Perfect marks spark Arbour booking boom

A nationally published food review stating Arbour restaurant “might be the best restaurant in New Zealand” has caused a stir in fine-dining circles across the country.

In last Sunday’s ‘Viva’ segment of the New Zealand Herald, Jesse Mulligan gave the Godfrey Road establishment a rare 20 out of 20 in his food column titled “A Taste of Perfection” – calling the experience “excellence at a level of detail rarely seen”.

Jesse dropped in unannounced, under a fake name, and arrived half an hour early recalls co-owner Liz Buttimore, who says their ethos for “killing everyone with kindness” left a lasting impression on the reviewer that continues to ripple.

“I think we’re just serving dining with kindness and comfort to allow relaxation into the evening, whether you are one of our lovely regulars or a new diner.

“Jesse’s pretty tough to break but, as he described in his writing, I watched him relax more into his couch every course.

“I thought I was hallucinating reading the review and I called my Mum to check a physical copy.

“Since [the review] we’ve had hundreds of bookings in the days after the article came out, and a lot of people enquiring for summer stops, but it is our regular local guests who set the tone for this success and we always want to see them.

“In the Viva on this past Sunday there’s been a comment saying, ‘We’ve booked flights to Blenheim off your recommendation, where else in Blenheim should we be going’, so wider Marlborough’s reputation as a food destination continues to build from this.”

By trying to emulate the environment of her favourite place to eat – “my Nana’s house” – Liz says they’re hitting their goal of comfort.

“Locals know how to experience us best, which is with no sense of urgency as we believe tastebuds experience more when happy and comfortable.”

With compliments mentioning Cook Strait hapuku tartare, the Kōtuku cocktail, the char siu lamb, down to the bathroom locks, fellow co-owner chef Bradley Hornby says the wider Arbour family of staff, regular customers, suppliers have built the success together.

“Jesse found a place where locals come for delicious food in a calm, kind setting, and he was able to relax into that experience. We’ll always look for ways to improve; it’s just how we’re wired.

“Seeing familiar names in the bookings motivates us to keep surprising and delighting them. If we serve food we truly believe in and keep our locals coming back, then visitors will get a truly authentic Marlborough experience.

“I think we’ve found a quiet, and genuinely humble, confidence in what we’re offering but our team right now fills in the gaps we never knew were missing”, summarises Liz.

“We’ll stay the same course – our locals guide us to see what they want, we make sure we cater to Marlborough locals first and if a visitor steps in new to the place, they get the best of Marlborough hospitality.”