LUXURY

Renowned chef and travel aficionado Peter Thornley
is our guide to the world of food. His passion for
new flavours and exotic ingredients has taken him
to some of the world’s top kitchens in New York,
Singapore, Japan, France and beyond.
Game for a challenge
Opening a new restaurant is always a calculated risk. This is the 5th time I’ve
opened one, which calls on every skill you have in the recipe book.
It requires the bringing together of people: Brian Campbell, world-class pastry
chef, and Dan Wards, Restaurant Manager. Two of the very best professionals
in the business. Then there’s all the other ingredients: food, beverage,
ambience, and all the things guests don’t get to see, such as dish washing,
who looks after the fine cutlery ($200 per set), bathroom products, choice of
music, storage, government regulations and local body compliance.
After all that work, what do you get? The answer is Wakatipu Grill – a brand
new restaurant situated in the five-star luxury of the Queenstown Hilton, on
the shores of Lake Wakatipu.
There are four very distinct seasons in Central Otago, each with
its own special calling card. The arrival of winter means plunging
overnight temperatures, snow on the peaks and clear still days.
Spring is signalled by blossom on wild roadside fruit trees, grown
from the many discarded fruit stones from summer trips years past.
Summer brings cherries, apricots and white, golden and blackboy
peaches. Autumn leaves are torn by the wind from the walnut
trees and blown into shaded corners against the schist stone walls
of the restaurant, swept up daily by waiters before lunch.
Each season brings its own basket of produce and providers to
my kitchen – an eclectic bunch of growers, fisherman, hunters
and passionate folk from all walks of life. Retired bankers from
New York, doctors, stockbrokers, farmers and even a smattering
of movie people and millionaires who have decided to put their
hands in the earth and kick the corporate world into touch.
People like the gentleman farmer who happened to see me in
the restaurant before it opened. He was walking along the lake,
knocked on the door and invited himself in for a chat. “You must
be the chef,’” he said. (The fact that I was in my whites was a bit
of a giveaway.)
My caller had a proposition. “Are you going to put swede on the
menu? I’ve got 44 acres on the farm.” I told him that once we’d
had two or three good, hard frosts, I would put them on the
menu. “You know a thing or two about swedes, then,” was his
bemused reply. “I grew up on a farm,” I said. “Bit of a flash place
you’ve got here. My swedes would look good on the menu.”
So now, every Monday, there is a 20kg bag of swede leaning
against the door of the restaurant. No invoice, note, or any
acknowledgement of origin, but I am hearing stories of sheep
being fed on five-star swedes in Otago. I just know he will be
knocking on the door with five-star lamb come spring. This is
typical of the growers and producers of central Otago.
Having such magnificent produce to work with, it would be a
shame to hide it from the world. Our kitchen is open, with the
most stunning grill and rotisserie in full view of the guests. This
has many benefits, chief of which is that I am able to engage
with guests and they with me.
What is not expected is a deer hunter walking in with his prize
draped on his shoulders – fur, antlers, the full Bambi. The
restaurant went silent. “Where do you want him? I shot him up
in the Gibbston and it’s taken me all day to hump him out. God, I
need an Armagnac, followed by a bloody good pinot.”
With a 52 Delord Armagnac and Valli 2008 Bannockburn Pinot
Noir, he sunk into the outdoor pinot pit with its stunning views
over the lake. The blazing fire makes this a popular place all day
for drinks and tapas, from lunch through to the late hours. Guns
are securely stored in the hotel gunroom.
Wild deer is just the beginning. Bendigo rabbit, hare, pheasant,
partridge, boar and Mount Cook salmon are also available right
on my back door. A few hours away on the coast, we have blue
cod, Bluff and Glory Bay oysters, little neck clams, curly willow
whitebait, hake, sole, grouper, langoustine, or scampi as it is
more commonly known, from the Auckland Islands.
The last time I had visited central Otago was some 20 years ago.
My then wife, Jayne, and I drove over the Crown Range on a
motorbike. This notorious road links Wanaka to Queenstown
across the mountains. It was gravel back then – suitable for
stock trucks and the adventurous only; with potholes so big you
drove into them and out the other side. Now sealed, it is a mustdrive
road to Queenstown, offering superlative views over the
mountains and Lake Wakatipu.
Jayne, a very petite English girl, was used to more classy modes of
transport. She was not best pleased with me but I had promised
a stay at the Wakatipu Hilton. (Twenty years ago my version of
the Hilton was the camping ground where the now five-star
Hilton stands). A tent with snug sleeping bags, dinner prepared
over the fire, with good local wine, rabbit, romaine lettuce, peas,
pancetta and dessert. I will never forget the best peaches and
apricots I have tasted anywhere in the world, bought from a
roadside stall. Cut in half, their stones were returned to the soil
to provide blossoms in years to come. That was my Hilton 20
years ago; it is my Wakatipu Grill at the Hilton 20 years later. Life
is like a menu.
Peter recommends:
Wakatipu Grill +64 3 450 9400.
Black A world-class experience, with guided shooting,
fishing and adventurous dining.
www.blackzqn.com +64 3 450 0592.
Amisfield Winery for lunch
www.amisfield.co.nz +64 3 442 0553.
Lake Counter Deli for the best macaroon and coffee.
Roselle will look after you. Up the Wakatipu steps
to Kawarau Village, take the water taxi return from
Queenstown.
Chard Farm Winery Stunning drive, amazing views
www.chardfarm.co.nz +64 3 441 8452.
Peregrine Winery described by UK Architecture magazine
as an elegant blade of light that contrasts with the ruggedly
sublime natural landscape.
www.peregrinewines.co.nz +64 3 442 4038.
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