MOIETY, DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND

Dunedin has a sophisticated new kid on the culinary block with

Moiety Dunedin. And, just seven weeks after opening its doors, it’s creating quite a stir. Housed in the refurbished Terminus building, the team at Moiety has managed to preserve the heritage and character of the building while creating a modern and sophisticated dining space. With its ambient lighting, impeccable music (a must in this music-loving city) and a chic, chilled vibe, Moiety is the kind of restaurant that oozes so much cool it would be as at home in Manhattan or Melbourne as it is in Dunedin’s warehouse district.

Moiety offers one of the most innovative and impressive dining experiences this reviewer has enjoyed in an age, thanks to the skills of owner operators, chef Sam Gasson, former executive chef of the acclaimed Glass House in Hobart, and his partner Kim, who manages front of house with extraordinary warmth and flair. The restaurant’s five-course set menu crafts the very best seasonal, local produce and is paired with a small but equally impressive local wine list.

On the evening we visited, we dined on a clever starter of dehydrated and smoked pumpkin with black garlic puree and a luscious sliver of salmon belly on toasted nori paste, secreted under a pretty spray of crisp radish discs. These were followed by beetroot prepared three ways and partnered with a creamy yoghurt, botanical green gel, delicately candied walnuts and a peppery sprinkle of shichimi, and a beautifully soft pork neck with cauliflower puree, a hint of kimchi and a sprinkling of peanut crumb. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe the clever flavour combinations. Dessert, too, is a revelation of taste and texture with granny smith apples, brown butter, crème fraiche and a fine fennel-sprinkled meringue. It is a conversation stopper, each of our party too intent on licking the plate clean to waste time chatting.