Tiffanys Restaurant&Bar - Metropol May 2008

Metropol Editorial - September 2011

Metropol Editorial - April 2011

Chef Mauro Battaglia...

Jason Smith

Passion is born from inspiration.
Chef Mauro Battaglia's passion for fresh, organic, local food, cooked with care was inspired by his grandparents.
Growing up in Bergamo, near Milan in Italy, he spent many school holidays with his grandparents in the small village of Sorisole in the Lombardy region in northwest Italy. On Mauro's Grand Papa's farm everything was 100 per cent organic.
Life was simple. If you wanted an egg, you stood behind a chicken. If you wanted milk, then you went and caught the goat.
Fruit and vegetables were plucked fresh daily.
Mauro fondly remembers the Sunday ritual of Nonna's (Grandmother's) homemade gnocchi and coniglio (rabbit) which was sourced locally. His Nonna will be 100 in July this year and Mauro believes it is her organic diet that has contributed to her longevity.
Mauro has carried her traditions into the kitchens of Europe and refined them to the essence of simple elegant fare prepared Casoncelli alla Bergamasca with only the finest fresh produce under the watchful eye of Michelin Chef Hélène Darroze, The Connaught Hotel, London, and Pierangelo Cornaro, Taverna del Colleoni & Dell`Angelo (both classic Italian fine dining restaurants).
It was in London Mauro met his Cantabrian wife Kirsty, and with their 13 month old son Romeo, they moved to Christchurch, where restaurateurs Noel and Sharon were quick to secure his services for Tiffanys Restaurant.

Although Mauro confesses that he was rather apprehensive after the 22 February earthquake he and his family made the decision to stay. He is now contributing to the rebuild of our city by providing a unique dining experience, serving classic dishes prepared with the love and attention he learned from his grandparents.
From their inspiration was born a passion that we all get to enjoy at Tiffanys Restaurant.

September 2008

Valiant voyagers

The call of the sea is irresistible to people with more than a sprinkling of salt in their blood, and Noel of Tiffany’s Restaurant and Bar is an avid yachtsman and keen adventurer from way back.

Noel set off on his latest voyage on 17 July, with a couple of sailing friends on his prized 40-foot Beneteau yacht ‘Roaring Meg'. He has since sailed 2,400 miles through the Straits of Messina, visiting Greek Islands, including Santorini, Mykonos and Crete, calling into Athens, and then on through the Corinth Canal, across the Ionian Sea and onto Italy, Sicily, Malta and Tunisia.

Noel's partner Sharon flew over and joined the yacht in Crete for the voyage around the Med – what a fabulous adventure!

The pair returned to Christchurch on September 4, so when you next call in to dine at Tiffany’s you are bound to notice refreshed hosts and a tanned Noel with a hint of windswept adventure still sparkling in his eyes.

The couple took every opportunity to sample Mediterranean food and wine, including ‘octopus and ouzo’, a specialty in Greece.

On the move as well, is Tiffany’s head chef of three years, Greg Sweet. Greg is returning to the UK later this month and hands over to a new British chef who in turn brings his extensive European flair.

Not the “Former Tiffany’s”

Contrary to the words printed in the Christchurch Press on 24 June citing “former Tiffany’s” (retracted Thursday, June26), Tiffany’s is far from falling into the “former” category. It is still one of this city’s premier restaurants with a solid reputation for fine food and a popular restaurant and function centre. Noel says the choice of the words “former Tiffany’s” was incredibly unfortunate as it couldn’t be further from the truth and he wants to reassure patrons that it’s still business as usual at Tiffany’s.

Common practice for the restaurant is to close for four weeks over the quieter winter period. And this year the restaurant was closed from 2 August and re-opened on 4 September .

“With the introduction of four weeks’ holiday for employees it makes sense for them to take a block period during the traditionally quiet winter time. This ensures staff have a well-deserved holiday and are fresh and rested for re-opening,” said Noel.

“Many of the staff enjoyed special trips during their winter break, for example our restaurant manager, Kayoko Nagayama, took the opportunity to spend time with her family back in Japan.” Of course Tiffany’s booking line remains open constantly, so give them a call on

Ph 379 1350 or book on-line at www.tiffanys.co.nz and reserve your table or book your function ahead of time.

'Some things never change, but then some things never need to… like Tiffany’s Restaurant'

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