March 2014
The long and lastingly luscious days of Summer may be over for another year but some tangible, palate pleasing tabatieres of desire remain. One such is the more than agreeable, innocuously named “Seafood Salad” still to be had at the Curator’s House, inside the Botanic Gardens, on the banks of our very own Avon River. It’s not at all easy to find a good salad in Christchurch but this restaurant has exceeded expectations and succeeded where others have failed. One very hot and somewhat humid January day I found myself walking up the steps, onto the verandah and in through the front door of this beautiful old stone building to immediate relief from the midday sun. The Banks Peninsula volcanic stone, a feature of the exterior of the house, provides a special sense of history, a feeling of security in a shaky world and great insulation.
Back to the seafood salad.....a vision of beauty, a sight to behold, a profusion, yes a profusion of summer colours and a spectacular tango of taste with all the honesty that true freshness can offer. Light yet lip-smacking, a leafy, flower-filled gallimaufry with the generosity of marine life to add another dimension and a sense of substantiality to the whole. Few dishes of the tens of thousands I have enjoyed over the years have left me with such an unmistakable, uncontrollable urge to return time and time again, week after week, for more
To further enhance my outrageous good fortune wine was taken in between the beautiful morsels; there was St Clair Sauvignon Blanc and Framingham Pinot Gris, chilled appropriately and served promptly when ordered.
Since January I have returned three times for this dish and each time it has been faithfully and consistently recreated to reflect the original eye-catching presentation and to capture the quintessence of summer on a plate. It will disappear from the menu soon, of that I am certain, and I will then know that the golden weather has ended.
The long and lastingly luscious days of Summer may be over for another year but some tangible, palate pleasing tabatieres of desire remain. One such is the more than agreeable, innocuously named “Seafood Salad” still to be had at the Curator’s House, inside the Botanic Gardens, on the banks of our very own Avon River. It’s not at all easy to find a good salad in Christchurch but this restaurant has exceeded expectations and succeeded where others have failed. One very hot and somewhat humid January day I found myself walking up the steps, onto the verandah and in through the front door of this beautiful old stone building to immediate relief from the midday sun. The Banks Peninsula volcanic stone, a feature of the exterior of the house, provides a special sense of history, a feeling of security in a shaky world and great insulation.
Back to the seafood salad.....a vision of beauty, a sight to behold, a profusion, yes a profusion of summer colours and a spectacular tango of taste with all the honesty that true freshness can offer. Light yet lip-smacking, a leafy, flower-filled gallimaufry with the generosity of marine life to add another dimension and a sense of substantiality to the whole. Few dishes of the tens of thousands I have enjoyed over the years have left me with such an unmistakable, uncontrollable urge to return time and time again, week after week, for more
To further enhance my outrageous good fortune wine was taken in between the beautiful morsels; there was St Clair Sauvignon Blanc and Framingham Pinot Gris, chilled appropriately and served promptly when ordered.
Since January I have returned three times for this dish and each time it has been faithfully and consistently recreated to reflect the original eye-catching presentation and to capture the quintessence of summer on a plate. It will disappear from the menu soon, of that I am certain, and I will then know that the golden weather has ended.
No comments:
Post a Comment