‘A peaceful world would be great’
The Vodka Room’s Murray Wiblin grew up in the Far North and appreciates surf, seafood and natural surroundings.
MURRAY Wiblin has been working as a chef for more than 20 years both in New Zealand and London, including working with British seafood at the acclaimed J Sheeky in London, and at modern Japanese eatery Ebisu in Auckland.
Originally from Kaitaia in the Far North, Wiblin is now at the helm of the Vodka Room restaurant in Auckland and appears at this year’s Taste of Auckland food festival. The new idea of pairing food, not with wine or beer, but with vodka, as we do at the Vodka Room, whether it be a crisp clean classic vodka, any one of our number of house-infused vodkas and cocktails, or a modern interpretation of the old-world styles like the Karven Starka Vodka which is locally produced, aged in oak barrels and infused with natural botanicals like kawakawa. We have a Russianinspired menu which works extremely well with this spirit – think house cured pork belly, vodka infused salmon, fermented vegetables, Russian crab blinis and of course the brown sugar and molasses pavlova. See you all at Taste of Auckland! Plug done! Nice house by the beach surrounded by like-minded friends and family, awesome fishing, awesome surfing, vineyard and micro-brewery on site, sunrises, sunsets, charcoal cooking, unlimited supply of the best meat and produce. He’s not alive but Billy T James springs to mind. I was only young when watching on TV and [him] having my family in hysterics, the way he joked about both Ma¯ori and Pa¯keha¯ people, bringing people together as one the way it should be. I think some of our current politicians could take a leaf out of his book. Billy T for Prime Minister. It happened at the first-ever Taste of Auckland, my first-ever cooking demonstration. I chose to cook a hot-smoked hapuka dish – dish came out well but I managed to smoke out the whole marquee! Yes – little things, knives, forks, glassware to furnish flats back in the day. Chef’s belly. But I’m currently working on that – trying a lowcarb diet so I don’t have to miss out on all the tasty stuff. Back to the Far North, where I grew up; but 100 years ago; to go fishing, gathering etc, as it would have just been amazing.
‘ What do you most dislike about your body? Chef’s belly. But I’m currently working on that – trying a low-carb diet so I don’t have to miss out on all the tasty stuff.’
Just teach them to appreciate nature, being in the outdoors, proper stuff like making huts, climbing trees, camping, native creatures, this is every New Zealander’s heritage and it must be looked after and enjoyed. I like gardening a lot and being creative, so most probably some kind of gardener/landscape designer.