Tony Astle - arguably the father of fine dining in New Zealand - is selling his Auckland home and its lavish kitchen for more than $3 million.
The 256sqm home sits on a 1449sqm section in Remuera. According to the marketing, the kitchen was designed by Astle himself and it doesn't disappoint.
The large open space, which leads out to the garden, has a double oven and and twin islands - the kind of features you'd expect a master chef to have when entertaining at home.
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The house, which is in the prized Double Grammar Zone, is being marketed for sale by Bayleys agent Shona Walding and has a fixed price of $3,450,000. It has a CV of $3,950,000.
In addition to its stylish kitchen, the house also boasts four bedrooms (one currently used as a separate dining room downstairs) two bathrooms, and a separate more formal sitting room.
Walding says: "The flat lawn below the home is a children's adventure wonderland and perfect for a game of croquet and cricket with friends and family."
Astle, known for his high standards and withering asides, launched Parnell restaurant Antoine's in 1973 with his wife Beth. It was a sensation at the time and more than 40 years later, it is still highly regarded.
Last year, Astle told the Herald that Antoine's was the last of its kind, with fine dining falling out of fashion in New Zealand.
"As long as I'm alive, we will still do the old-fashioned silver service . . . we have the white tablecloth, the silver serviette rings, the damask napkins," he said
"Fine dining is a total concept and I think that's what frightens people . . . it's definitely changed, but the more it changes, the better it is for me. Younger people are quite enjoying it again, because they've never seen it before."
Astle says he can still sell 50g of caviar on cracked ice for $300, even if he has to train the waiter to serve it correctly. (At Antoine's, food is still plated tableside; a recent concession to modernity means the wine list is no longer automatically handed to male customers.)
"I know everyone thinks I'm a geriatric old twat, but I go to a lot of restaurants where if I shut my eyes, I'd think I was in the same one every time . . . I think 'goodness gracious, you need a smack'. They don't really care about you. It's fast, it's quick, it's shared plates, so they don't know how to clear a table."
