Source : the age
That one place in: Ruapehu, New Zealand
Where
The Chef’s Table, Blue Duck Station, Ruapehu, New Zealand
Why
Down at the base of Blue Duck Station, a rustic farm stay, there is absolutely no sign that you have reached the entry point to one of New Zealand’s most exclusive fine-dining restaurants. There’s no tuxedoed maitre d’ to greet you, no elegant vehicle waiting to whisk you away. Instead, there’s a wooden shack and a local hunter in camo gear, and a mud-splattered all-terrain-vehicle (ATV). Welcome to The Chef’s Table, where things are a little different.
From the rough-and-ready Blue Duck Station you jump in the ATV and rumble up steep, muddy slopes high above the Ruapehu wilderness, eventually emerging at the 10-seat restaurant perched at the very top. Here, British-born chef Jack Cashmore serves a 10-course tasting menu of beautifully refined cuisine, dishes that speak of location and seasonality and the skill of their creator. At the end of the meal, guests retire to their private villas, of which there are only four, waking the next morning to a glorious alpine vista, ready to enjoy breakfast supplied by Cashmore and his team. It’s an exceptional experience, and one few people know exists.
Order this
No need to concern yourself with what to order: the Chef’s Table is set menu only, usually 10 or more courses, each one a work of gastronomic art. Expect the likes of locally shot venison with beetroot and cherry, lamb with eggplant and whey, or smoked tomatoes with saffron. The wine pairing here is also varied and smartly chosen, and well worth the investment.
Eat it here
For set-course fine dining in Sydney, try Sixpenny in Stanmore (sixpenny.com.au). In Melbourne, book well ahead to experience Yiaga (yiaga.au). And in Adelaide, visit the Magill Estate Restaurant (magillestaterestaurant.com).
More
The Chef’s Table at Blue Duck Station is at 4265 Oio Road in Owhango, about a 2½-hour drive from Taupo on the North Island. The restaurant is open for dinner Thursday to Sunday from September to May; ATV transfers depart Blue Duck Station at 2pm each day. Set menus cost $NZ545 ($450) a person, including transfers, or $NZ945 a person including accommodation and breakfast. See thechefstable.co.nz
Ben Groundwater is a Sydney-based travel writer, columnist, broadcaster, author and occasional tour guide with more than 25 years’ experience in media, and a lifetime of experience traversing the globe. He specialises in food and wine – writing about it, as well as consuming it – and at any given moment in time Ben is probably thinking about either ramen in Tokyo, pintxos in San Sebastian, or carbonara in Rome. Follow him on Instagram @bengroundwaterConnect via email.
