Wānaka restaurant Kika has been named the top New Zealand casual dining restaurant at the Cuisine Good Food Awards, while top chef Vaughan Mabee of Amisfield at Lake Hayes walked away with the innovation award for the third year in a row.
The annual awards showcase the country’s hospitality talent and encourage patronage and support of the nation’s outstanding restaurants.
Kika chef/owner James Stapley said the award meant a lot to him and the team at Kika, which also received two "hats" in the awards (restaurants are ranked from one "hat" to three, which requires a score of 19 or 20 out of 20).
"We have been doing casual seasonal sharing plates in a relaxed environment for nearly nine years now. I like to think of it as elevated comfort food.
"This is brilliant recognition to our incredible team front of house and back of house. It’s a real boost to all of us and receiving two hats as well meant it was a really magical night."
Judges described Kika’s contemporary Kiwi cuisine as "super seasonal".
"The fact that the plates are presented like mini works of art only makes the experience more fun. Warm, inviting and lively relaxation is a key ingredient on the Kika menu."
Stapley puts the restaurant’s success down to many elements, including creating accessible dishes that are interesting but "ultimately food you want to eat not just look at".
"The amazing staff I have at Kika is the difference — [they are] really talented people who love what they do. Lots of them have worked for me for many years so it makes the whole process easier when everyone is on the same page."
His head chef and right hand man Ruairi Bachofner is "fantastic and brings the whole team together" and Victoria Shaw is a real "calming influence" running the show front of house.
"But every single one of them should be so proud of what we have achieved."
Auckland chef Ben Bayly’s Ahi won the top restaurant award.
The second Otago restaurant to receive one of the 28 two hats awarded was Sherwood in Queenstown.
Fifty-seven restaurants received one hat, including Aosta (owned by Bayly) in Arrowtown, Cucina in Oamaru, Moiety, No7 Balmac, and Titi from Dunedin, and Rata and Jervois Steak House in Queenstown.
A 40-strong judging panel of food writers, critics, chefs and hospitality professionals visited each venue unannounced.
Lead assessor Kerry Tyack, in a statement, said Kiwi cuisine continued to capture imaginations, "taking us on exciting journeys down sometimes unexpected pathways, always surprising us with variety and constantly challenging us with its creativity".
"Highlights this year have been the welcome return of focus on root vegetables, further support for sustainability and broad acknowledgement that shorter menus have a legitimate role to play in the restaurant experience.
"We know it’s tough out there: listening to stories of heartbreak and frustration, watching as industry friends face financial and emotional loss, we can’t help but reflect on the wisdom or value of what we do. But, while there is indisputably plenty to lament, there is also plenty to celebrate.
"We need to keep promoting the good, we need to acknowledge hard work and great effort and we need to keep promoting dining out at all levels so that Cuisine readers make informed choices, are left satisfied and happy and continue to support this amazing industry."
Mabee, who achieved a rank of 44 in the 2023 international Top 100 Best Chef Awards, was described by judges as dedicated and hard-working.
"Here is a chef who sees food not simply as nourishment but as something to lift the spirits and challenge your thinking. To enjoy Vaughan’s unconventional magnificence you’ll need a completely open mind. Provocative? Maybe. Unforgettable? Absolutely."
Other Otago restaurants listed as "Cuisine destinations" were Dunedin’s Prohibition Smokehouse, Plato, Dosa Etc, Adjo, Best Cafe, Bracken and Woof; Oamaru’s Riverstone Kitchen and Whitestone Cheese Deli and Diner; Queenstown’s Mora Wines, Kappa, Sundays, The Cow, The Headwaters, Toast and Oak, Botswana, Artisan Kitchen and Nest Kitchen and Bar; Wānaka’s Muttonbird, Paloma Taqueria, Bistro Gentil, Cardrona Distillery, Arc, and Cloudy Bay Shed; Alexandra’s The Finery, Clyde’s Old Clyde Bank, Bannockburn’s Carrick Winery and Bannockburn Hotel and Naseby’s The Royal Hotel.
