It’s good to see the upward trend of sustainable cooking and food sourcing becoming a feature among new restaurants, and fantastic that Auckland has a new light and airy marina-side restaurant, called Esther. It stands out against the plethora of eateries in the area, gifting guests with a seed packet of heritage tomatoes from Clevedon-based tomato growers, Curious Croppers, as a memento to personalise their dining experience.
Separate from the main drag, QT Auckland’s signature restaurant Esther is the latest creation by chef Sean Connolly. With a menu reflecting Connolly’s own journey through the Mediterranean, the dishes reveal flavours from Lebanon, Turkey, Morocco, Sardinia and The Greek Islands. Like the food, the European-style bistro is stylishly presented, inspired by the oyster with a colour scheme of black, stone and sand with pops of gold – which catches your eye like sunlight on water. QT’s design team and design collaborator Nic Graham have interwoven local and international commissioned artworks throughout the space, creating an ambience of Mediterranean shores. Crayfish net-like shapes suspended from the ceiling and tangled hand-painted lines grace the upper walls and ceilings of the private dining area.
On the inspiration for Esther, Connolly says, “When designing Esther, we envisioned a feminine design and wanted to personify it. Esther embodies a lively spirit, a feminine presence and modern traveller skipping around the Mediterranean gathering flavours as she goes.”
This point of view is reflected in the eclectic collection of Kitchen hardware visible from the dining area. In the corner of the Kitchen glistens a gold studded Marana Forni ‘disco oven’ – a gold bedazzled wood-fired oven – an attraction within itself. A bespoke Molteni oven in a sumptuous fisherman green runs along the patron facing kitchen wall, it’s sheen serves as visual contrast next to an open fire barbecue grill – which accounts for the delicate smokey flavour that gently permeates dishes like the Whole Butterflied Gurnard with gremolata and the Spatchcock Chicken, served with harissa on a bed of textured nero cabbage.
An oyster has myriad textures, a rough layered shell feathers it’s outer, whilst inside is a smooth iridescent surface, quite the opposite from its exterior. Connolly has been working closely with executive chef James Laird to bring Esther’s menu to life, and it shows. The texture and bite of each dish is a stand-out, the Ortiz anchovies on toast with salsa verde not only hits the tastebuds with salt and tang, but also impresses with crunch and chew. Satisfying for all parts of the eating process.
Connolly and Laird have developed a well-rounded menu of good authentic food, offering our ocean loving palettes a taste of the Mediterranean. The service at Esther is genuine and friendly with a team outfitted in custom Matt Nash linen. The space has been beautifully styled, it has a natural marina ambience and excellent music – the playlist also curated by Connolly. An ideal location to bring friends together for lunch or otherwise.
