One day after The Grove was named the best fine dining restaurant in New Zealand by TripAdvisor, Sid at The French Café has topped the local entries in La Liste’s Top 1000.
The list is released every year and is generated through computer algorithms which analyses reviews and assigns a score to each restaurant based on average review score. The list was first released in 2015 under supervision from the French Foreign Ministry
Nine restaurants from New Zealand made the cut, with the only restaurant not from Auckland being Roots, in Lyttleton. Sid at The French Café has been put above Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck, which has three Michelin stars. Kiwi-born Ben Shewry’s restaurant Attica was the top-rated restaurant in Australia, with a score of 98.00.
La Liste was published the day after Auckland fine dining favourite The Grove was named the ninth best restaurant in the world and the best restaurant in New Zealand, according to the 2018 Travellers’ Choice Restaurants Awards from TripAdvisor.
“Millions of diners worldwide rely on TripAdvisor to discover their perfect culinary experience. The 2018 Travelers’ Choice restaurant winners are what diners consider the best-in-class, and we hope these leaders in hospitality will inspire others to try something new,” said Bertrand Jelensperger, senior vice-president for TripAdvisor Restaurants. “Food and dining experiences can often be the main highlight of any trip or an evening out. Luckily, diners can use this list to find the ideal eatery for any occasion – from formal to casual and everything in between.”
The Grove has been a proving ground for many of New Zealand’s top chefs. Michael Meredith served as head chef from 2004, Sid Sahrawat from 2009 and Ben Bayly from 2009. It was named the Best Fine Dining Establishment by Metro in 2017 and was awarded three hats by Cuisine.
The restaurants which feature of the La Liste Top 1000:
The French Café (now Sid at the French Cafe) 90.5
Sidart, 83.75
The Grove, 83.25
Kazuya, 81.75
Cocoro, 81.50
Roots (Lyttelton, Christchurch) 81.25
Clooney, 80.5
Pasture, 80.25
Don Alfonso at Helena Bay, 80.00.
