Kiwi celebrity chef Josh Emett and business partner Fleur Caulton launched their new restaurant, Rata in Queenstown on May 4th, entertaining 300 invited guests in the downtown premises.

Emett, who is a four star Michelin star chef and working for more than a decade alongside the internationally renowned Gordon Ramsay, said he is excited about coming back to New Zealand and particularly Queenstown to set up the venture.
“We have a lot of confidence in Queenstown as both a national and international tourism destination. Our aim has been to create a uniquely New Zealand restaurant and I think people will find we have achieved that.”

The 80-seater restaurant in the Ngai Tahu complex in Ballarat Street includes indoor and courtyard dining and has a chic and edgy decor of stone, steel and glass combined with recycled rimu walls, an extensive polished concrete bar and astunning pictorial feature wall showcasing the Rata theme.
“The concept has been to take our distinctive environment and bring it in doors,” said Caulton. “We don’t want to be a New York or London style restaurant, this is all about New Zealand.”

The Rata menu which ranges from “bites” to “feasts” is inspired by regional flavours. The emphasis is on what Central Otago and the surrounding regions have to offer and Emett said people can expect elegant, well balanced and inspired cuisine.

The opening of Rata has been a talking point in Queenstown, based on the pair’s long standing reputations in the hospitality industry, and there are already bookings as far forward as October.
“We understand the Queenstown market and know we have to be broad thinking about our customer base,” said Caulton. “We want is people to feel comfortable and enjoy a friendly New Zealand experience. We plan to have fun and hope our guests will as well.”