The Preservatory, Fendalton

The Preservatory, as many of you will know, has recently reopened on  Holmwood Rd, Fendalton, in a brand new building housing a florist, a Cookshop, Boulangerie and dairy. What bothers me, however, is that it may have lost its Mojo; there is a sense of despair at the seemingly unfinished fit-out of the interior, the lack of any point of difference, a sort of pervasive soullessness that leaves you wondering.

I realize that this place is now the number two location for this business, with the Preservatory’s catering now being undertaken on Sir William Pickering Drive out near the airport and, no doubt, their café a step up from what we can see in Fendalton. They are clearly not at all interested in ‘catering’ for the locals anymore and this is evidenced, in my view, by the early closing times, the lack of trading on Sunday and the minimal fare on offer. As the one and only café in the suburb of Fendalton a little more effort could have gone into this enterprise. It has about as much charm as a factory cafeteria. Even the dairy next door has invested in a grunty new espresso machine because, I suspect, so many people are disappointed to find the P closed more often than not.

For all of this you must know that it is still eminently possible to find good food and stimulating, flesh-tingling coffee a la Scala in this establishment.

A mushroom, asparagus and strawberry salad drew me in and favoured me with  cooling flavours;  a subsequent cabinet concoction, bacon & cheese panini not quite so fulfilling or in any way as inspiring. The hope is that some of the fabulous fare that the Preservatory used to have in its old store will return to tempt local palates. After all, it’s at least a 10 minute fast walk to the nearest competitor.

Ocean Cafe & bar, Sumner Waterfront, Christchurch

Looking for love? You might find it on the beach in Sumner but don’t get your hopes up. It seems that online dating is all the rage nowadays!

However, the chances of finding real-life, tangible food-related happiness when promenading along the Sumner waterfront have increased immeasurably since the changing of the guard at the little café by the clocktower.  Scarborough fare, as it was previously known,  underperformed notably for a number of years but new owners have renamed it Ocean Café & Bar.

The difference in service was immediately apparent to me as I laid claim to an outside table, expecting then to have to line up at the counter inside to select from the menu and pay for my choices before returning to sit down.

I believe the new owner is a lady named Jules ; she exuded confidence and possessed a natural, friendly disposition, making me feel very welcome. She took my order at the table and advised that the ordering procedure was one of the first changes she made on taking over in November. I was, of course, as  pleased as punch… paying up front before receiving a product, especially a consumable one,  has never excited me.

A pot of English Breakfast tea was just the ticket in the mid morning sunshine, and delivered with a smile and some conversation – this lady was a natural and is the type of individual who should be in this business, he boldly states after such a brief encounter. She had success written all over her…

The menu is simple and easy, with the usual café fare but that’s ok as that is all some of us want after a brisk walk around the bay; the five star fare can wait until later in the day.

Eggs Benedict with salmon and spinach, the last mentioned a side or addition because I love the stuff so much. Do you blame me? Of course not, it’s an exceptional vegetable by all accounts.

I’m always on the lookout for some point or points of difference when dining at a new place and although I have mentioned, nay laboured, the proprietor’s bedside manner above I do need to advise that the salmon portion in my breakfast was tantamount to an act of exceptional benevolence on the part of the restaurant. A beautiful chunk of the  Omega-3 superstar graced my plate and what a change from the packet slices of salmon so often used in cafes.

As I watched the cyclists glide by, their muscular minutiae overtly visible for all to see underneath their hard-packed spray-on lycra skins, the surfers out in the cold southern waters and the hoi poloi on hoof along the walkway,   I luxuriated (yes, it’s true, I love the word and use it often for that reason)in the great lake of gratitude for being in such a paradisiacal place in the world. Be there or be square.

Terrific Tomi's Tantilising Jap Restaurant

Smack me with a wet fish! Now that I have your attention I can tell you about  Edgeware’s newest restaurant. Tomi’s Japanese is at the carpark end of the micro mall known as Edgeware Mall, opposite the famously successful Sema’s Thai Restaurant and next door to the equally well respected Corianders.

I was screaming along Sherborne en route to Placemakers Cranford when I espied this urban newbie, where once stood a café or two,  each as unsuccessful as the other. It is never a comfort to any of us who love food and the people who cook it for us, to see an eatery fail but so many do.

Tomi’s may be different and I hope it is to be so. This newly fitted restaurant is run by “Joe”, his wife and his father-in-law, all Japanese – thank God for that – and the essential point of difference is that Joe is a person passionate about wine and in possession of more than a modicum of knowledge and commonsense with respect to that liquid. His FIL can do the business on the plates, so to speak, and if my brief early evening encounter is of any value as a judgement, they have, collectively, hit the spot.

My food was beautifully complemented by Joe’s recommendations (even though I am, I must admit, a trained sommelier in my own right) and although the portions were small in size they suited my need to lose weight and lead a healthier life! Damn it man, I’m revealing too much!

You are assured of a warm welcome at this place. There’s three staff only, all owners! The décor is smart, polished wood, clean as a whistle, light and bright. If you’re a lone diner, and I suspect there will be many from the plethora of motels along Sherborne, you can sit along the ‘bar’ with a most excellent view of the chef plying his trade.

A sauvignon blanc wasn’t out of place to begin my meal on this 29 degree day and the seaweed salad with a sprinkling of corn, cucumber slices, radish slivers, lettuce and a luxurious sesame dressing gambolled about the plate without a care in the world. No fiscal cliff worries here….

With near perfect timing Joe appeared with some fried pork and cabbage dumplings and an elegant glass dispenser filled with soy vinegar sauce; at this point I must advise that the plate held more than just the dumplings – there was colour added in the guise of lettuce and more – a nice touch! The dumpling s themselves were fine – I’m not a committed fan of fried dumplings as I much prefer steamed or boiled but these were very good nonetheless and I am sure you won’t complain if you order them.

What I was holding out for, of course, was the sashimi as this dish is one of my favourites. The essence of natural presentation, freshness, palate pampering taste and exudation of core flavours is hard to beat anywhere on a table. In this instance there were twelve pieces, each arranged in its category and type, succulent in play and proud of the moment, ready for to make the ultimate sacrifice to satisfy the predator…me.

With artistry and aplomb on the plate the sashimi was offered, its allure as intoxicating as its physical presence and the eating as fine as the palate can imagine.

I can see myself returning for more in the coming weeks and months. It seems to me that Joe ‘s interest in wine is such that should suggestions be made by discerning customers about extending the wine list ( which already has representation from Germany, France, Sicily, Australia and New Zealand..and more)he may well agree.

It’s early days yet, of course, but the quality of restaurant fare available in inner St Albans (Edgeware) has been immeasurably improved by the opening of Tomi’s.

As always, don’t take my word for it, try it for yourselves! I might see you there.

St Asaph St Kitchen & Stray Dog Bar

I’m the ultimate stray dog! Believe it or not I wander, sometimes aimlessly, from one café to another, leaving dirty dishes and clogged up cutlery in my wake. I’m sure many a waitress has mouthed obscenities at my back and wished to administer a sound larruping to my person as I have hurriedly scoffed down the day’s offerings and scurried out the door in search of the next bowl of ‘scraps’.
The St Asaph St Kitchen & Stray Dog Bar doesn’t exactly jump out at you like a barking dog; it’s tucked away on all fours, set back off the road just before the intersection of St Asaph and Manchester at a point where motorists are likely to be focused on the traffic lights. However, if you’re lucky you’ll find a parking space nearby and be able to pop in for a fine time…
This, my second lunch at this establishment, was marked with disarmingly charming service from my table attendant and swift delivery of my simple, more than adequate repast. A pot of English Breakfast Tea is not to be sneezed at and should be taken with a relaxed demeanour, a thirsty throat and, preferably, at least one friend.
Follow this up with one of a number of gullet-gratifying gems and you will immediately relegate the deep-seated pain, suffering and thought of Boxing day sales, car park chaos and trolley-filled trinkets to another dimension.
Smoked salmon on scrambled eggs with a couple of carefully cut squares of toasted Turkish bread might not fill your belly after the excruciating stomach stretching of Christmas Day gluttony, but this little portion, this mere scrap you might say, was just enough to help me along the way to the much desired post-festive stomach shrinkage….
Beautiful scrambled eggs, delicate slivers of rolled up salmon and the aforementioned tidbits of toast were well suited accompaniments to the pot of tea – and all for little more than $20.00.
Woof, woof.

Bacon, Bread and More at Brigitte's of Merivale

There’s no doubt that the well known lines “we seek him here, we seek him there” apply to the quest for good coffee in Christchurch as so many of us seek to rescue ourselves from the guillotine of caffeine deficiency most mornings of the week. May I suggest that we in Christchurch are blessed with more than anyone’s fair share of excellent coffee houses, constant supplies of superb coffee beans and some of the world’s best baristas. It is, however, a constant dilemma as to just where to take one’s coffee on any given morning and the perfect espresso has thus far eluded capture. Choices, choices!
As luck would have it I found myself on an insanely early Papanui Rd perambulation a few mornings ago and was more than surprised to find nothing in the way of open eateries. Why should there be? Everyone in the area has a kitchen and a coffee maker…of the highest quality! However, I kept walking and as we all should know – time solves all of mans’ problems – and by 9am I was back in Merivale passing the doors of Brigittes in Aikmans Rd. Voila! The doors were open, the espresso machine whirring, spluttering, hissing and spitting and customers were filing in. After the pleasure of ambling through the quiet, manicured streets of St Albans, Fendalton and Merivale I was counting on Brigittes to deliver to my table nothing less than a supremely drinkable coffee and a shockingly unhealthy breakfast to complement my bad habits.
And so it was…..
The long black with its thick, luxurious crema beckoned with aromatic confidence, its taste comfortably within the zone of satisfying acceptability; the full breakfast, astonishingly, set my heart racing as, after the night before (you all know the feeling) I was in the market for fatty Kransky snags, cheap, packaged hash browns and the more uplifting spectacle of beautifully poached eggs, quality bacon rashes, large, red, grilled tomatoes, earthy, charcoal-coloured flat mushrooms(flats) and a side of fresh spinach.
Not quite reeling with ecstacy but nonetheless rather relaxed and happy, I tucked in to my hearty portions, enjoying it all on what was a beautiful, clear, warm and sunny Christchurch morning in Brigitte’s sheltered courtyard. There’s something about these big breakfasts that always seems to appeal on a weekend morning. Maybe it’s the sensation of all the textures and flavours – meats, fungus, greens, eggs, bread, fruit. It seems to work for me….
For all of that let’s not wax too lyrically about something as culinarily challenged as a basic big breakfast as there’s nothing inherently special about throwing all the aforementioned ingredients onto a plate. However, tis the combination that makes it what it is and it is essential to ensure the eggs are poached with skill, the tomatoes grilled just right, the mushrooms moist and retentive of flavour, the sausages fatty and oozing and we won’t mention the hash browns…or should that be ‘harsh browns’. Brigittes did a good job.
Now, where to tomorrow?

Dux Dine - Christchurch

Like everyone else I am partial to a cold glass of beer on a hot day, avec barbeque, or without. The intense guttural relief of beer in gullet cannot be explained in mere words, rather by promidial, Stone Age grunts, deeply expressive  sighs of satisfaction and the mangled, highly spiritual notes of   post-deglutitious  paeans.

A romantic notion perhaps, but isn’t that what drives us all to seek out the pleasures of the flesh, in particular those delights offered by way of food and wine…or cold beer?

Richard Sinke and his team may very well have understood these sentiments when deciding to  revive something of the spirit of the legendary Dux by sniffing out an old villa in Riccarton just ripe for renovation. With the careful addition, into the culinary cauldron, of  a spoonful of style,  considered use of indoor space, welcome parking, ample outdoor dining spaces and a menu that works, the owners have managed to draw the crowds and invite favourable comment thus far.

As  with most cafes and restaurants of note in the west at the present time you need to call in advance, book, make a reservation, all six of one and half a dozen of the other to forewarn the management that you and your curmudgeonly lot are wanting to impose your blessed selves on the other diners. Seating, morning, noon and night, is at a premium.

Reminiscent of former times you still must queue to place your order from the blackboard menus, pay and retreat to your table. The waitress who brought our drinks over stayed with us, so to speak, throughout the meal, accepting reorders of drinks and additional food. It worked well and exempted us from having to jostle for position in the long queue which would have been an irritating inconvenience and possibly even  a huge disincentive to return. We were not singled out for preferential treatment as a flock of costumed  waitresses  attended to the random food and drink  needs of all the tables, as much as I could see.

A cold Dux Lager was a fine start to my dining experience and, “because I’m worth it”, I championed the cause by having a second; after all it was a hot afternoon.

While others at my table picked away at Semolina flat bread, Caesar salads and fried calamari I gently spooned in luxurious mouthfuls of seafood chowder, scooping out the delicacy of the two small clams floating on top and savouring the rich consistency of the broth.  

Glasses of Coopers Creek Syrah, with  hints of spice and modesty of body, were enjoyed by all and certainly complemented the Massaman Curry I had for a main, providing a pleasurable flow to the afternoon and loosening up the tongues of my four scintillatingly charming guests. The curry itself, resplendent with spiced tofu, baby carrots, cucumber, bean sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and more, sat comfortably with those of us who had it, notwithstanding the heat of the day.

Whether you’re in shorts or a skirt, this smart/casual restaurant is a place to consider if you’re looking to dine with colleagues or friends. Like so many of the former inner city eating houses that are reopening in slightly changed form, Dux Dine and its operators bring to your table years of experience, tried and tested food options and a relaxed sense of style. It works…

 

 

Sarhad Food Kitchen & Restaurant, Attari- Wagah, India

After immersing oneself in and enjoying the almost comical entertainment and eccentric showmanship with 10,000 others, of the spectacularly uniformed Indian Army officers who carry out the carefully rehearsed Wagah-Attari border flag lowering ceremony, there is no better way to end the evening than to retreat to Sarhad, a mere 1.5km back along the road to Amritsar.
Easiest access is to drive against the traffic on the wrong side of the multi-laned road for the final 300 metres as otherwise you will have to go a long way indeed to find a break in the median strip. Fortunately this is not an uncommon procedure in India, where it seems anything goes on the roads. Oncoming traffic will simply move to the side of the carriageway to let you through – very polite behaviour I must say.
Sarhad was highly recommended to me by an Indian man in Singapore; he insisted that if I dined anywhere in Northern India it had to be at this restaurant. The restaurant celebrates the Amritsar – Lahore connection, dating back to the pre-partition days of Punjab, suggesting in its menu that it offers customers a “unique fusion of Indo-Pak food and culture. You can now enjoy Lahore food without going to Lahore!”
My driver and I knew we had to allow several hours out of our frenetic schedule to dwell on the blissful culinary offerings, bask in the fascinating architecture, appreciate the duplicated Golden Temple style floor and patio tiles and reflect on this intriguing part of the world so close to the only gateway from India into Pakistan. It wasn’t hard to do as the day’s sunshine had warmed the patio tiles to a pleasant temperature underfoot, the still night air was beautiful and balmy and the restaurant staff were ready, willing and able to serve us well.
It was a chilled, salted Lassi to start followed soon after by Lahori Mutton Chops and Lahori Chapli Kebabs, both dishes giving up their tenderness and succulence, sizzling with spices to maximise their appeal and coat the deserving tastebuds with the influences of the region. A special moment.
Nihari Gosht, yet another Lahori special according to the restaurant manager, wasted little time in jostling with the Papads (poppadoms), Lahori Naan, Mixed Vege Raita and Vege Biryani for pride of place before us. What interested me about food throughout the Punjab was the ability to detect individual flavours in a dish that, at first glance, looked just like an Indian curry on a plate. The skilful addition of ingredients at the right time in the cooking process and the timely sprinkling & blending of spices and herbs essential to ensuring the integrity of taste is maintained are quintessential procedures guaranteeing palatal satisfaction. It is no wonder that Punjabis have been successful purveyors of food around the world for many decades. Theirs is a masterful combination of culinary history, passed down through the generations, access to an exceptional, enviable array of herbs and spices and an innate ability to extract the best out of what they have to work with.

Soiled Seats in Sector 35

In Sector 35 of Chandigarh City there are more than enough nondescript eating houses and, quite frankly, many more beyond even thinking about. Appearances in South-East Asia can be deceptive and what often looks like a restaurant worthy of one’s custom turns out to be the stuff of nightmares. Fortunately Shangri-la Plus at No. 324, Sector 35-B wasn’t at the seriously horrendous end of the scale but did leave much to be desired.
The seating was plush, in an Indian kind of way, the decor ornamental, tablecloths white and starched with red overcovers, the lighting subdued and we had the place to ourselves. Little did I know at the time but there was a large downstairs area in the basement, similarly fitted out and full of evening diners. Nevertheless, the apparent lack of fellow diners in our part was of little concern.
I used the torch facility on my cellphone to read the menu and the periphal light glanced upon the upholstery of my seat and that adjoining to reveal what can only be referred to as filthy discolouration. This was offputting but this is such a common thing in India (and indeed in parts of China) that you just have to put up with it as every seat is equally as scummy! The months and years of food, oil and other spillages on these seats leaves them in a very soiled state and, of course, we Westerners who like things to be just right for us when we’re paying to dine, find it hard to comprehend why a restaurant wanting to attract customers would refrain from picking up some spray-on upholstery cleaner and cleaning up. Or better still call in a contractor who, in probably less than three hours, would do all the upholstery and leave everything looking rather delightful!
The filthy state of both the interior and exterior of most of the buildings in Chandigarh, especially the stairwells and lobbies, was explained to me by a client I visited in the first days of my time in India. He told me that building and business owners won’t spend money on such things as painting, cleaning etc as they don’t need to. Customers will not stop coming to their premises just because they’re disgustingly filthy. Work that one out for me please? It is especially interesting given that the cost of labour is so outrageously low in India that you could employ 20 people to work for days scrubbing and painting for no more than a handful of coins. Remarkable state of affairs.
Back to the Shangri-la Plus – notwithstanding that it was considered winter the temperatures were still in the mid to high 20s and a Southern Man like myself has no choice but to keep his cool by indulging in ice cold beer, Kingfisher beer of the very strong and potent variety. Somewhere between 5.25% and 8.25% according to the bottle.
The entree of pork dumplings was enough of a meal in itself and suitably well presented but regrettably the casings tasted like, and were the consistency of, warm cardboard. Who knows what the provenance of the filling was....
Up next was a Lamb and Onion Chilli dish which was straightforward, spicy, just a little on the greasy side, a tad chewy but altogether passable. Finally, an enormous bowl of Chicken Fried Rice which, as you will see in the photograph, was bursting with variety. The rice was not at all gluggy, not too dry, very adequately cooked and a more than reasonable representation of this dish.
Oddly enough my Indian dining companion ordered me a Diet Coke to finish off with – after I’d had several of the aforementioned Kingfishers. I noticed on the bill later that this was described as a Diet Cock....and on that fowl note here endeth the tale...

Mao's Family Kitchen, Beijing

It is no secret that I tend to see China through rose-coloured glasses and, for this reason, seem always to find fantastic reinforcement of these views.

My business partners had booked me into a basic, no frills hotel, part of the Orange Hotel group, in the south-west, close to the third ring in Beijing and so naturally I had to explore the area as my previous experiences had  been in Chaoyang and Sanlitun.

It was a chilly late November evening and my cheap, market jacket was an absolute blessing! Not more than 200 metres from my hotel I saw an impressive stone building with what looked suspiciously like a restaurant on the first floor – I could see diners through the upstairs windows and also what looked like elaborate chandeliers. In I strode.

As is so often the case I was met by three beautifully dressed, beautiful Chinese girls who greeted me with exceptional smiles. One escorted me upstairs to the wide open space of the restaurant and the Maitre d’ took over to usher me to my table in this great dining hall. A glance about indicated a mezzanine type internal balcony that ran around three sides above with many private dining rooms leading off. The décor was stunning, very oriental and in a perfect state of maintenance.

The menu arrived, a large, bound book of colourful photographs, dishes described in Chinese as well as English and a ‘beverage’ list, the latter featuring Chinese wines, beer and an impressive selection of exotic cocktails and spirits as well as mocktails and many other non-alcoholic drinks.

Strangely enough I chose a Coconut juice and followed this up later with local beer. There are fundamental risks in drinking Chinese wines as the industry is awash with contaminated wine as well as fake wines so better to avoid completely!

Being confronted with an extensive menu boasting both exotica and universally well-known dishes makes the selection process difficult. It’s true, I was dining alone on this occasion but I didn’t want this to impair my wide-ranging tasting experience so I lashed out, ordering far too many items from the menu, much to the concern…or was it amusement….of the waiter and the other floor staff. However, I pressed on with my intentions and began with Pork and Scallion(spring onion) dumplings, a filling meal on its own, suitably whetting my appetite for boiled, shredded bean curd in chicken soup, a delicate, soft expression of melting taste, the bean curd noodles so absorbent and smooth, soaking up the chicken fat infused liquid of the soup. All this complementing the sprinkling of greens and the firm texture of the prawns.

A plate of BBQ pork in honey sauce tossed me back to meaty heaven  again, so sweet in its honey coating, so tender and beautifully cooked, artfully presented and so much appreciated.

Vegetables (and seafood) always feature prominently in Chinese dining and the selection in restaurants is invariably a salivating lineup of highly desirable delights. One of my all time favourites is Garlic beans – the green string bean variety – these are seen everywhere and are simply addictive. For me though, at Mao’s Family Kitchen, it was to be Iced celery and three other dishes,  organic Ginseng Leaf with sesame, “Signature baked pumpkin” and “Hot & Spicy Mandarin Fish”. Of course, I merely sampled each of these as even my stomach has limits on its ability to hold more than an average amount of food in one sitting. Nevertheless, I managed to experience what I believe was the closest thing to a non-sexual orgasm, my senses singing with utmost joy the praises of food prepared by people from a culture so ancient and so well practiced in the art of culinary excellence. These foods celebrated their individual flavours, they boasted unselfconsciously their heritage and made their culinary statements with dignity and poise. Jumping across the table from a chopstick of iced celery to the other end of the ‘musical’ scale, hotly spiced fish, was exhilarating, each conveying its taste with certainty and confidence. The fish was as fine as any I have tasted in China, its inner flesh so thoroughly agreeable to the palate.

“Sauteed flank beef with baby cabbage”, as you can see in the accompanying photograph was also creatively plated and the skill and care extended through to the taste – 15 evenly cut pieces of succulent beef, bite-sized and exuding a sweet yet powerful grandiloquence so seductively enhanced by the soft bed of greens below.

My salute to one of my favourite cities was to order the BBQ pork puff, Hong Kong style. Finger-sized bites of bliss, sweet Eastern sensations with tantalizing black and white sesame seed coated pastry jackets, small tidbits of pork within and enough to add pleasure aplenty to an already exceptionally joyful evening.

I finished with more Chinese beer (usually only 2.5 to 3.5% ABV) as coffee was unavailable.

For your edification and information I list below a few other items from the vast menu; you may like to try these when you are in Beijing and can find this restaurant.

Tasty jellyfish head; Signature smoked duck tongue; stewed live sea-cucumber with Aweto; braised Yajian shark’s fin with brown sauce; live sea cucumber in clear soup; diced foie gras with lettuce; stewed Dalian abalone with yellow fungus and cashew; Signature original duck blood; grilled pork intestine; braised yak meat with paste; Signature donkey shank; bullfrog in stone pot; simmered turtle; baked fish head; pork heart, liver, sausage & streaky pork West Hunan style; catfish in white soup; beef tripe and shrimp in hot chilli oil; shredded eel with sizzling oil and yellow pepper; Australian lobster (seen a lot in China); Australia Wagyu beef

Middle 8th Yunnan Restaurant, Sanlitun, Beijing

Be inspired! Easy enough to say but where is the impetus? My post India diversion to China took in the great megalopolis Chongqing before the economic prize and pride of the Orient, Beijing, became my base for more than a week.
Many of you will have been to Beijing many times and you will know, as I do, that there are so many hidden dining pearls in the Hutongs, down dimly lit alleyways and just about anywhere you can imagine - even in major hotels!

Local knowledge can be enormously valuable and I have oft relied on a Cantabrian in the food business in Beijing to throw interesting suggestions my way. Relying on Concierges at Western hotels is of little use as they have no personal experience dining at top restaurants other than in their own establishments; this time around my contact suggested I immerse myself in Yunnan Cuisine at Middle 8th Restaurant in the vibrant Sunlatin district (Where, incidentally, the NZ Embassy has relocated while renovations are being done at its usual location).

No selfish, self-serving foodie can avoid being moved by the aromas this restaurant thrusts under the nose and the tastes it massages the palate with; indeed, the sheer authenticity offered so far from home (Yunnan Province, SW China) is excruciatingly beautiful and gloriously delicious. As with so many quality restaurants in China the menu is, in itself, a spectacular & substantial, beautifully bound sacristy of pictorial wonder aided and abetted by textual content that does not fail to sweep the lucky consumer along on a journey of half-crazed delight.

It was close to 9pm when my companions and I swung in through the entry to be greeted by the expected immaculately dressed female staff, ushered to a table sumptuously beautified with gleaming glassware, spotless linen and deeply upholstered, “ may I lie down and meditate” bench seating.

It took us more than twenty pre-prandial minutes to digest the menu, explore the many and varied options and contemplate the extent of our adventure.

The Crispy chilli roasted pork – described simply as “Baby pig and sweet chilli” was important to keep the fat content coming in and add ever more necessary spice to our ‘reach for the skies’ lives. Some thought it might put a bit of lead back in to respective pencils but I think that’s beef’s forte….
Next, bring on the wild herb medicinal soup – yes, it may seem less than exciting with the word ‘medicinal’ in there but the very essence of Yunnan food is its connection with the earth, its love affair with roots and herbs and the everpresent damp, tropical nuances that prevail so longingly in that deeply southern, earthquake-prone and mountainous region. I know well that the restorative and recuperative powers of Chinese medicinal herbs, present in many foods and soups, is an endearing attraction especially when coupled with indescribably beautiful flavours that make the heart literally sing.

Sauteed top grade beef tenderloin with wild Porcino mushrooms found instant favour with me and my fellows. I admit we often use the words soft and succulent when talking about fine cuts of beef but these words do convey well the sense of the food. Mushrooms are everywhere in Yunnan and the Chinese are the consummate masters of Fungi fun and finesse; if you like these most exotic of foods then this is for you. So many mushrooms, so many distinctive differences in taste and flavour, so many ways to maximize the delivery and elevate the appeal of this exceptional food type.
Still on the subject of fungus – a very pungent Shrimp paste omelette with black fungus is a heart-stopping, show-stealer that may not appeal to everyone but it had strong, wet earth influences, evocative of forest floors, water-logged clay, dripping leaves, even flood damaged carpet steaming in the sun. This was a dish of, again simply, scrambled egg with black fungus and salted shrimp paste. Never, ever, underestimate the power of a few well chosen ingredients to combine and make magic.

Mud Chunk Tiramisu was our little tribute to decadence and a chance to indulge in something creamy, soft and luxurious before finishing off with cups of Pu’er Tea, aged for 8 years. This is one I won’t forget and hope to return when next in Beijing.

Fisherman's Wharf, Lyttelton

It seems only appropriate that Lyttelton, being a port town, should have its own dedicated seafood restaurant. Sadly, the latest attempt at providing this at 39 Norwich Quay falls far short of a boastable standard. I don’t like to be the castigator of small businesses but I’m firmly of the opinion that Fisherman’s Wharf Seafood Eatery & Bar has opened its doors too soon, certainly before ensuring staff are trained to a level above the bare minimum standard, a wine list with more than almost nothing on it has been established and a menu representative of fine southern waters is drawn up.
I was under no illusion that this eatery was anything other than a fish and chippery with casual dining options; notwithstanding this, the view across the port was quite splendid, the seating comfortable and roomy, the atmosphere heaving with activity as the staff scurried in and out of the open kitchen. The potential exists for this establishment to work well for the owners but someone needs to take charge of the operation and bring it together as a well-oiled, working machine. At the moment the staff seem to be charging about in all directions, each oblivious to what the other is doing. Guests are left wondering whether they will be offered another drink, whether cutlery will appear on the table, which of the handful of wines on the tiny wine list is still available – several were sold out on the night we visited.
The menu offers a choice of chowder, mussels (spelt muscles on the menu), scallops, seared fish(freshly caught), salmon, crayfish and prawns as well as a chicken and a beef option.
The seafood chowder was mediocre and was presented with what seemed to me to be a cheap Pak n Save type bread roll, sliced up; what’s wrong with that? Nothing in essence except it further dumbed down the experience for me.
My seared fish of the day, Groper, was a fine enough specimen, as fresh as the morning breeze, but the taste was dominated by the charcoal coating; the plate was adorned with a salad of tomato, lettuce, onion and capsicum and a sizeable handful of fried chips – to reinforce the casual nature of the place no doubt.
In defence of the owners of Fisherman’s Wharf it should be conceded that it is not easy to recruit wait staff in Christchurch at the moment and, in some instances, even harder to train those you do manage to get, but this cannot and must not be used as an excuse for poor service and fundamental operational mistakes, omissions and oversights. The difficulties in hiring staff should not in any way, shape or form become the restaurant diners’ problems. You have to roll out your red carpet for your guests at all times and without fail as the competition for the private discretionary dollar is fierce in this town and shortly to become more so as many more restaurants and cafes open their doors.
This restaurant, I’m told, is in partnership with Pegasus Bay Fishing Ltd, and so has the advantage of access to freshly caught fish on an almost daily basis. This, I would have thought, is an enormous opportunity to deliver something quite special to us all; giant platters of smoked, seared, fried and raw fish perhaps? Interspersed with prawns, scallops and crayfish, fresh salads, bright yellow lemon wedges and cold beer…..or champagne. Casual eatery or not, I’d pay handsomely for such a dish.

The Great Governor's Bay Hotel

You might think that midweek in Governors Bay is a place of solitude & quietude but there’s action aplenty in the kitchen of the Governors Bay Hotel; in fact, should you require above average sustenance served in thoroughly agreeable surroundings with a damn fine view straight down the harbour then the sprawling deck out the front of the hotel beckons.
Sit down, as I did, albeit inside, with a fetching presentation of balsamic Portobello mushrooms filled with pistachio & feta, adorned with cherry tomatoes & roasted pepper coulis. Follow up with an eminently slurpable Bouillabaisse, so rich, so complex and organoleptic, its effulgent sheen the very picture of indulgent palatability, the seafood, fennel and chorizo offering up such lingering goodness and smooth graciousness.
Before, after or in between don’t miss out on further edible salvation by neglecting to sample the Duck Liver pate, an arresting blend of Cointreau, cornichons, cherry tomatoes and relish with a flick or two of delicate herbage for good measure.
Couple the above with an Ataahua merlot and you could end up as pleased with yourself as I was. The weather was being its difficult self when I visited but if you pick a sunny, windfree day you will get the best out of the deck dining in the comfortable looking chairs and, as mentioned, an iconic, enduring Lyttelton harbour view.

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