5 November 2010

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE!

What makes a good restaurant great? Auckland has a ton of good eating houses, despite the view from Wellington that the capital reigns supreme in matters culinary. If I had wanted an excellent meal tonight I could have gone to (in no particular order) French Café, Cibo, Siddart, Euro, Prego, The Grove, Two Fifteen, Ella, Engine Room, Antoines, Prime (lunch), Dine, Rocco, Toto, Soto, Mollies, Molten, Clooney, Kermadec, Sails, Vinnies, Delicious, Michael Meredith’s or Soul. All serve lovely food, and almost all have professional staff to look after me. Their wine lists are considered with fine choices and the ambience and surroundings are filled with interest and intrigue when they’re full. And then there’s a tier of other places that are a little more casual but still worth visiting in Ponsonby, Parnell, the eastern suburbs and the Shore. And I haven’t even started on the amazing array of ethnic establishments.

But knowing the customer base is what really sets a good place apart from the rest and I think there are about 1300 restaurants and cafés in the central region that don’t cut the mustard like the ones on the list I have made. Keeping a data base of customers and communicating with them regularly is like gold for a restaurant. And having a programme of events to invite that customer base to, is essential. From the list above I receive regular information from five. Yes, only five! And everyone knows how interested I am in restaurants and how often I eat out. It’s easy to find me.

This past week has been interesting as Soul has really stepped the pace up for the city’s top spots. Garden of Soul has been installed, complete with an exciting programme of events to appeal to the different customer segments. Xanthe White, a young celebrated garden designer has installed clipped topiary decorations and a hedge installed to mark the end of the garden. But the star of the garden is the installation of dozens of hanging floral baskets that dangle over the diners on the terrace and decks.

And to celebrate this Garden, Soul's owner Judith Tabron and her team have organised a whole series of special events. There are Wine Down Sundays, cocktail parties, White Mischief party and women’s lunches on the deck. And for my sins and probably because I am known for my eating out habits (I can cook too!) I will be speaking at one of these lunches. My subject: Why French Women Don’t Get Fat. I’ve just been in France so it should be fun as I have lovely eating experiences to share from the city where I first commercially cooked. Tuesday 16 November at noon. Call Olivia on 09 356 7249 to book. See you there!