NZ Festival of Tennis announces premium menu from The Grill, Best Ugly Bagels and Moët & Chandon
In an event-first, the NZ Festival of Tennis has joined forces with SkyCity Catering & Events to offer an exciting off-court initiative – an elevated hospitality experience on-site, where guests will be able to choose from a host of pop-up restaurants including offerings from top Auckland restaurant The Grill by Sean Connolly, Al Brown’s Best Ugly Bagels. Internationally renowned Kiwi chef Peter Gordon will also be designing menus for the corporate suites and player lounge.
SKYCITY GM of Food and Beverage, Danny Bucalo says SKYCITY is delighted to be serving up dishes from some of New Zealand’s finest chefs at the NZ Festival of Tennis.
“With bespoke menu items capturing the flavours of summer, our chefs are bringing the vibrancy and taste of the Federal St Dining Precinct to the festival, ensuring the quality of food and service off-court will match the spectacular displays on-court,” he says.
A move away from venue-style catering to a more thoughtful, premium approach was seen as an integral element in the festival’s inaugural year, where a celebration of tennis, and the great Kiwi Summer will take place, anchored by two marquee events, the ASB Classic and the Heineken Open.
In further hospitality news, Tennis Auckland has signed a three-year partnership with Moët & Chandon for the NZ Festival of Tennis. Festival guests will be invited to toast this great summer game at the Moët & Chandon Lounge, which will feature prominently alongside The Grill on-site restaurant.
“Auckland has a thriving culinary scene, and as part of the new NZ Festival of Tennis, we wanted to ensure we are showcasing this to our guests, and to the world’s best tennis players.”
“A partnership with SkyCity is best case scenario for us, and we’re so excited to be able to offer tennis fans delicious dishes from The Grill and Best Ugly Bagels on-site. Furthermore, the partnership with one of the world’s most iconic and luxurious brands, Moët & Chandon, really shows the strength of the ASB Classic and Heineken Open.”
The Grill by Sean Connolly – Menu Preview
Celebrating great food, good company, and great tennis.
• Duck fat Chips
• The Grill Wagyu Burger – Brioche bun, chipotle mayonnaise, house pickle
• Queensland Prawn Salad – Cooked prawns, Cocktail sauce, salad greens & lemon
The Grill menu will also be served at the Moët & Chandon Lounge right next door.
FIRST SERVE – Menu Preview
Serving up delicious, and infamous, Best Ugly Bagels.
All served on poppy seed bagels
• Butter Up: Plain bagel with Whitestone butter
• JC: Jam & cream cheese
• TAB: Tomato, avocado, fresh basil, olive oil
• KING: Lox, capers, red onion & cream cheese
Heineken Baseline Live-Site
The Heineken Baseline Live-site is the place to catch all the action from centre court, on the big screen! The Baseline Live-Site is accessed using the all-new $15 Ground Pass, and will be serving up mouth-watering Tacos, Sliders and classic hot dog cooled down with a chilled Heineken.
Festival guests will also be able to treat themselves to a range of premium desserts from Kapiti, including Passionfruit & lemon meringue pie, Chocolate terrine, Kapiti Affogato, Strawberry & Vanilla bean ice cream cheese cake, as well as scoops of Kapiti’s famous ice cream.
Heineken, Moët & Chandon, Charlie’s and Phoenix drinks will be refreshing fans throughout the tournament.