The Grove has taken out the Supreme title in the 2010 Metro Audi ‘Restaurant Of The Year’ Awards!  Congratulations to proud owner Michael P. Dearth and his team.

The Grove is certainly a recipe for creating winning cusine, as evidenced by the fact that Sid Sahrawat, previously a chef at The Grove, is thrilled to have won ‘Best New Restaurant’ for his own brand new temple of fine food, Sidart Restaurant in Ponsonby.

Other winners include:

Dine by Peter Gordon, Best Dining Room

Cable Bay Vineyard , Best Service

The Engine Room, Best Local Bistro (for the third year in a row!)

Te Whau, Best Rural Restaurant

Gen Ogata from Sake Bar 601, Restaurant Personality of the Year Award, chosen by public vote

Cibo Restaurant, Best Smart Casual Restaurant.   Comments from judges described Cibo as serving “inventive and expertly cooked fusion food, backed by charming and attentive service in one of the city’s most delightful indoor/outdoor environments.”

The Metro judges seclected the winners from a list of its Top 50 after an intensive judging process.  Restaurants receive marks for their food, service, wine, physical surroundings, plus the X-factor (for which the judges ask themselves, “How much do I want to come back?”).  Five different judges in total visited The Grove in order to select it as  The Supreme Winner this year.

The Grove open in 2004, and has certainly earned it’s reputation as a star performer, serving brilliant, highly original food.  Metro’s judges were unanimous in their praise of The Grove: “Its polish, the taste of the food, the lengthy wine list and marvellous cocktails, its attention to detail, and the fact that the place is constantly evolving”.

Competition at the top end was very fierce this year, pointed out Metro editor Bevan Rapson, “Four restaurants had a serious chance of taking the prize.  In the end, though, The Grove was a deserving winner.”

Judges described the reasons behind their final decision: “The Grove does something rather magical. You know that sense you sometimes get in a fine dining establishment, that you’re meant to sit up straight and whisper? Not here. The Grove, with its wooden floor, bare brick walls and New York-loft style windows looks like a bistro yet it is elegant, without question, and the service is of the highest standard.”

Metro’s judges highlighted the star of the show as The Grove’s new chef, Benjamin Bayly saying that “The place has always had good chefs, but Bayly is something else. His food fits. Like the environment, it is both relaxed and sophisticated.”

The full list of winners is in the May 2010 issue of Metro.

Source: Scoop