One of the most mysterious restaurants in Auckland, Kazuya doesn’t give away much to the passerby. There’s a window to a white wall between the street and the restaurant. The only things on display are some ornaments and a framed listing of opening hours. No one ends up there by accident. But those who find their way inside are in for a treat.

While the reports of fine-dining’s death have been greatly exaggerated (see for example, the 7 fine-dining restaurants on this very list), Kazuya Yamauchi’s offering at his eponymous restaurant is more dedicated than most to the kind of formal dining many of the city’s priciest restaurants now shy away from. It’s quiet and intimate, with white tablecloths and white-gloved waitstaff (though only for the courses with special cutlery — you don’t have to worry about being served by a butler or anything).

Over a five- or seven-course menu (you can also upgrade to the premium seasonal option, featuring the likes of Japanese wagyu beef, crayfish or truffle), you’re carefully taken through a narrative of textures and flavours, more European than Japanese — though the influence of Yamauchi’s homeland is apparent throughout, especially in the drinks list where sake and housemade fruit wines are available alongside thoughtfully selected fine wines. Dishes arrive, course by course, in a considered, skilfully restrained manner. Like the wider restaurant, the food is a quiet world in itself.