April 2014
New Zealand certainly has its share of celebrity chefs, some having achieved their reputations through consistently delivering high quality food and excellent service in their long established restaurants. Along the way, recognised and respected culinary awards have been achieved. Others have done this also but have fast-tracked their catapultic rises to national prominence by participating in television shows that have made them household names. The cynical of us have oft wondered what all the fuss is about as many celeb chefs are seldom seen in their kitchens – some have so many establishments it would be an unreasonable expectation for them to do anything other than cut, chop and curse their way through airport terminals en route to book launches, South Sea island rendezvous and occasional face to faces with their staff in faraway places.
I reflect back to the lunch I enjoyed at the Fat Duck a couple of years ago. I dined there, knowing full well that Heston was not going to be involved in any direct, tangible way in the preparation of my fare. My expectations were that this would be carried out by a group of exceptional craftsmen and women who had either been trained by the Master himself or who had natural talent and abilities commensurate with the precise facsimileing, in taste, flavour and presentation, of dishes made famous by the celeb himself. I was not disappointed...
Here in New Zealand Simon Gault is one of our own and we should be proud of him, notwithstanding his inability(in terms of time)and no doubt his reluctance to return too frequently to the kitchen of his highly regarded restaurant, Euro, on Auckland’s waterfront...or indeed to any of his other 6 or is it 7 restaurants around the country.
I booked in for lunch some weeks ago, knowing that Euro was offering diners a dozen freshly shucked Bluff oysters for a mere $19.00. What a marvellous marketing move on Simon’s part! The restaurant was packed and everyone seemed to be enjoying oysters - why wouldn’t they? The upshot was that most people who came for oysters stayed for other items on the menu and had a glass or two of wine. I certainly did.
This is my third visit to Euro and what draws me to the restaurant is the excellent service, to me an integral part of any dining out experience. Yes, there’s the food of course, perhaps even more important but here in New Zealand we do struggle with good service. It’s not a given that you’re going to get it even in a high end establishment. Whilst the same could be said of food there are some ‘safe bets’ in my book. Euro is one of them.
Celebrity chefs do have to ensure that what is going out to the tables is spot on and that customers have little, if nothing, to complain about. They have to be very selective about their staff choices and need to know that their reputations are in good hands when they are away writing books, signing books, appearing on television and so on.
During my lunch I spotted Simon Gault moving about the restaurant, talking to his staff and spending time checking what was happening in the kitchen. I was pleased to see him on the job as it were! Any mistakes could cost him as the media, I’m sure, would be keen to make a meal of any lapses...his reputation might suffer especially – a case of the judge being judged.
My delightful oysters were paired both with a glass of Vavasour Claudius Sauv Blanc and a gentle harbour breeze which set the scene so wonderfully well. I watched the quiet glide of vessels large and small moving in and out of the nearby berths as I, equally quietly, luged each oyster down the oesophageal chute...surely one of life’s more luxurious moments. I recommend the freshly shucked experience. Turn your back on the plastic pottles.
Peking Duck is not something you might immediately associate with a restaurant named Euro but as a starter here it has been on the menu for some time. A miniature yet successful interpretation of the grand Chinese dish but which still offers you, the diner, the opportunity to engage in your own bit of table top theatre, to interact with your meal and patiently move through the accepted process of preparing the Chinese pancake with slivers of vegetable, a moist piece of duckmeat, a leaf of crispy roasted skin and the thick, decadent Hoisin sauce , cashew dukkha and chipottle slaw. I liked this cheeky little number. A Nevis Bluff Pinot Noir sat comfortably if not a tad flirtatiously alongside this Euro-Oriental meeting.
My three hour lunch was well underway by this time and as I immersed myself deeper into the menu more ships, yachts and boats slid by, no more than 25 metres from my table. A glance back along the pier from my privileged vantage point captured the Sky Tower, a giant finger held aloft to the world!
A man-sized, medium-rare grass-fed Angus eye fillet for $39.50 represented good value and so it was...faultlessly cooked,it came with potato truffle and a jar of creamed spinach and horseradish jus, each one complementing the other to effectively deliver a dishy quartet of poetic expression much appreciated, especially so when honoured by the Sebastiani Cab Sauv as an added temptation. A substantial side of courgettes nicely balanced the weight and volume of the beef bringing its own satisfying textural plantlike qualities to the fore.
By the time I left my pockets had been emptied of $150 but my sense of satisfaction and, in some ways, personal accomplishment had been heightened as I was, indeed, replete.
New Zealand certainly has its share of celebrity chefs, some having achieved their reputations through consistently delivering high quality food and excellent service in their long established restaurants. Along the way, recognised and respected culinary awards have been achieved. Others have done this also but have fast-tracked their catapultic rises to national prominence by participating in television shows that have made them household names. The cynical of us have oft wondered what all the fuss is about as many celeb chefs are seldom seen in their kitchens – some have so many establishments it would be an unreasonable expectation for them to do anything other than cut, chop and curse their way through airport terminals en route to book launches, South Sea island rendezvous and occasional face to faces with their staff in faraway places.
I reflect back to the lunch I enjoyed at the Fat Duck a couple of years ago. I dined there, knowing full well that Heston was not going to be involved in any direct, tangible way in the preparation of my fare. My expectations were that this would be carried out by a group of exceptional craftsmen and women who had either been trained by the Master himself or who had natural talent and abilities commensurate with the precise facsimileing, in taste, flavour and presentation, of dishes made famous by the celeb himself. I was not disappointed...
Here in New Zealand Simon Gault is one of our own and we should be proud of him, notwithstanding his inability(in terms of time)and no doubt his reluctance to return too frequently to the kitchen of his highly regarded restaurant, Euro, on Auckland’s waterfront...or indeed to any of his other 6 or is it 7 restaurants around the country.
I booked in for lunch some weeks ago, knowing that Euro was offering diners a dozen freshly shucked Bluff oysters for a mere $19.00. What a marvellous marketing move on Simon’s part! The restaurant was packed and everyone seemed to be enjoying oysters - why wouldn’t they? The upshot was that most people who came for oysters stayed for other items on the menu and had a glass or two of wine. I certainly did.
This is my third visit to Euro and what draws me to the restaurant is the excellent service, to me an integral part of any dining out experience. Yes, there’s the food of course, perhaps even more important but here in New Zealand we do struggle with good service. It’s not a given that you’re going to get it even in a high end establishment. Whilst the same could be said of food there are some ‘safe bets’ in my book. Euro is one of them.
Celebrity chefs do have to ensure that what is going out to the tables is spot on and that customers have little, if nothing, to complain about. They have to be very selective about their staff choices and need to know that their reputations are in good hands when they are away writing books, signing books, appearing on television and so on.
During my lunch I spotted Simon Gault moving about the restaurant, talking to his staff and spending time checking what was happening in the kitchen. I was pleased to see him on the job as it were! Any mistakes could cost him as the media, I’m sure, would be keen to make a meal of any lapses...his reputation might suffer especially – a case of the judge being judged.
My delightful oysters were paired both with a glass of Vavasour Claudius Sauv Blanc and a gentle harbour breeze which set the scene so wonderfully well. I watched the quiet glide of vessels large and small moving in and out of the nearby berths as I, equally quietly, luged each oyster down the oesophageal chute...surely one of life’s more luxurious moments. I recommend the freshly shucked experience. Turn your back on the plastic pottles.
Peking Duck is not something you might immediately associate with a restaurant named Euro but as a starter here it has been on the menu for some time. A miniature yet successful interpretation of the grand Chinese dish but which still offers you, the diner, the opportunity to engage in your own bit of table top theatre, to interact with your meal and patiently move through the accepted process of preparing the Chinese pancake with slivers of vegetable, a moist piece of duckmeat, a leaf of crispy roasted skin and the thick, decadent Hoisin sauce , cashew dukkha and chipottle slaw. I liked this cheeky little number. A Nevis Bluff Pinot Noir sat comfortably if not a tad flirtatiously alongside this Euro-Oriental meeting.
My three hour lunch was well underway by this time and as I immersed myself deeper into the menu more ships, yachts and boats slid by, no more than 25 metres from my table. A glance back along the pier from my privileged vantage point captured the Sky Tower, a giant finger held aloft to the world!
A man-sized, medium-rare grass-fed Angus eye fillet for $39.50 represented good value and so it was...faultlessly cooked,it came with potato truffle and a jar of creamed spinach and horseradish jus, each one complementing the other to effectively deliver a dishy quartet of poetic expression much appreciated, especially so when honoured by the Sebastiani Cab Sauv as an added temptation. A substantial side of courgettes nicely balanced the weight and volume of the beef bringing its own satisfying textural plantlike qualities to the fore.
By the time I left my pockets had been emptied of $150 but my sense of satisfaction and, in some ways, personal accomplishment had been heightened as I was, indeed, replete.
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