41 North Audley Street,
Mayfair,
London,
W1K 6ZP

0872 148 2236

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London has one of the widest selections (if not the widest) of different cuisines on offer in the world. From Sudanese to Spanish, and from Californian to Cambodian, you’ll find it here.

However, the food of Australia and New Zealand has never been represented terribly well. There are plenty of Antipodean chefs working in the capital, but the majority of these seem to either specialise in Pacific rim cookery (which I suppose sort of counts, seeing as this is the most popular style down under), Thai or Modern Euro.

Suze in Mayfair doesn’t badge itself as a Kiwi restaurant, but there’s a definite focus on ingredients and flavours that hail from this distant country in the Southern Hemisphere. Husband and wife team Tom and Susan Glynn have been living and working in London for many years now, but their interpretation of native Kiwi cuisine is as fresh as the day they left. I popped in on a Wednesday night to try it out.

Located on North Audley Street in Mayfair, Suze is within easy striking distance of Bond Street tube and Oxford Street. The interior was elegant – rather like an upmarket bistro, with plenty of conversation provoking paintings courtesy of Kiwi artist Mark Olsen.

I’d struggle to sum up the menu in two words, but three might do it - fresh, cheerful and exciting. One of those menus where even narrowing down your choices is incredibly difficult. I’d brought my sister (who spent a decent chunk of 2002 south of the Equator) along, and between us we tried to be as decisive as possible.

I opted for sautéed kangaroo strips to start. These were cooked with baby corn and peppers, and flavoured with a lemongrass dressing. The last time I had kangaroo was in Australia aged about 12 – it was barbecued and seemed rather stringy. This kangaroo was tender as you like, and very well flavoured. Abi’s choice of seared New Zealand squid was a winner. Served with a pepper, avocado and tomato salad, it was beautifully presented and devilishly tasty.

My main course choice was New Zealand leg of venison, which came with polenta mash, asparagus spears with a port and brandy jus. The venison was rich and tender (again – these people know how to cook meat!) and the polenta and asparagus were worthy accompaniments. The venison was also surprisingly moist – the jus in this case became a tasty addition, rather than a requirement to deal with dry meat.

Abi had opted for rump of New Zealand lamb – the one thing that everyone expected to be on the menu! Served with grilled courgette tabbouleh and baba ganoush. The latter was a yoghurt and aubergine concoction, and provided a nice tangy accompaniment to the meat.

The dessert menu was too much to resist. My baked custard tart was exactly right – sticky, moist and well flavoured. Abi’s pavlova was really impressive – the perfect combination of crunch and cream, with plenty of fresh fruit alongside.

The wine list at Suze is worth a visit alone. Virtually all of the wines hail from New Zealand, and the list is very well thought through. We tried a sparkling Pelorus, a Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough and a rich Cabernet Merlot.

Suze is a very fine restaurant, and the atmosphere reflects a well judged balance between serious food and a relaxed atmosphere. The staff were all very friendly, and were happy to make recommendations that were seemingly based on genuine enthusiasm rather than menus learned parrot fashion. With starters around the £6 mark and mains about £12 it’s really good value too. For quality food in a lovely environment you must book yourself a table at Suze!