New Zealand’s top restaurant reviewer, Viva’s Jesse Mulligan, gave The Grill a severe grilling last year.

I visited about the same time and would have written about it, but after reading Mulligan’s review, I thought I had little to add.

There’s no joy in piling in on top of other justifiable reviews when people have put so much effort into making something work, especially a restaurant as close to iconic as The Grill, which had opened as the house restaurant of the Grand by SkyCity.

But a lot has changed since September.

A slightly romantic corner booth

Yet not everything... my 17-year-old mocked me for a week because the only date I could find to go with me was BusinessDesk commercial boss Neil Jackson, whom I love dearly and always have a great time with. 

However, our semi-regular meals together underscore for me that being single in your 50s with no idea how to flirt means you'll often have dinner with Neil.

We arrive and are seated at a slightly romantic corner booth. The room has changed. Someone turned up the lights. 

Previously, it felt like The Grill was some sort of chapel to meat and stubbing toes, with those stupid little lights on the table and not much else. 

Now, there is enough light to not only see your food, but also make it to the toilet without fracturing a toe.

A study of beef.

We start with cocktails (promising stuff for a date, I’m told). I have a Plane Sailing, which I also had last time. 
It's a superb combination of bourbon, amaro, and L’Opera aperitif from Hawke’s Bay Distillery (available for purchase online; I did) with a top layer of Syrah, which acts as a superb foil to the sweetness beneath. 
Hawke’s Bay Distillery also does an absinthe, which I bought but have been too scared to open.

Neil ordered a Fallen Āporo whisky sour, which he described thus: “It was delicious. Crisp and refreshing. Was expecting it to be sharp, but it had beautiful mellowness.” 

Just like Neil.

Huzzah

For starters, we ordered a pork croquette, which was perfect, and a bresaola charcuterie platter, which was worryingly average. 

Nothing wrong with it, but it's a bit bland and has a bread accompaniment that was meant to be like a dried cracker but came across as an approximation of stale.

We also ordered garlic bread, which was a BIG mistake. I meant to have a bite and save my stomach for steak, but it was a big cloud of delicate bread with a heavenly and light garlic centre. 

I was entranced. Done in. I scoffed it down.

This was not a calculated move, but there was a chance it could have been fortuitous. If the steak had been as average as last time, then filling up on entrees may have been a blessing.

But, huzzah, the meat, a $220 “study of beef”, was the best steak I’ve had for many years. It was 700g of succulent Lake Ōhau 200-day grain-fed scotch fillet, and Southern Station Wagyu sirloin and rump cap.

Perfectly cooked. Perfect meat. Accompanied by a plethora of sauces and butters and a cheese-delivery system masquerading as a broccoli salad. These are steaks beyond criticism.

We could not finish it all. So our excellent Argentinian waiter packaged it up, and I dropped it back to NZME HQ after dinner for the next day’s lunch. 

Beefy love

At this stage, it really feels like we are dating.

A couple of other things. In the early part of the evening, there were more staff than customers. That felt a little much.

Secondly, it was a strikingly un-business crowd for a restaurant that was once the power place for besuited deals. Now, it was more relaxed couples having a special dinner.

I liked that.

 Dry-ageing beef. They're serious about meat around here.

But once the massive convention centre opens, this will be the place to take a client or to put a meal on expenses. Try it now, before it is too busy.

After we finished eating, we were expertly and gently moved to the bar for a cocktail. I ordered a Negroni, which was as expected and thankfully not too sweet. 

Neil ordered the signature cocktail. It came inside a small whiskey barrel, which the waiter lifted off as smoke cloaked the table. It smelled great and came with an accompaniment of jerky. 

These people love their beef.

Possibly the best praise I can give The Grill is that I would more than happily come back again even if I were paying. That is a long way from where I was six months back. 

Now, I just need to find a better date than Neil. His wife might worry.

The Grill

At Horizon by SkyCity, 85 Hobson St, Auckland.

Call +64 9 971 5802 or book online.

All images supplied.