Ima (Best Shared Table).

The full list of finalists can be found here. The full list of winners and hat ratings are published in the April issue of Metro Magazine, out tomorrow (April 21).

The Metro Peugeot Restaurant of the Year Awards 2015 Category Winners

THE METRO PEUGEOT RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

SUPREME WINNER                                          Depot

Runner up                                                         The French Café

THE PEUGEOT PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD FOR AUCKLAND’S FAVOURITE DISH

Winner                                                              Pork buns, The Blue Breeze Inn

BEST FINE-DINING                                           The French Café

Co-runner up                                                     Sidart

Co-runner up                                                     The Grove

BEST SMART-DINING                                       Cocoro

Runner up                                                         Clooney

BEST CITY BISTRO                                           Depot

Co-runner up                                                     Coco’s Cantina

Co-runner up                                                     Ponsonby Road Bistro

BEST NEIGHBOURHOOD RESTAURANT           The Engine Room

Runner up                                                         Cazador

BEST DESTINATION RESTAURANT                   Poderi Crisci

Runner up                                                         Casita Miro

RESTAURATEUR OF THE YEAR                       Che Barrington & Mark Wallbank, MooChowChow, The Blue Breeze Inn & Woodpecker Hill           

BEST CHEF                                                      Simon Wright, The French Café

Co-runner up                                                     Ben Bayly, Baduzzi & The Grove

Co-runner up                                                     Sid Sahrawat, Cassia and Sidart

BEST SERVICE                                                The French Café

BEST DRINKS SERVICE                                   Cocoro

Co-runner up                                                     Molten

Co-runner up                                                     Ponsonby Road Bistro

BEST NEW RESTAURANT                                 Woodpecker Hill

BEST SHARED TABLE                                      Ima

BEST ALL DAY RESTAURANT                          Ortolana

Co-runner up                                                     Odettes

BEST ROOM                                                     Odettes

Highly commended                                           Woodpecker Hill

BEST RENEWAL                                               Prego

BEST VALUE FOR MONEY                               Molten

About the Metro Restaurant of the Year Awards

The Metro Restaurant of the Year Awards were established in 2003 to recognise excellence in Auckland dining. The judging panel comprises Metro editor and restaurant critic Simon Wilson and a team of experienced food writers and people from the hospitality industry. As much as is possible, they judge restaurants anonymously and pay for the meals. Restaurants are scored out of 100 and the Top 50 and all the category winners are chosen after extensive discussion. This year, the judges compiled a list of close to 200 restaurants in the Auckland region, then whittled it down to 81 places they thought had a reasonably strong claim to be in the Top 50. Judging took place over the earlier part of this year.