Style: January 05, 2018
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50 STYLE | chef’s special<br />
Q & A with Head Chef<br />
Mirco Turtschi<br />
What was it about New Zealand that first drew<br />
you away from Switzerland?<br />
I had a friend that had moved here first as a chef and he<br />
would always talk about New Zealand coastlines and the<br />
beautiful seafood that is so accessible. That is something<br />
that we miss out on in land-locked Switzerland.<br />
image: Charlie Rose Creative<br />
A PLACE TO CONNECT<br />
Marketplaces around the world provide a hub of activity<br />
for people to interact, be inspired by and connect with<br />
food. Drawing influence from this origin, Market Place<br />
Restaurant & Bar has endeavoured to travel far and wide<br />
to celebrate the region’s finest ingredients with its guests,<br />
serving delicacies from Canterbury high-country venison to<br />
Wakanui beef cheek.<br />
TOP THREE<br />
from the Market Place menu<br />
1 Hereford Ribeye Steak ....<br />
with market salad, fries and your choice of Café de Paris,<br />
garlic butter jus or mushroom sauce<br />
2 Pistachio-crusted Lamb Mignon ...<br />
on mint, pea and goats cheese spaetzli with spring greens<br />
3 Grilled Prawn Salad ...<br />
with corn, beans, avocado, cherry tomatoes, lettuce and<br />
lime dressing<br />
OR…<br />
don’t just restrict yourself to any of the above, get a<br />
taste of everything with our ‘Trust the Chef’ option.<br />
What have you enjoyed most about setting up<br />
the three dining areas at Crowne Plaza?<br />
Seeing all my own concepts and ideas evolve from<br />
scratch and witnessing the new menus coming to life.<br />
We’re experiencing a diverse audience of locals, visitors<br />
and guests coming in at different times of the day; it’s<br />
good to see the spaces have rhythm.<br />
How is Market Place different from your usual<br />
hotel restaurant?<br />
Market Place has a lot of local supporters, we are proud<br />
to say it’s humming and guests appreciate all the thought<br />
that has gone into its contemporary design and Market<br />
Place inspired menu. It’s also got a strong brand with the<br />
connection to the history of Victoria Square, and its use<br />
of local suppliers.<br />
What are your must-have ingredients?<br />
It’s hard to narrow it down, we use over 700 ingredients<br />
daily in our hotel kitchen. We use a lot of seasonal<br />
produce to provide variation in the menu especially with<br />
‘Trust the Chef’. You can never go wrong with premium<br />
grade olive oil – we use Robinsons Bay from local Banks<br />
Peninsula.<br />
What kitchen tool could you not be without?<br />
I swear by my own chef’s knife, which I have had ever<br />
since I started cooking at the age of 15.<br />
What’s something in your career that you wish<br />
you had known sooner?<br />
Getting the team involved from the beginning. It’s<br />
important to have your kitchen on board with the<br />
creative process, it creates a better result and an even<br />
more passionate team.
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