Cooke's Restaurant & Bar @ Fable Hotel MGallery

In the heart of Auckland City Centre, Cooke's Restaurant and Bar at Fable Hotel MGallery brings a refined, contemporary sensibility to classic flavours. The kitchen favours craft and clarity, pairing thoughtful technique with produce-led plates that feel at once familiar and freshly imagined.

An oyster Benedict sets the tone, its toasted brioche, watercress and beetroot meeting silky hollandaise and savoury lardons. For a vibrant counterpoint, smoked paprika tagliatelle is lifted by preserved lemon and pink pepper, finished with a snowfall of 30‑month Parmigiano Reggiano.

From there, the grill steps forward: an eye fillet arrives with cauliflower purée, gnocchi alla romana, baby beetroot and a glossy jus, while a roasted bone-in ribeye partners with Colonna EVO oil mash and roasted root vegetables. Even the salads have presence, from a generous Caesar with poached egg, lardons, anchovies, grana padano and smoked salmon, to a quinoa and root medley dressed in honey pistachio. French fries and kumara fries with aioli add an easygoing flourish.

Dessert is a study in indulgence: Valrhona white chocolate mousse garnished with taro crisps, strawberry caviar and caramelised pecans, or a Black Forest tart layered with maraschino cherries, chantilly, 72% dark Ghana chocolate and mandarin yuzu sorbet. Settle in, savour the detail, and linger a little longer—book a table and let the evening unfold, course by course and smile by smile.