Fine dining in Federal Street

Aucklanders are already spoilt for choice when it comes to dining out, but three new restaurants in Federal Street, adjoining SKYCITY’s Grand Hotel, have upped the ante, showcasing not only the best in Kiwi cuisine, but also how design and fitout mesh with functionality.

SKYCITY Auckland boasts a wide variety of restaurants and bars, offering everything from five-star dining – think dine by Peter Gordon, and Orbit atop the Sky Tower – to the Deli and Noodle Bar on the main casino floor. Now three brand-new restaurants have opened, all in time to serve the extra visitors that are in town for the Rugby World Cup.

Sabine Nierhoff, executive manager of development for SKYCITY Auckland, explains Aucklanders are already spoilt for choice when it comes to dining out, but three new restaurants in Federal Street, adjoining SKYCITY’s Grand Hotel, have upped the ante, showcasing not only the best in Kiwi cuisine, but also how design and fitout mesh with functionality. that adding a new restaurant to their mix is not a decision they take lightly. “We have to consider all the existing restaurants and the mix of cuisines, then ask what the market desires – and that’s the market in the future, as we have to take the construction period into consideration – and then assess what impact any potential new restaurant will have on the others. It’s a fine balancing act.”

Dedicated team

Planning a new restaurant is also a complex affair. SKY - CITY has its own dedicated development team, including several project managers, who might handle two or three projects at once. This team consults with a local architect to draw up feasibility studies, and a potential head chef is brought on board to consult on the design and layout. The concept then goes to tender, and a lead construction partner is contracted to manage the build and any subcontractors. Kalmar Construction was the lead partner for the Federal Street projects.

Sabine explains that the chef has considerable input into the design process. “They like to stamp their own individuality onto every aspect of the project – from the layout of the dining area to the kitchen fitout. We only select high-profile, high-quality people that have a reputation for delivering extremely successful restaurants and bars, not only here in New Zealand, but in Australia too.”

Not only are the chefs first-class, but the choice of materials for the fitout is in keeping with these impeccable standards. The Grill, for example, features a suspended concrete staircase leading to a cantilevered upstairs dining room, rich leather upholstery, timber panelling and pressed metal walls.

Tight timeframe

The introduction of a new restaurant or bar can take up to a year from whoa to go, Sabine says. For example, design of The Grill began in January this year, and construction started on 24 May, with design continuing throughout construction.

The 100-day construction timeframe was not quite achieved due to several issues with noise affecting the Grand Hotel and Convention Centre. “A lot of the initial construction had to be done as night works,” Sabine explains, “although we did manage to run the fitout concurrently with construction.” The Grill opened on 5 September, still well ahead of the influx of visitors for Rugby World Cup.

Best of New Zealand

Located beside the Grand Hotel entrance on Federal Street, The Grill was designed by chef Sean Connolly. UK born and trained, Mr Connolly was appointed to Star City in Sydney (SKYCITY’S equivalent) where he established two very successful restaurants. He was persuaded to join the SKYCITY team last year.

The Grill features meat and seafood from New Zea - land’s very best producers, and complements the Grand Hotel’s entrance and adjacent Lobby Bar. The enormous ‘Rolls Royce’ kitchen is light and open and in full view of diners, as per the modern trend, and a 6 m ceiling-high wine wall surrounds the bar opposite, the top half being accessible only via ladder.

On the opposite side of the hotel entrance, further down Federal Street, is The Depot, which has already become very popular with locals and visitors alike, Sabine says. Designed by Al Brown, renowned chef, TV presenter, writer and co-owner of Logan Brown Restaurant & Bar in Wellington, The Depot serves delicious food in a fast and fun atmosphere, with small (or large) plates of food to share, oysters shucked to order, and much of the produce cooked over charcoal or hard wood. The Depot has a relaxed ‘come into my living room’ feel, with its Oregon flooring and feature metal work pieces converted directly from car panels.

Next door is the Red Hummingbird, which has an eclectic décor and was designed by successful Auckland restaurateur Luke Dallow. “The Red Hummingbird is based on the concept of a gastro pub environment with the sophistication of a bar, but the familiarity of a cosmopolitan club and the ease of a local,” Sabine says.

The mix is certainly diverse, with stained-glass montages mixing with stuffed animal trophies on the walls, can - delabras and mock-Gothic booths. A popular feature is the semi-enclosed veranda out the back with a living wall and a birdcage seating area for small private parties.

Both the Red Humming - bird and The Depot share bathrooms that have been carefully integrated with the restaurants’ service facilities midway between the two. “Diners just need to remember which one they left,” Sabine laughs.