Amok, Wellington
Named for a Radiohead album, the latest addition to Mt Victoria’s dining precinct brings an exciting sliver of the Sydney scene to the capital. Wander up Wellington’s Majoribanks Street and, just before it turns into a glute-busting incline, you’ll find Restaurant Amok. The brainchild of life and business partners Tashie Piper and Tom Millott, Wellington’s newest eatery is a sliver of Sydney dropped amongst the elegant Mt Victoria villas. Tom is Sydney born and raised and Tashie spent a number of years working front-ofhouse roles there, the two of them plotting to one day open their own eatery. Thanks to the global pandemic, they got the chance in July last year. “Covid really affected the hospitality industry in Sydney, particularly because we were going in and out of lockdown,” says Tashie. “We’d been looking at opportunities on both sides of the Tasman but Tom had spent a year working for chef Mark Limacher in 2018, so when Mark rang looking for a new tenant for the space next to his Ortega Fish Shack restaurant, it was a no-brainer to move back.” Not the type of people to hang around, the couple, also parents to 17-month-old Matilda, used their two weeks in managed isolation to establish the restaurant, doing everything from hiring staff and applying for a liquor license to curating a music playlist. There followed two frantic weeks of sprucing up the two-storey eatery, previously home to restaurants Frenchie and Slim Davey’s, before the pair flung open the doors of Restaurant Amok in late November. Their ethos is “providing a beautiful experience that doesn’t cost the earth”. “We want to cater for every age and budget,” says Tashie. “And we want you feel like you’re in our home.” For the last few years Tom has worked with fire, grilling meat and veges over open flames. It’s why the couple imported a hibachi grill from Japan, which lends its smoky charcoal charms to meat skewers, whole flounder and smoked duck breast. They’ve gone the shared plates route, using the freshest local ingredients they can get their hands on, and changing the menu daily to align with whatever is best that day. That could include a modern twist on steak tartare, bedded down on a potato rosti, or clams with kiwifruit koshi. Although Tashie came from a skiing background (her family owns a ski lodge in National Park) and chased that with a career in broadcast operations, good food was always a constant. Here she’s in charge of the wine list, which contains only New Zealand and Australian drops. When dish visited, the couple had just opened the upstairs bar, which has more of a tapas-style snack menu and a drinks menu that also leans local, including Wellington’s Garage Project beer. They’re enjoying being in Wellington and bringing their Aussie style to hungry local punters. “We also love the quieter pace of life here. Sydney is a little bit in advance of the Kiwi food scene, so we’re thankful to be able to bring our experience and style of food to the local market.” And as for their restaurant’s name? “We’re big fans of Radiohead and of their 2013 album, Amok.” amok.co.nz