Bestsellers: Palate diners are loving this exclusive dish

Thursday, 28 March 2024

Gastronomes are loving the classics at one of Hamilton’s most well-know fine dining restaurants. However, this isn’t your run-of-the-mill steak from the supermarket. This exclusive dish has been flying out of the kitchen at Palate’s new location on Victoria St. Despite its fine dining vintage, owner Mat McLean told the Waikato Times the new location is a “lot more fun”. With an open kitchen and a more lax attitude, McLean said the vibes are more casual these days.

Tell us about your bestseller

Greenstone Creek beef. It’s a really, really cool product. You can’t just order and buy it, there’s about 20 restaurants in New Zealand that serve it. It’s quite exclusive. We prepare it on our wood fired grill.

Palate recently moved to Sky City, Victoria St. McLean said the new location is a lot more fun.

Why do you think it's so appealing?

It’s just the way that it’s produced at the selection process, it’s extremely high quality. It’s the top one or two per cent of beef that comes through.

Who's attracted to it?

Everyone that loves great beef. We are in a rural area and our strongest selling items are always beef and lamb.

How much is it?

The Greenstone Creek Ribeye on the Asado grill.

I think it’s $44. We’ve sort of changed the way we do things here. If you ask people they will say we’re the most expensive restaurant in town, but we’re not and we never have been. It’s just that perception, but things are a lot more casual here now. Everyone’s feeling the pinch.

What's your favourite item/product?

I do like that Greenstone Creek beef. We also are using haku kingfish, which was a project done by NIWA and one of the tribes in Northland, I believe, to farm kingfish. And they’re now going into production, and we use it.

It’s really cool, I’m a fisherman, it’s my hobby. I probably go out ten to twenty times in a year, but the impact a recreational fisherman makes in my opinion is small, whereas the commercial guys can really…

Like, we used to use tuna but I won’t use it any more because I think it’s just a race to the bottom, we’re creating the demise of everything. So if we can use something that’s farmed and is exceptional quality, that’s great.