Nero

Head chef and owners, Scott and Yvette, opened Nero in 2000. Since then Scott has become a beef and lamb ambassador and the pair have developed seasonal menus that celebrate all that Manawatū has to offer in terms of produce.

Nero works with Coastal Spring Lamb, Ocean Beef, Cartwheel Creamery and an array of local and New Zealand suppliers, to dish up the very best. Scott specializes in whiskey dry aged beef that takes a total of 42 days to reach perfection. Get a glimpse of the process when you enter - the dry aged cabinet is directly to the left.

This dry aged beef takes pride of place on the menu and is served on the bone with duck fat potatoes, crackling, chimichurri sauce and black garlic butter. Designed to share between two, this is a plate to behold with unique smokiness courtesy of the barrel aged whiskey. Other seasonal dishes of note have included crispy, crackled slow cooked pork belly with kumara puree, grilled broccolini, apple and fennel slaw with sesame dressing, sage and lemon gruyere arancini.

Despite all of the delicious beef and lamb on display at Nero, plant based eaters need not shy away from. Chef Scott has a keen appreciation for plant based eating and even tried veganism for 3 months. He says he loved it and the menu reflects this. Seasonal plant based dishes like gnocchi with cumin roast carrot, butternut puree, caramelized cashew nuts and halloumi feature the same level of flavour and creativity. In keeping with this thinking, every meat dish at Nero is prepared with respect and appreciation for the animal, with waste minimized as much as possible.

Nero’s wine list is similarly strong and has almost 65 pours to choose from. These drops represent the best of what New Zealand and the world have to offer with bottles from Marlborough, Hawkes Bay, Otago, Argentina, France, Australia and beyond. Almost all are available by the glas,  making it easy to try a few.

Whether you’re in for a special occasion, a catch up with friends or something in between, the friendly staff will ensure you have an excellent experience.