‘Bro, I grew up in Henderson’: Fine-dining without the fuss at new Auckland eatery

Sunday, 26 April 2026

Matt and Barbara Lambert know there’s never a good time to open a new restaurant, yet in the midst of a global fuel and economic crisis, that’s exactly what they’ve done.

“I decided we had to go, like, it's time to do it. We've got to do it,” says Matt, speaking to the Sunday Star-Times from inside his new eatery, called Return, on Auckland’s Ponsonby Road.

“It's exciting, but it's f…ing terrifying. It's nice to not be comfortable, you need a little bit of fear to get the best out of yourself. Hey, it's f…ing there.”

For the couple, who met in the mid-2000s while both working at the now-defunct fine dining restaurant The Grove, Return is quite literal; this is their return to the New Zealand hospitality scene.

After leaving New Zealand for Barbara’s native America, the pair opened The Musket Room in New York in 2013, earning a Michelin star within four months. Matt was in the kitchen, Barbara managed front-of-house.

Seven years later, they walked away, heading back to New Zealand during the pandemic.

A lot has changed since the couple last worked together on these shores. For starters, people are really taking note of their work.

“One of the things that is really buzzing me out is when I was younger and completely unheard of, I'd be kind of like, ‘why don't we get any attention’ and then now we're getting so much attention, I'm like, ‘God damn it, it'd be good to fly under the radar a little bit',” says Matt.

“It's the greatest problem I've ever had in my life [and] career. But it's strange.”

Return is a small operation, just 62 seats, and only open for dinner service Tuesday to Saturday - for now anyway. It opened at the start of the month and is already booking out in advance.

“It's like having a child,” says Matt of the nerves that come from opening a new restaurant. ”Like, you're never really ready to have a kid, but you have them, and it's the best thing you've ever done.”

Diners can opt for one of two set menus - short story and long story - or a limited a-la-carte menu of “snacks”.

It’s fancy, yes, and that carries a price tag - but one thing the pair don’t want it to be is pretentious.

“Because I think that's the pushback [with] anyone young going out. You don't want to sit in a quiet, boring dining room, and when service makes you feel as though you shouldn't be there, that's what puts people off on fine dining,” says Barbara.

Matt acknowledges there can be some scepticism about fine dining. It’s not even a term he likes. During his time in New York, he’d encounter restaurants where the service quality dropped if you “weren’t spending the most money”.

Return is nothing like that. It may be his off time, but Matt cuts a very casual figure during our interview, wearing a T-shirt from local burger joint Baby G and only donning his chef’s jacket, on request, for our photos.

“You should feel as comfortable in this room in a suit or a Motörhead T-shirt,” he says. “Because it's not about what you're wearing or who you are. It's about how you feel.

“Ultimately, we just provide good times. And I hate fine dining, like, even when I hear it, I cringe… [It] doesn't resonate with me. Bro, I grew up in Henderson.”

That doesn’t mean it’s cheap - the set menu pricing starts at $165 - but you can pop in for drinks or snacks at the bespoke Kauri bar.

The menu includes recognisable items presented in intricate new ways - from the most petite fish and chips you’ll try, to an inspired rendition of a classic pavlova. The set menu isn’t designed to take all night, either. Matt says the shorter option should take about an hour, otherwise it can drag on a bit.

“I think after a certain amount of time, there is a lack of engagement, and you’re just kind of like, how many more of these f…ing courses do I have to eat?”

Barbara says she’s been told they have the best wine list in Auckland - but, again, they won’t judge you if you don’t opt for the most exotic European red. “If you want to drink a sweet moscato or if you want to drink a chili margarita, we don't care. You should drink or do what makes you happy. It shouldn't affect your experience,” she says.

Just don’t ask for french fries. The no chips rule may well have made headlines, but Matt is very clear on why they’re not on his menu. In short, why would they be?

“I'm trying to live my life as a student and get better at cooking. How do fries help me do that?” says Matt. “And then also just expect more out of restaurants, you know what I mean. F…ing everyone's got an air fryer. You want fries, they're literally everywhere.'

Adds Barbara: “And what a waste of money. $15 for french fries you can make at home.”

You won’t even spot bread on the set menu, but it might be coming - feedback from diners (including the Star-Times) has been that they’d love to lap up the sauces drizzled on the main dishes. Apparently, we would have been welcome to dip a finger in.

“We've had quite a few … people saying, ‘Oh, I wish we could have just, like, licked the plate’. And I was like, maybe we just have lick-a-plate night?” says Barbara.

While opening Return was a homecoming, it was also a chance for the couple to slow down. Says the first page of the Return menu: “A journey begins by leaving the familiar behind, shaped by the road travelled.”

“We had worked so much for eight years,” says Barbara.

“We were working 80-90 hours a week, both of us, and running different places - I was running a resort in Aspen, [Matt] was on Virgin cruises. We were doing exciting stuff, but we weren't a family unit, and this really offered us the opportunity to kind of focus more on family.”

While the pair are both on-site at Return most days now, that will eventually calm down. With the mornings off, and no lunch service to worry about, the lifestyle is easier.

They’re also enjoying being in the hustle and bustle of Ponsonby. While they scouted out venues in downtown Auckland, or closer to their home in Kumeu, they were drawn to the inner suburbs.

“I'll just sit in the dining room by myself and watch the street,” says Matt.

“It's got an awesome vibe. It's like, kind of the city, but it's not - and it's handy enough to literally everything.”

The food may be top notch, and the service slick, but, if you’re yet to visit Return, the couple are keen to say it’s still being perfected.

“Everything's going well, and at the guest level it's really good. It's just I want it to be better,” says Matt, though what “better” looks like is a little indeterminate.

“It's literally that simple, I just want it to be a bit better than it is.”

It’s not about being the fanciest restaurant in town, they say, but about meeting their own expectations for what Return should and could be.

“I'm not trying to compete with anyone or say I'm better than anyone, because I have no f…ing bearing on whatever that is,” Matt says.

“[We’re] just trying to do the best thing that we can do. And when I'm like, ‘Holy shit, we're there’, that's when I'll be like, ‘Oh yeah, we're there’.”