Hooked on kingi
Over the years, we have become more separate from the original source of the food we eat. This is understandable as it is so easy to pop to the supermarket and grab something prepackaged, pre-cut, pre-cooked and prepared, and generally in a state that is so removed from its original place or state of origin. Restaurants are no different. It’s so easy to imagine that a plate of food just appeared without any real regard to the people who have farmed, grown and caught the basis for that dish. Hotel Britomart’s Restaurant kingi has turned the tide against this separation and it has an intrinsic connection with the source of its ingredients.
As a seafood-focused restaurant, it works closely with local fishermen and suppliers not only to ensure that all of its seafood is sustainably sourced and ethically harvested, but to celebrate those people and practices that keep us fed from day to day.
Run by restaurant gurus Tom Hishon and Uelese Mua, kingi has drawn a line in the sand (sorry I’ll run out of ocean puns eventually) and is committed to using only the freshest and most sustainable seafood available.
“We’re really passionate about using sustainable seafood,” says Hishon. “It’s really important to us to know where our seafood comes from and how it’s caught.”
In addition to its commitment to sustainability, kingi also focuses on using only the freshest ingredients possible. The menu changes frequently to reflect the changing seasons and availability of ingredients, ensuring that every dish is made with the freshest ingredients on offer.
“We’re always looking for the freshest, most seasonal ingredients,” says Mua. “We want to showcase the best of what’s available right now.”
And when he says “showcase”, he really means it. Each dish on the menu is not only a celebration of ingredients but also where they come from. From yellow belly flounder from Kaipara Harbour, to blue cod from Chatham Islands; from pan roasted snapper from Leigh to wood roasted eggplant from Kumea. Just going through the menu is like a culinary trip around the country, but you then turn it over and the long liners, hand fishermen, pot fishers, net setters and bi-valve farmers responsible are credited by name. The menu also ends with a quote that sums everything up. I’m going to repeat in full, not because I’m getting paid by the word but because I think it really encapsulates what kingi is all about.
“kingi is a celebration of independent fishermen and women around New Zealand. Our fish is caught from our surrounding waters, it is wild. We support people who believe in sustainable practices and who care about ensuring future abundance of fish stocks and actively protect larger mammals, bird life and sea floor when they fish. They are our guardians, they are our kaitiakitanga.”
And it is this sense of kaitiakitanga that really defines kingi. They really are sustainable up the wazoo. Okay, this is probably not an official UN SDG 2030 term, but there’s actually something about this description that really fits. You know those neighbours who lorde their greenness over everyone else like a status symbol? They have the Tesla, the solar panels, the designer hemp cargo pants, amongst a raft of other carefully sustainable status symbols. Well, maybe that’s just my street. Anyway, kingi is not like this. Its sustainability is part of its DNA. It’s a core foundation but it doesn’t wack you over the head with it and it has some fun. First and foremost, this is a place to come and connect with friends and family over beautiful meals and also feel a connection to those meals and the people behind them, even beyond the kitchen.
While the menu is a diverse offering of dishes to suit all tastes, I would totally recommend the Taste of kingi set menu with matching wines. Not only does this save a lot of thinking, which I am always down for, but it is just a stunningly curated cross-section of everything that kingi is about. We had the four-course with wine matching because I can’t get enough of a good thing, but for the more restrained there is also a three-course option.
This Taste of kingi kicks off on the raw side of things with Te Matuku Bay oysters, Kina on toast, pancetta and Trevally oka with coconut yoghurt, mango, and chili. If you haven’t had kina before, this is your chance. It is stunning. It’s like a wilder, more flavourful oyster. This is matched with a Zenkuro Junmaishu Sake.
The menu then moves onto kūmara sourdough with coconut butter, green lipped mussels and fromage blanc roulade, matched with A Thousands Gods Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, 2021.
Things then escalate to the yellow belly flounder with almond, citrus and capers and the Wapiti denver leg with beetroot and smoked marrow jus. These are balanced with a bitter leaves salad with cabernet sauvignon vinaigrette and potato wakame rosti. The sommelier wheels out two matches for this lot choosing the amazing de la terre Arneis, Hawkes Bay 2021 and the Stonecroft ‘Undressed’ Syrah, Hawkes Bay 2021.
The sugar rush comes in the form of the Miann chocolate mousse with chantilly cream and pumpkin seed praline. Matched with a 5-year-old Barbito Delvino Madeira to finish a spectacular culinary adventure. The drinks, the meals and the story behind them are a big deal, but it’s also the whole package. The wait staff are the ultimate professionals, the sommelier is a walking encyclopaedia and the setting is something quite special. A mix of industrial and rustic, with exposed brick walls and wooden accents and cobblestone floors surrounds an open kitchen where the magic happens. It’s the kind of place where you could imagine Hemingway sipping on a daiquiri, writing away in a leather-bound notebook about the one that got away.
Visit their website to book a table at kingi.
