Spice Paragon

 

 

There’s no place for confusion when you’re thinking Thai Fusion as there’s a paragon of excellence on the edge of the concrete jungle. Spice Paragon boastfully proclaims its place in the Asian food heirarchy as being at the top, the very top and nowhere but the top.
One cannot but agree with their corporate statement which reads, “Spice Paragon is more than a restaurant, it’s an experience...”.  I don’t disagree! In fact, I’d go further and say this restaurant offers a fresh whiff of style and pazzaz with its creatively presented dishes, adding value to one’s dining out adventure and its confidence of purpose is carried through to fine measures of taste, excellent, plethoric use of spices, ambrosial by their exciting nature, enhancing the essence of flavour in the dishes presented. Yes, an experience worth having!

Considerable effort has gone into fitting out the restaurant and you are absorbed into this on arrival, not failing to be impressed on entry as you fall into the trained, careful clutches of the uniformed staff.
We had a 6 person alcove which afforded a measure of privacy and a splendid view of an adjacent room or area, set for eight people and magnificently overseen by a polished, well-lit Star Anise on the end wall. It was like something out of a sci-fi movie. The dining room aboard the StarShip Enterprise perhaps.....

We were as hungry as an empty-bellied, bombastic Baltimorean in Bangkok, our tongues hanging out in expectation of the beautiful release that even the endorphins within could not provide; it was food, glorious food that we yearned for......and it wasn’t long in coming. Service, whilst not completely up to our expectations, was prompt and pleasant, suffering from no more than staff inexperience and the need for a two hour Mr Lu professional training seminar.

What’s in a name? Well, I couldn’t resist a  Marisco Bastard Chardonnay to pimp my ride..or should that be palate? An entree of “Lettuce cup topped with minced roasted duck, chicken and Shiitake mushroom” at a mere $6 (can you believe it?). “Roasted duck & fresh vegetables wrapped in rice paper with Hoi Sin nut sauce” came next and whilst there was a degree of sharing at the table we all got to taste substantially from our own ‘orderings’. The flavours were simply exquisite and there was general excitement at what was to come. The duck & vege rolls were crammed with the texture and freshness of thinly sliced ingredients, a balance of hot and cold, the sauce plentiful and offering its own marinading dimension to  paint the palate and complete the picture accordingly.

I felt like a judge as the Bangkok Street Grilled Whole Free-Range chicken with spice, lemon & tamarind sauce appeared before me, cleaved almost in two, splayed out flat on the plate waiting for sentence to be passed. I was disappointed with its presentation and at $39 it was alone on its China bed, a sad & solitary soul, destined for incarceration in my stomach; it should have had a companion or two for the trip within, perhaps some rice, or something equally as nice but, alas! It did not....
Cooked well, not too dry, easy going and sufficiently tanned just like a Bangkok Tuk-tuk driver in the tropical heat but not interesting enough for me. Too bland. I knew when it came to the table that I should have ordered what one of my dining companions had – “Eggnet Salad with ground pork, prawn, peanuts, bean sprouts & a touch of citrus fruit”. A magnificent, artistic interlude of aroma and attitude, basking in webbed captivity yet so willing and  somehow so poignantly wistful. The owner of this particular dish was understandably reluctant to part with more than one or two mouthfuls but I managed to force my utensils through the soft,porosity of the egg net and into the succulent centre to claim a small share of the booty. The prize was worth it – a riotous revelation of gastric delight, a sanguine gift to gently trampoline its way across the tastebuds to find rest beyond these final arbiters of joy.

Dessert? Yes, indeed....an irresistible selection with my vote going to a baked cheesecake and ice cream. Vanilla ice cream to be precise; but this stunningly presented dish came with a slice or two of fruit and a patterned, decorative  chocolate ‘tiara’ just to provide a finish with a flourish.

Worth a visit? You’d be mad not to. All my guests were fully satisfied and I loved the experience even if my chicken just didn’t cluck with me.

 

Passione Italian Restaurant

The main street of Kaikoura, West End, is a thriving haven for tourists and others, offering a yakety-yak  of cafes, a rack of restaurants and a brace or more of bars. Such variety and choice for the luncher.

There are times a plenty when you can’t go past a good Italian; Passione welcomed us into its capacious, stylish space, the exuberant, hypnotic colours of local artist Ruth Stirnimann’s  works  bouncing gleefully off the walls with great splashes of modernity and strokes of artistic passion.

We bathed in glasses of Alpha Zeta Garganega and Ripasso, Veronese gems from the hands of New Zealander Matt Thomson, savouring each sip as we nibbled on Italian bread with Olive oil and herbs, ‘authentic’ pasta with basil pesto, shaved parmesan and ground pepper and a noteworthy, extremely biteworthy quatrostagioni  pizza, the slices of which seemed to effortlessly sashay  across the table to my plate. This is what lunch is all about! Enjoying a mini smorgasbord of flavoursome variety that teleports one to the nation of the food’s origin, the core of the experience.
Throw in a couple of glasses of Main Divide Riesling and the  grand total for this lively, cheerful lunch was less than $80.00 for two.
Pensa che lei possa battere ciò per il valore, il tesoro?

Kermadec

Behold! The arrival of a grand platter, its curvaceous arrangements a more than satisfying crinkum-crankum of the best the coastal waters of New Zealand might offer, swallowed our attention and concentrated our desires with such intensity and verve that we soon forgot we were sitting overlooking Auckland’s famous viaduct harbour.

Lunch had, in truth, started some time earlier for us but our schedule was such that we were able to allocate three or more hours to our delving of the deep. Kermadec Bar & Bistro is synonymous with fresh, spectacularly presented seafood in a most appealing location. Seat yourself on the upstairs verandah and hurry not for you will enjoy your time so much more if you are relaxed; gently sip your way across the afternoon and go fishing through the menu, as we did.

It all began, naturally, with a dozen Tio Point oysters. You and I both know that these tasty little teasers are the country’s finest and are shipped to restaurants fresh and ready to be shucked to order.  Be careful when downing them as there is a very real risk that others in the restaurant might mistake your moanings of gratitification as a sign of, well,  unspeakable private pleasures! They are simply the best...

This restaurant’s menu is a very proud and large scroll with so much on offer that one’s personal ‘feastometer’ will swing wildly into the red, unconcealable delight will register on your physiognomy and your heart may even begin a series of erratic but not entirely unpleasant  palpitations.

Our hotel was no more than 100 metres away and we were car-less so found ourselves ready, willing and able to  liberally marinate our courses with suitable wine and water choices over lunch. There was Pelorus sparkling for the oysters, a Gibbston Riesling here and there, even a Neudorf 2009 riesling , a carafe or two of Te Mata Zara Viognier 2010 and  not inconsiderable litreages of both San Pellegrino and Waiwera sparkling water.  All this spread over about four hours, of course, and accompanied by significant portions of food, including selections from the “Raw Bar” which included  an exquisite Tuna Carpaccio with compressed apple, wasabi, aioli & Khombu vinaigrette as well as a double dose of assorted sashimi. Add to this an abundance of delectable breads, olive oils, Macadamia Dukkha and Sicilian olives and you will begin to appreciate the superhuman nature of my dining endeavours, not to mention the elasticity & capacity of my stomach and my unfathomably deep pockets .

Now, back to the platter mentioned in the opening paragraph...there are two seafood platters available at Kermadec, the hot one and the cold one. We could not resist the latter platter! Picture if you will Auckland island scampi, prawns, oysters in their beautiful crenulated shells, Green Lipped mussels and clams served with mignonette sauce, mustard mayonnaise, saffron aioli and preserved lemon mayonnaise. Eating foods like prawns, mussels etc is very much a tactile experience and I think this adds to the primal satisfaction we derive from this type of eating. You’re handling the shells, feeling the texture and strength of these beautiful coats before enjoying the succulence of the bounty within.

What a day! Deep sea diving at your table does come cheap but it’s certainly worth every cent.

 

Tagine Treat on Colombo

We could not do without the culinary exotic in Christchurch after two years of inhaling dried liquefaction, eating the humble pie of heritage destruction and demolition, and putting up with the sour-taste-in-your-mouth of dealing with EQC and Insurance companies daily for 24 months.

Admittedly we have restaurants like Turkish, Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Vietnamese and Italian but on a recent excursion along Colombo St in Sydenham I espied Casbah, a “Moroccan” restaurant. It has, apparently, been open for a year and I see it has three reviews on DineOut....
Anyway, it wasn’t quite wine o’clock, being 12noon, so I stepped inside for a treat. Beautifully friendly staff, eager to explain the dishes and offer advice – I couldn’t resist the  thought of lamb cooked in a conical tagine pot, a ‘Traditional lamb tagine’ but wanted to start with a taste of the northern Sahara by slurping a Harira, Morocco’s famous tomato & chickpea soup seasoned  with fresh coriander, parsley, celery & spices. This delicious, spiced up sensation came with grilled pita bread triangles and was a brief and satisfying chickpea focussed  step into North Africa you might say.

The lamb was an interesting dish of manifold flavours, succulent and sure without being overly bold, with an unmistakable Middle Eastern sauce boasting the hot wind of the desert, the smell of the bazaar and the essence of age-old customs. A more than passable lunch on a spring afternoon. All for little more than $21.00

 

 

Elegant Urban Gorilla

Gorilla continues to lustfully beat its chest and bat its eyelashes to lure us all into its warm and cosy Ferrymead domain. Whether you’re cachucha-ing in the tightly packed carpark or simply looking to satisfy a gastrocolic tickle, this establishment is certainly terrific tipple and tapas territory. A perfect place to indulge a plethora of edible fantasies whilst whetting your whistle with wine, water, beer or whatever.
Jonny Schwass’ new menu offers just as much, if not more, excitement and creativity than before; it’s so easy to enjoy a mini banquet, a veritable cavalcade of diverse bite-sized dishes designed to satisfy your needs, prime your pump and prepare you for what may lay ahead.
In so many respects the modus operandi and the method of delivery, you might say, represents intelligent eating, a welcome departure from the oft seen mounds of food piled up on overly large plates. Here, you can enjoy variety, challenge your tastebuds, one flavour-infused morsel at a time, stretch the imagination and enjoy a South Island wine in the process. As small as the restaurant space is, it is not always conducive to intimacy as the noise from other diners does resonate through the room.... especially if there are liquored-up tables of 6 nearby! But let it here be stated that if you seek the company of the regions bon vivants, lashings of good cheer, cheffed-up fare and a touché d’elegance then I will see you at Gorilla!
We were a small party but, my God, did we eat! The temptation to splash out and indulge in Jonny’s sometimes quirky but always quintessentially quality-based quadrumanous-friendly quenelles or succumb to a surprisingly, scintillating & sprauncy scroggin for beer drinkers was an irresistible force.
With great care not to appear like Neanderthals we kept our hands in pockets, heads lowered and voices muted as we ordered a fantastic spread.
Enter the ‘Charcoal Bread with Hummus” – just perfect to begin our gourmandising. In quick-fire succession came the aforementioned scroggin thingee then Lamb croquettes with mint sauce(more, more!), mushroom risotto, rolled, crumbed and fried, marinated vegetables with goat’s cheese whip......so good, so good, so good.
In between sips of selected South Island wines....Black Estate Pinot Noir, Pegasus bay Merlot/Cab Sauv....various members of the party, with evidence of their fine schooling and proper upbringing on display, politely consumed ‘Fush and Chup, mushy peas, tartare & lemon’, ‘roast beetroot & goat’s cheese’, ‘brocolli, butter & almonds’, ‘mash with roast garlic & chives’.....more Lamb croquettes and goodness only knows how much more. I’m afraid I lost track, it was such an eventful experience.
Gorilla radiates a warm welcome, provides its guests with very good service in a fashionable environment that offers not only something quite different to the everyday but an effusion of taste and flavour that every hominoid (and you are definitely one of those)needs every now and again.
Even if you are one of Gerry Brownlee’s “carping and moaning Cantabs who buggerises around on Facebook all day” it would behove you to give in to those primeval urges to eat, and eat well, by visiting Gorilla for a feed. Oooh, ooh, aah, aah.

Transfixed in the Spell of Excellence

The name of this central city Hamilton restaurant unflinchingly and unselfconsciously  takes your mind  to the 1962 Burl Ives  ballad, Chim Chim Cheree. I suspect that’s quite possibly where any connection ends!  Chim-Choo-Ree doesn’t need any  help to boost its appeal; it stands proud and confident in its small and snuggly position along the main drag of this vibrant North Island metropolis, offering a casual cafe atmosphere with smart, reassuring service and creatively presented food of a refreshingly high standard indeed.

Various acquaintances had recommended Chim-Choo-Ree and so it became the chosen one on a night when I found myself passing through this oft derided younger sister of Auckland. There’s a small town feel to Hamilton with its main street, each side dotted with restaurants, cafes, bars and one or two retail outlets. Admittedly I was there after dark so didn’t manage to see any of the city’s parks, gardens and other public spaces of which I am sure there are many.

We were late in but this was not an issue with the staff and our welcome was noticeable for its genuine warmth. Pinot Gris(Peregrine 2011) to drink accompanied by an exquisite, delicate, palate pleasing amuse bouche settled us at our table with an understated flourish of style, a cherishable moment at the end of a day of travelling.

Bulging, semitransparent and splendidly ambrosial, the rice paper rolls offered a cornucopian escape from reality, a brief but satisfying sashay into tastebud titillation with a strong confidence and fine finish.

It was time for another drop from what was a well put together selection on the wine list, with choices from Central Otago & Martinborough. How could I pass over the opportunity for a swirl, a sniff and a swallow of another of Peregrine’s palatable pedigrees, their pinot noir, described by they themselves as “elegant and bright with aromas of dark cherry and spice. A layered palate of wildberry and blackcurrant fruit combined with a lovely texture and fine tannins.” I couldn’t have put it better myself and how well this wine paired with my main course of lamb rump, so magnificent in stature on the plate, an ovine Olympian so perfectly cooked and hirsute with a bold, verdant toupee of herbs so effectively escalating the excitement with a stunning essence of visuality and vitality. The tender touch of the meat as it passed my lips and graced the very foyer of my person forecasted what was to come for my tastebuds. A fine balance of unmatched flavour and earth-given textures, a celebration in so many ways.
What could one do? Sit, transfixed in the spell of excellence, albeit for a fleeting moment but in the knowledge that a craftsman of cuisine is alive and well in Hamilton today.

It Ain't half Hot Mum...

It matters not that the ‘driveway’, the only route into and out of  Sumner, is lined with a two storey wall of shipping containers and the hills overlooking the area are pockmarked with houses in various stages of ruination; the very essence of this seaside village remains undamaged and as charming as it ever was, its underlying character jubilantly intact. In the depths of winter you will almost certainly see a wetsuit-clad surfer emerging from the waves, you will always enjoy enhaling the salt seasoned air, and the eclectic slopes,smooth and jagged, steep and gentle, sheltering this almost sleepy haven provide something undeniably  special.

Indian Sumner Restaurant, resembling a modified Kiwi bach but with an almost Ghandi-esque lack of pretension, a welcome simplicity, a funkiness and the intimacy of a small space with its wooden battened exterior and rickety presence colourfully enhanced by the motifs, wall hangings and imagery sets the scene so effectively.

Even the menu jumps up at you with a joyful, spicy exuberance, its bright yellow, orange and red colours instilling an exciting sense of preprandial expectation, not unlike, I am sure, the aim of the new wave of sensory restaurants in the world, where colour, music and mood are the drivers. This popular, well managed little enterprise follows through with striking confidence by offering a strong and tempting range of very reasonably priced dishes that do not disappoint in the eating.

At $13.00 the Posht, “tender pieces of lamb cooked with poppy seeds and spices”, was earnest and earthy with the spices beautifully complementing rather than overpowering the lamb. As a table of five we shared a selection of dishes, as one does in these situations, the Roghan Josh always a favourite and well executed in this instance. The Saag, with the accent on spinach, is always one of my choices and all the elements of flavour were present, in proportion with no one ingredient overshadowing the other. Spinach in an application like this is a sure winner and worthy of your attention if you’re dining here. There was Mango Chicken and a Madras, both enjoyable additions to the collective plates, pulao rice, poppadums, mixed pickle, various Naan breads, beer and wine. What is always surprising when Indo-dining is the ability of what seem like very modest servings to satisfy quickly the pangs of hunger, leaving, more often than not, the eater seriously replete! A simply irresistible prospect on a cold winter’s evening.