Ahi Auckland — Chef Ben Bayly's New Zealand Fine Dining

Our first meal in New Zealand was at Ahi, the brainchild of renowned Kiwi chef Ben Bayly and friends.

While I was skeptical as the restaurant was located within a food court, Ahi artfully presents contemporary New Zealand cuisine, set against a stunning harbour view backdrop. The open kitchen, centered around a fire, reflects the restaurant’s name—‘Ahi’ meaning ‘fire’ in te reo Māori—and highlights the focus on indigenous cooking techniques alongside modern influences.

The menu showcases fresh, local produce, including organic vegetables grown at the Ahi Kitchen Garden in South Auckland. It is divided into snacks, starters and mains.

From the Snacks section, we had:

🦪TIO

From the Waiheke Island, Te Matuku Oyster adorned with Graden Granita and Morningcider.

🌟Ahi’s SCAMPI CORN DOG

From the Auckland Islands, the scampi corndog is a playful nod to American-style burger sauce. We got this upon the service staff’s recommendation and no regrets! Highly recommend to try this if you’re dining here.

From the Starters section, we had:

🐟HAMANA

From Akaroa Harbour, the vodka-cured Akaroa salmon paired with bloody mary dressing, confit turnips and topped with almond & dill creme fraiche and crispy fermented rye.

From the Mains section, we had:

🌟IKA

From New Zealand, fish of the day served with celeriac pappardelle, scampi velouté, Ora’s Farm mushrooms and sunflower seed

gremolata.

🐑HIPI

From Ranfurly, Provenance Lamb served with brussels sprouts, heart, sheep’s labneh, black garlic and smoked kohlrabi. Meat was tougher than expected.

If you can’t decide, there’s also an “omakase” set menu of four snacks and four courses at NZ$165 per pax.

Ahi promises a refined, yet relaxed dining experience that truly celebrates the essence of New Zealand. I’d say it’s a great place for date nights and a good introduction to New Zealand dining scene with refined, modern New Zealand cuisine.

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📍 Ahi | Originally posted on Instagram