At the height of its success in the wealth-saturated 1980s, the Parnell-based restaurant Antoine’s – owned and operated by Tony and Beth Astle – was booked out for lunch and dinner six days a week for months in advance. Politicians and dignitaries were regulars, and international celebrities visited whenever they were in town. At Antoine’s, nothing but the best was served: from the crayfish to the duck breast to the offal. And then there was the wine, which sometimes sold for up to 20,000 a bottle. Patrons had to ring a doorbell and be vetted prior to entry and EFTPOS was never accepted. Customers were barred for all manner of things (including their political persuasion). This is the story of a trailblazing-yet-cocky entrepreneur who had a huge impact on the hospitality and dining scenes in New Zealand. Always the provocateur who walked to the beat of his own drum, Tony Astle’s stories are profoundly outrageous and wildly entertaining.
