Trocadero

Inexplicably there have been a number of restaurants stationed within hotels that have opened within barely two weeks of each other. Onemata at the Park Hyatt in the Viaduct is one of them, and the other is Kingi in The Hotel Britomart. In this same week I found myself eating at Trocadero, a restaurant and bar attached to the revamped Airedale Boutique Suites on Queen Street. Although not as newly minted as these other restaurants, Trocadero opened in February earlier this year right before, you guessed it, COVID-19 hit. In these tough times for hospitality, it has been flying under the radar, although I think, undeservedly so. 

Firstly, full disclosure: I was invited by a PR company to try Trocadero out and tell the world what I think . But as a few PR reps in the past have found out, I always tell the truth… for better or for worse. So here is my truth: it is hard to fault Trocadero. Apart from maybe the fact it is in a hotel. Not because there is anything actually wrong with being in a hotel, but it’s just some restaurants that belong to hotels are pretty terrible, and with that comes a stigma. This is not one of those restaurants. It could easily stand alone as a bistro-esque restaurant, with a bent of showcasing New Zealand’s food. 

The name Trocadero is a bit misleading if you don’t know the back story. On first impressions, a name like Trocadero sounds like they’d be serving paella and patatas bravas. But no, Trocadero was the name of the historic dance hall/night spot from the 1950s that the restaurant now resides in. They’ve carried over a historic art deco flare into today’s restaurant, which has been fitted out with velvet and light fixtures that project triangular beams of light reminiscent of old Hollywood. 

The menu is a love song to New Zealand, the dishes showcasing our best produce in a way that is accessible to most and delicious to all. Even the tableware tells a uniquely Kiwi story, all handmade by Raglan-based potter Tony Sly, whose tableware is at once delicate and rough around the edges. 

The menu offers all its main offerings in both a small and regular size which allows diners to step away from the limiting format of ‘entree, main, dessert’. This can make decision making hard, and the house is happy to take the responsibility of choosing away from you as they did for us. We were treated to a relaxed tasting menu that started with freshly baked bread served with Marmite-infused butter and an amuse-bouche of crispy octopus with Japanese mayo. As a Marmite-fiend myself, I was delighted by this concept which showcases this nation’s favourite spread in a subtler way, the butter boasting a slightly caramel, umami aroma. The octopus had a perfect, meaty tenderness to it and had surprising little pops of coriander seed and puffed rice noodle and a tangy, chilli-laced Japanese mayo. 

Our next course, much to our delight, was the crispy slow cooked pork belly served with a fennel and apple slaw, and fig, balsamic and star anise relish. The pork belly arrived beautifully hot and meltingly tender, the crackling having the perfect snap. The slaw was a crisp and refreshing foil to the indulgent pork belly and the surprise MVP on the plate was the jammy fig and balsamic relish, its musty sweetness rounding out the fat and tangy elements perfectly. 

The agria pinch pasta dish featured delicate little parcels of hand-pinched egg pasta enclosing perfectly pureed agria potato, a novel riff of carb on carb I’ve not seen before. This was accompanied by a deeply savoury jus and caramelised garlic which was crisp around the edges. The butternut squash both whole and pureed lent a little sweetness. My only criticism was where was the aforementioned truffle, because I couldn’t taste it. 

Our last course before dessert was the Southland lamb rump accompanied by a croquette of braised lamb shoulder, fennel and broad bean. The lamb rump was blushingly pink and again cooked to perfection (I suspect sous vide was involved), contrasted by a crispy surprise of flavourful braised lamb shoulder. Fennel featured both as a puree and tenderly braised with little pops of tender broad beans. The dish was finished with a tasty, caramelised jus. Toasting to the season of spring, our lamb was accompanied by a side of grilled asparagus dressed with lemon, olive oil and toasted almonds which was simply but deliciously executed. 

Lemon posset is an often underwhelming sight, a retro yellow custard served unimaginatively in a ramekin, jar or god forbid, a martini glass. I was however delighted by Trocadero’s iteration, set in a beautifully curved Tony Sly plate bedecked with squares of orange cake and crumbs, segments of mandarin and orange and a scoop of the smoothest lemon sorbet I’ve ever had, it was almost gelatinous. The lemon posset was perfectly smooth with that mellow sweetness characteristic of Meyer lemons which was contrasted well by shards of sherbet-esque freeze-dried mandarin. Sprouts of micro-coriander were an inspired finishing touch (unless of course you’re one of those poor souls who thinks coriander tastes like soap). 

I sank back into the cream velvet banquette rather full and very satisfied. Trocadero is not here to bend the rules and challenge your conception of food. But what it does do is everything very well. Everything perfectly seasoned and everything perfectly cooked. 

Trocadero
380 Queen Street
Auckland CBD 1010

Ph. (09) 374 1742
@trocaderonz
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Many thanks to Trocadero restaurant for having me as a guest at their restaurant.