They're more than just a boozer with an elevated food menu — or are they? Comedian and Seven Sharp reporter Ben Hurley investigates what makes a good gastropub.
"Can we please do something about the name?" I semi-pleaded with the head of Hospitality NZ, Steve Armitage.
"Gastro, followed by anything, is never usually a good thing," I said.
The term gastropub might not conjure up the most delightful images, but problematic prefix aside, the gastropub is one of the fastest growing sectors of our hospitality sector.
But I catch myself employing the syntax of a much younger person, when I ask: "What even is it?"
Gastropub is a term I first encountered when I lived in the UK in the mid-2000s. It seemed to describe a pub with a decent menu — something more than just chips and a pie warmer on the counter. Somewhere you could potentially eat Michelin star food but still wear shorts.
Shaking off bad English cooking
Britain was undergoing a food revolution at the time as any number of celebrity chefs (Oliver, Ramsay, Nigella, Blumenthal, etc.) tried to shake off the old 1970s cliché of bad English cooking. The great tradition of the British pub meal was getting a revamp and it came with a watercress and goat cheese salad.
When I came back home in 2010, I could see the phenomenon had taken root here, too. Not only new establishments but old ones rebranding, employing an executive chef and adding sauces to the menu that weren't just tomato.
I’m told there are over 1000 of them in the country now. So many that this year Hospitality New Zealand has established a national award for the best gastropub.
It's thought that there have been any number of awards and 'best of' lists for fine dining and the gastropub was being unfairly overlooked.
But what makes a good gastropub? I'm not an industry expert but I am an amateur enthusiast. I've compiled my top five criteria for what makes a good, potentially award-winning one:
Countdown to a good-as gastropub
5. Portions need to be generous
A big point of difference from their fine-dining cousins. You should leave a gastropub feeling full, overfull probably. Sure, a lot of that might be the side order of fries but the fact you can order that without feeling self-conscious is another advantage the gastropub has over fine dining.
4. Needs a quirky name and a good story behind it
Think Pig 'N' Whistle in Rotorua, The Zookeeper's Son in Royal Oak, The Honest Lawyer in Nelson or Moon under Water in Christchurch.
I don't know what the stories are behind any of these but I immediately want to find out. Also, the name can refer to the history of the building as gastropubs are often in old banks, post offices, courthouses or jails.
3. Does pub classics well but also has a signature dish
Bangers 'n' mash, steamed mussels, fish 'n' chips, pizzas, and burgers will all still be highlights on any gastropub menu, but they also need something you'd travel for.
A curiosity item that you gambled on once and never looked back: Blue cheese wontons, calamari tacos, popcorn cauliflower, deep-fried possum nipples. Okay, I made that last one up but you get the idea.
2. Match the food with a beer
Pairing food and wine has been an art for centuries, so why not the same for beer?
A good gastropub will be able to do this with a beer, too. Get the bar staff to help you. Just remember, if you fancy something red to go with your steak, Lion Red isn't actually red.
1. A place where you can truly relax
I've already mentioned shorts, but I think jandals are probably acceptable, too.
These days you might see a "no shirt, no service" sign in a pub but it's probably ironic. It's a balance but not a delicate one.
The best advantage the gastropub has over its more formal relatives is that you can, as the younger people say, "Do you, babes".
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