If you don’t recognise the name Georgia Jay, the brand’s distinctive handbags might be more familiar. At a point in time, it was near impossible to frequent an Auckland restaurant or bar without spying one; a soothing pop of pastel leather – maybe baby blue, melon green or sunshine yellow – tucked neatly under an arm or swinging off an elbow.

The French Café, an Uptown institution near the intersection of Symonds St and Mt Eden Rd and one of the most lauded restaurants in the country, underwent a metamorphosis in February.

The space that had been home to Sid at the French Café since 2018 reopened as modern pan-Asian eatery, Anise. It wasn’t goodnight to Sid at the French Café, however – the timeless restaurant shifted across the peaceful, garden-fringed courtyard to the separate and elegant rear dining room and reverted to its legacy name The French Café.

The two restaurants are the main players in what’s now become a mini dining precinct of sorts. Rounding out the offering are a private dining wine cellar, and the reception area with a bar, where all guests are welcomed to the restaurants. Anna King Shahab sat down with co-owners Sid and Chand Sahrawat, and head chef Tommy Hope for a look behind the evolution, and why they think fine dining has a healthy future ahead. 

A 43-year legacy

Sid explains that when he and wife and business partner Chandni Sahrawat bought The French Café in 2018, they made the decision to rename it with “Sid” upfront to let customers know the offering would be different from the incumbent. The torch had been passed to Sid from Simon Wright and Creghan Molloy-Wright, who had nurtured the icon since 1998 and secured its reputation as the pinnacle of refined dining in the city. The French torch has been carried with pride since being lit by chefs and co-owners Annie Mantell and Barrington Salter way back in 1981.

Annie’s son Johnny Mantell trained as a chef there and says the restaurant was revolutionary for its time, hosting visiting rock stars such as U2, and being the go- to for company-card spenders in the music and banking industries. Back then, lunches stretched on well beyond dinnertime, fuelled by copious amounts of top-shelf champagne.

The dining scene has evolved, and the Sahrawats felt it was time for a change for the renowned brand. They decided to move the restaurant into the smaller courtyard building that had housed private dining room The French Kitchen. The move was an apt time to consider the name again. “It had been five years since we became the caretakers of the legacy of The French Café,” explains Sid, “We felt we had by then put our mark on it, earned our three hats [in the Cuisine Good Food Awards] again, and could comfortably return the restaurant to its former name without confusing the clientele.” It’s sort-of not the first time the restaurant has had a name switch and back – in the early 1990s when France resumed nuclear testing in the Pacific, the restaurant’s proprietors stuck a big bandage over the offending word on the exterior sign! 

The French Café - intimate, innovative,

With the pandemic, weather events and economic uncertainty, fine dining has naturally faced challenges over the past several years as the practicalities of venturing out and added budgetary constraints impact society.

But Sid is confident there remains a place for fine dining in our hospitality landscape. “When we want to treat ourselves for a special occasion, to celebrate a win, or just to treat ourselves to a bit of luxury we go to a fine dining restaurant. For me, going to a Michelin 3-star restaurant overseas is equivalent to someone buying tickets to a Taylor Swift concert – it is an experience for all my senses, and I take so much from it.”



Fine dining itself has evolved a lot over the past decade, too. Diners are less interested in the highly polished, faultless, “could be anywhere in the world” experiences that were once the mainstay and are more inclined to read luxury into an intimate setting, personable service, interaction with the chef, sense of place, and provenance of produce alongside memorable cuisine – all of which The French Café nails. On the menu is a five-course tasting experience, with a vegetarian option and the ability to cater to all dietary requirements with advance notice. The popular Gaggenau Tuesday Test Kitchen continues, offering guests snacks and six courses that showcase dishes from The French Café as well as the Sahrawats’ two other restaurants, KOL and Cassia.