Eating well on campus at AUT

By Donna McTavish on September 4, 2013 • ( 0 )

What’s not to like? Great food prepared by the culinary superstars of the future and very reasonable prices.

All this is waiting for you on the campus of AUT University in central Auckland. Piko is a casual cafe/bistro open all day for breakfast, lunch and snacks and Four Seasons is for a more formal lunch or dinner. Both are run (under supervision) by students training for careers in the hospitality industry and both are definitely worth a visit.

Four Seasons is small and elegant with white starched table napkins, silver cutlery, carefully presented food and attentive waiting staff. This is a five star experience at a very reasonable cost – entrees and desserts are $10, main courses $20 – and the food is master chef quality. The six course degustation menu for $45 must be the best value for money around.

Unless you are a student at AUT University you’ve probably not heard of Piko or Four Seasons (I hadn’t) and you probably don’t know your way around the AUT campus. There is a map on the website (http://www.pikorestaurant.co.nz or http://www.fourseasonsrestaurant.co.nz) and neither are hard to find … once you know what you are looking for 🙂

The students take turns at having hands- on experience in the kitchen and front-of- house and they take it seriously. They are dressed immaculately in white and black and if they are feeling nervous, they hide it well. During the lunchtime event that I attended, serving and clearing plates and offering coffee and tea was done with minimal fuss and absolutely no clinking of spoons or clattering of china.

Opening hours for Piko and Four Seasons are restricted (so the students can get on with their academic work) so it pays to check ahead. Bookings are essential at Four Seasons (09 921 9932). I’m pretty chuffed to have found these hidden away places and I know that I’ll be paying them more visits in the future. Might see you there?