Legendary Kiwi chef Tony Astle is selling the multi-million-dollar house in which he has hosted prime ministers, dukes and rock royalty.
Astle, who famously ran top Auckland restaurant Antoine’s for 47 years, is selling his four-bedroom home at 83 Portland Road, in Remuera, following the death of his wife Beth in 2021.
Astle told OneRoof: “I’ve done a lot of cooking for prime ministers in this kitchen, going right back to Muldoon. But I don’t want to sound like National Party HQ, don’t want to burn my bridges,” he laughed.
“Elton John came to Antoine’s so often he became a friend. Sometimes I’d cook for them here – this kitchen is twice as big as the one at work was - and send it over.”
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For decades, Astle was a legend in the lunchtimes that stretched to dinner times (and, if he fancied you, into the next morning) of many of Auckland’s most famous names, the 1980s wide boys on ad agency or merchant banking expense accounts, and the original ladies who lunch.
The roster of international rock stars and royalty who dined at Antoine’s and became friends extends beyond Elton John to Rod Stewart, George Benson, Quincy Jones, both Dukes of Edinburgh (the Princes Phillip and Edward), Mick Jagger. Astle reckons he’s banned only two people from the restaurant – Kim Dotcom and a certain former prime minister, but other folks were shown the door plenty – including 70s bad boy band Kiss, and probably more than a few of Auckland’s rich and famous.
Astle's home on Portland Road is heading to auction next month. Photo / Supplied
Astle and his late wife Beth in 2003. The pair ran the legendary Antoine’s in Parnell for 47 years. Photo / Nicola Topping
The anecdotes are wild, the language ripe, sadly most of the yarns couldn’t be for publication (he does, after all, have a house to sell in this chat with OneRoof, which veers wildly off topic most of the time), but Astle is ready to let go of the house the couple bought 40 years ago as their restaurant took off.
Celebrity chefs Simon Gault and Micheal Meredith had their trial by fire – literally - in Antoine's kitchen while front of house names included Simon Woolley (the pair later launched Louis Restaurant at the Exchange Tavern and, later, Woolley opened the other Parnell legend, Metropole) and gossip column regular Judith Baragwanath. Astle was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services as a chef in 2013.
Not surprisingly, the heart of the Astles’ home is the huge kitchen which clocks in at almost 55 sqm.
Astle has cooked meals for a host of politicians and celebrities, including close friend Elton John. Photo / Getty Images
His home has a huge kitchen with two islands – one for chef, one for entertaining. Photo / Supplied
The space, which was renovated from a warren of small cottage rooms by designer Peter Were over 15 years ago, includes a dining room, sitting room with a fireplace, and room for walls of cookbooks. Astle reckons he’s got over 5000 around the house and another 25 boxes unopened in storage, but still cites Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking as his bible (every chef in his kitchen got given one).
While there's room in the generous entertaining space for some 150 bottles of wine, Astle does point out there is another wine cellar under lock and key for the, yet more, legendary wine names.
The kitchen, fitted out with Fisher & Paykel appliances (Astle says they’re still faultless after all this time), has two islands – one with at double-sized gas cooker and ovens for chef, one for more convivial gatherings. It was the heart of the cooking classes the couple ran from their own home.
The dining area features a fraction of Astle's 5000-book collection of cookbooks. Photo / Supplied
A second formal sitting room, one of two in the house. Photo / Supplied
“I love to have lots of people, good food, wine, sitting around. It really appealed to the men, the wives used to send them along.”
The kitchen got heavy use as Astle refined recipes for his ready to eat range called, naturally, Antoine’s at Home. Products includes the restaurant’s “monsters”, dishes such as Astle’s classic tripe (it was never allowed off the menu, he’s shipped it to clients around the world), vichysoise soup, duck a l'orange and bearnaise sauce. Profits from sales go back to AUT to fund culinary arts scholarships.
The rest of the house is packed with memories and good antiques, and Beth’s domain, the garden, still yields herbs and tomatoes for the kitchen, as well as the pleasure of the changing colours from the trees the couple planted 40 years ago.
There is a formal living room (the couple abandoned ideas of formal dining, guests just wouldn’t budge from the kitchen dining room, Astle admitted), one study downstairs and an enormous room upstairs that doubled as Beth’s dressing room and the second office.
And while the three-bedroom house was very much geared around the Astle couple’s love of entertaining, Astle and Raj Sharma, the Ray White agent bringing the property to auction on June 12, say the 1930s English-style house would quickly be adapted for a family.
The garden spreads over a 1449sqm section. Photo / Supplied
“It was originally owned by the Richwhite family, who sold to move to their mansion on Remuera Road," Sharma said.
“It’s currently three bedrooms, but downstairs there’s a smaller lounge that could become ground floor bedroom as there’s a bathroom there. Another huge office/dressing room upstairs that could be rearranged for ensuite or family bathroom. You could turn carports into a garage, but it’s all very liveable now.
“The thing is, it’s ready to move into, it’s the best kitchen in Auckland and it’s on a 1449sqm section in a single house zone that can never be bought out by developers.”
While he couldn’t comment on the price the property is likely to fetch at auction, Sharma said that Astle is realistic and ready to meet the market.
"The property must be sold on auction day or prior, meaning it could be good value for families to get into the double grammar zone street on the northern slopes of Remuera.
“This is a chance for those buyers moving into Remuera from Greenlane or Meadowbank to get incomparable value – a charming, character-filled renovated house on beautiful land in one of the most desirable suburbs in Auckland.”
Astle also has travel plans. He and Beth travelled for six weeks every winter when they closed the restaurant, and while France is a must, more recently Morocco and India have worked their way into his heart. In typical style, his next move to an apartment will be social: he reckons he knows at least two-thirds of the people in his future block and plans to turn it into party central.
Meantime he’s not letting up on the work, planning a super-exclusive summer pop up with a top Auckland restaurant and luxury hotel, he's about to start a regular radio slot with NZME’s own Kerre Woodham and is putting the final touches to a tell-all (or, at least, tell-some-of-it) book about his life in the business since he started as an apprentice aged 15.
- 83 Portland Road, in Remuera, Auckland goes to auction on June 12
