Bestsellers: The raw beef dish that was hit before the doors opened
Thursday, 28 August 2025
Sage Restaurant, Level 1/300 Grey Street, Hamilton East, Hamilton
At Sage, dining experience is about finding the sweet spot between two worlds.
Chef and co-owner Lani Lemuaua describes it as a culinary Venn diagram: one circle for high-end, technique-driven cuisine, another for humble, comforting dishes, and Sage sits right where they overlap.
“The concept behind it is 20 years’ worth of experience all kind of melted into one,” Lemuaua explains.
“If there was a Venn diagram of high-end food and low-end food, we're that sweet spot right in the middle.”
He draws on his career across New Zealand and Australia, from heading the kitchen at Gothenburg on Hood Street, to Chimchurri, and a pop-up at Craft, before opening Sage, which he now runs with co-owner Carl Bloxam.
Lemuaua says the menu reflects both ends of the spectrum.
“So it’s blending the two worlds together.”
For him, it’s about taking what works from both and serving it in a way that’s relaxed, approachable, and satisfying.
Tell us about your bestseller:
The beef tartare.
Lemuaua describes it as layered — mayonnaise on the bottom, with raw eye fillet, parmesan, and prosciutto on top. He says it’s a “pretty good kind of example of the stuff we do,” blending technique with familiar flavours that nod to a charcuterie board.
“This is like the third iteration of the beef tartare, but I’ve loved all of them,” Bloxam adds, recalling that he first made versions of it back at the Craft pop-up kitchen.
Bloxam adds that the dish was already winning fans before Sage opened. “People would come to Craft” — the craft beer spot on Hood Street, now Octavo — “and order beef tartare”.
Why do you think it’s so appealing?
Lemuaua says its appeal lies in its approachable flavours. Even if diners can’t identify every ingredient, there’s something recognisable — a subconscious “I’ve had this before” feeling that keeps people coming back.
Who’s attracted to them?
The chef notes the dish draws “adventurous, bold, and curious eaters — basically anyone who loves food”.
How much do they cost?
The ‘small plates’ dish is priced at $24.
What’s your favourite item on the menu?
Lemuaua laughs and says he loves everything. Bloxam narrows his picks to the tartare, the broccolini, and the desserts.
More about Sage:
Hamilton’s dining scene hasn’t traditionally had much in this middle ground, Lemuaua says.
“A lot of people do call us fine dining,” he admits.
“But that’s probably because a lot of people say a lot of nice things about us, and maybe they don’t have the right word to kind of express the kind of dining experience.
“They want to give like the highest form of compliment and so the first way is fine dining, but it’s always appreciated.”
Lemuaua prefers to keep things grounded. “I don’t like the whole fine dining, the white cloth, the kind of connotation it carries. It’s like you got to be on your best behaviour, it’s almost pretentious. We’re pretty chill here.”
The pair’s partnership has grown over years in Hamilton kitchens. Bloxam recalls meeting Lemuaua at Gothenburg’s old location, and collaborating on the pop-up at Craft.
“The pop-up kitchen and Craft was supposed to be a year, until we found another place and then Covid hit, and we ended up being there for maybe four years.”
Two years into running Sage, they’re still finding their rhythm.
“Fridays and Saturdays are pretty booked out. We get dips, but we are still growing,” Bloxam says.
Despite economic ups and downs, the restaurant continues to grow organically.
For Lemuaua, Sage is also a reflection of a changing Hamilton East.
“I remember once upon a time it used to be like steak and chips and that’s it, but now it’s definitely come a long way from there.”