The French Café, an iconic name on the Auckland dining scene with a 40-plus-year history, has a new home.
Although not far from its former location, infact just a few metres, the popular restaurant has been moved to make way for new culinary offering, Anise. Owner and chef, Sid Sahrawat, said the new location for The French Cafe affords a bird’s eye view of the action with an open-plan Gaggenau kitchen island, creating an atmosphere of dining in someone’s home - albeit an exquisitely cosy one.
While the dining room may have moved, The French Café continues to offer contemporary New Zealand cuisine in a relaxed fine dining environment. Gone are the white tablecloths, replaced by smaller mahogany tables in a room designed to comfortably seat 35 guests.
On offer is a five-course tasting menu with vegan and vegetarian menus available on request and an extensive wine and beverage list.
The beverage selection at The French Café features a curated array of special wines and spirits, thoughtfully sourced from around the globe. The cocktails and mixed drinks are meticulously crafted with a keen emphasis on superior ingredients – from using only freshly squeezed juices in cocktails to showcasing the distinct character of each drink with top-shelf spirits.
The monthly Gaggenau Tuesday Test Kitchen continues on the first Tuesday of every month and sees the team dish up a six-course menu with snacks – putting the spotlight on two dishes each from The French Café and Sahrawat's other restaurants, KOL and Cassia.
Sahrawat said feedback from long-time and regular restaurant diners has been hugely positive.
“Our (regular) diners love the idea of being able to see the chefs plate and cook dishes just metres from where they are sitting and see this move as yet another evolution of the legacy of The French Café which started with Annie Mantell and Barrington Salter back in the 1980s," he said.
“As the restaurant’s fourth owners, we continue to view ourselves as the custodians of The French Café. We’ve been lucky enough to be part of that rich tapestry for just five of these years and we are committed to retaining its legacy as one of New Zealand’s top fine dining establishments and hopefully attracting a new generation of diners.”
The French Cafe is set to open on February 2nd, 2024.
