The Williamson - Grey Lynn, Auckland

April 2013

The Williamson
With loose change in my pocket, a rental car with a hot, traffic-beaten engine and no GPS, I stumbled unknowingly on a café in Ponsonby whilst gracing the City of Sails with my presence three weeks ago.
The tables on the footpath and the imposing presence of the light brick, early 20th century building with a bell tower caught my eye, as I was looking for a lunch spot, any lunch spot that wasn’t on a busy road or crammed full of patrons.
The Williamson looked a likely target and in I rushed; joy of joys, only two others inside and a couple on the footpath! What’s more, the free WiFi enabled me to happily fiddle away on my laptop and check all manner of inane messages on Twitter, on my battery-life challenged not-so-smart Smartphone.
I wasn’t expecting a culinary ‘high’ at this café but sensed that good home-style fare with a dash of flair might be available. The cabinet was comfortably stocked without being impressive, the espresso machine hot and boasting its beany aromas and the two guys behind the counter keen to oblige this customer.
I’d fled a series of less than inspirational meetings in Mt Albert to seek out a simple lunch, with no particular type of food in mind. I was an open mind with an open mouth, ready, willing and able to be tantilised. Even something traditional and simple in its execution, presentation and taste might suit….and so it was!
Mince on toast with an egg on top. Don’t you just love it? I did and it was a dish I hadn’t had in a long time, many years in fact, the thrill of loading the hot, tasty mush of mince onto the soon-to -be soggy toast a cause of considerable inner excitement. This was like a belated breakfast fix and came with an espresso that delivered every bit the slap and tickle I expected. A second coffee was entirely appropriate as I wanted to linger and not only infuse the caffeine but also soak up the atmosphere well evident in the old firestation, the heavy beams overhead, the original old station doors and the polished concrete floors below…….a delight for this post-earthquake, historic building starved Christchurch resident.
An hour later I was back on Dominion Rd hoping I could find my way back to Mt Albert then onward to Manukau & my evening Air New Zealand flight south.

The Lakehouse Restaurant - Ashburton

23rd April 2013


The Lakehouse Restaurant
What a romantic notion the thought of a lakehouse can be. One conjures up images of something special on the shores of a lake…a place where one can do nought but relax and take in the views, suck in fresh country air and luxuriate far from the push and shove of the daily grind. Lake Hood, near Ashburton, boasts its own restaurant which sits on the banks of this 80 hectare, man-made yet very attractive waterway.
Modern, spacious and known for its excellent local and regional food, the restaurant has often been a potential dinner destination but, alas, always a bridge too far for me. I am invariably dashing past or through Ashburton en route to Otago or wherever and haven’t ever factored in a stop. Naughty boy me!
The great love of my life just happens to be a helicopter pilot and she recently insisted that we should fire up the engines of the ‘44” and fly down, with friends, to Lake Hood for dinner one warm and balmy late summer evening. How could any self-respecting, female-helicopter-pilot-loving man refuse an offer like that? And so it was….
The run across the Canterbury Plains is nothing less than truly uplifting…in more ways than one…..and the patchwork of paddocks a brilliant expression of the tidiness of modern farming! The wonderful thing about helicoptering is the relatively low altitude one flies at; this is fantastic from the snoop value point of view as you can see just what is going on in every backyard. Not that I ever meant to pry…
Back to the story. Arriving at The Lakehouse is easy as they have a suitable expanse of lawn at the side of the restaurant tailor-made for a smooth landing.
Inside, the quality of service is immediately foretold by the warm welcome extended by the Maitre’d. Our table was in the great chamber of the main dining area, offering views to the lake, fine settings and a menu one can warm to instantly.
Champagne for some of us (not the pilot of course), fresh Bluff oysters ( a dozen no less and at a mere $35), wild Atlantic scallops with crispy bacon, warm house bread & dips – entirely adequate to start and each presented lovingly by the lovely mother hen waitress. A pinot gris, a Riesling and a Pinot noir soon found their way onto the table, all welcomed with a gush of joy and sipped with commensurate appreciation.
I have never liked the term “Signature Dish” but, that opinion aside, the restaurant does have two damn fine Siggy dishes, “A Trio of Wild Game” and “Oceans Trio O’ Fish”. This was no flight of fancy for me as I knew the reality was that I would be eating the former, wild fallow venison rump, rare, wild pork and wild goat fillets all hunted in the Te Anau, Milford area of the South island. Such unspeakably fine provenance! Add a cluster of roast gourmet potatoes, Kumara rosti , a smattering of greens in brilliant verdancy and tasty tasting tubs of wild condiments. How much you ask? A gift at $42 – can you believe it?
Wild game is not for everyone but if you want to experience a distinctiveness of flavour, quite unlike your traditional fillet steak, a strong, gamey taste you might say, but exuding the essence of the mountains, the spirit of the Southern Alps, the raw ferity of undomesticated, un-farmed natural meat then give it a go!
Alongside the roast potatoes and the indigenous Kumara, coupled with the clean & naturally refreshing green leaves, the meats in all their chunky, mountainous magnificence, were tamed ever so slightly to offer a culinary ride worth taking. Paired with a smooth and complete Merlot to soften the rough edges the experience was more than palatable and certainly memorable.
In spite of the somewhat lackluster reviews this restaurant has attracted in recent times my own experience was far from mediocre. My thanks to the chef and the FOH staff for a good job all round.

Beach Bar Sumner

21st April 2013


Beach Bar
My dinner engagement with a retired, “onion-goggle-wearing” Regimental Sergeant Major and his extended family on the occasion of his birthday was nothing short of a spectacular excursion into the alluring warmth of euphoria; with irrepressible wit and wearing the cloak of the unforgettable bon vivant, the host played well-practised tunes of delight through the evening on his instruments of choice, hilarity & loquacity.
In between the multifarious frivolities we took time out to eat and drink! This venue, now the Beach Bar, has had a number of former lives and, notwithstanding its unique location on the very sands of Sumner Beach, has historically failed to inspire the accolades that other, less well-located rivals, have attracted. In other parts of the world restaurants in such prized spots seem to fare better…
With a name like Beach Bar the first thought is that the drinks are likely to be the essential driver of this business with food coming a clear second. I’m still trying to ‘get my head around’ this as I’d have thought the daytime/lunchtime trade in this location would have predicated a focus more on food than alcohol. The bar that greets one on entry is certainly a major feature of the establishment and there are comfortable couches for arrivees to congregate on and about before going further. The outside deck, wrapping around two sides, is wide and inviting providing the wind isn’t blowing and the weather summery as opposed to wintry.
Deeper into the interior space one finds tables set up for the business of eating and all have a view as they are sited at the sea end of the building. We were a challenging table of many, and even had two Australians with us, so a test for the chef and his team of servers.
A broad range of items on the menu were ordered by all throughout the evening along with a bottle or two of wine, more than a modicum of beer, water, and non-alcohol juices.
Shared entrees will often work well with a group as each diner is able to sample, across the board, what is on offer. This presupposes that a cross-section of food is ordered. We nibbled on House baked ciabatta & rye bread with marinated tomato, extra virgin Olive oil & garlic butter,
Grilled artichokes & marinated olives, “Skargen; Germany's take on the prawn cocktail, yummy prawns on toast!” and Salmon gravlax with sauce remoulade & crispy capers. The grilled artichokes were especially enjoyable, a brilliant way to eat this popular thistle species, with the remote expectation that their aphrodisiac properties, always in the mind, will work…
My main course, described on the menu as, “Aged Angus sirloin on wasabi potato puree with edamame, soy mushroom, radish, fried lotus root & shiso cress “ was a mere $28, an entirely reasonable cost in today’s restaurant pricing for a main. Of course, as in many establishments these days one is always tempted to add a side, just to bulk things up a little or perhaps because the thought of a little something extra and tantalizing is too good to resist. …and so, roast carrots in Orange & Lemon butter… all of the above, side by side at first, intermingled second then, lastly, eaten with relish. An excellent array of flavours, the beef, beautifully cooked, tender and rare, the potato puree with hints of wasabi, the radish, mushroom and lotus tastily helping with the show and, always a favourite in taste and appearance, the edamame arranged in a pebbled path across the plate. Combine this happy, jiving medley with roast carrots infused with flavours of orange and lemon and more than a modicum of satisfaction is guaranteed.
Happy birthday Brian!

Maruia River Lodge and Cafe

17th April 2013

On the road to Murchison there lies a pleasant surprise for the thirsty and hungry traveller. Be you a cyclist, a motorcyclist, a motorist, a truck driver or an alien visitor from another planet wanting to experience true South Island hospitality, you may well find what you want at the Maruia River Lodge & Café. I have thundered past this upmarket property many times in all manner of craft, chariots powered by petrol, diesel, human grunt and heaving lungs but it is only very recently that I spotted a sandwich board advertising café……
Naturally enough, as a person whose daily existence is defined by the consumption of food largely from other peoples’ kitchens I had to stop and investigate.
The temperatures were high on the Mercury gauge and the infamous West Coast sandflies were rampant in their desire to take blood from my veins. Nonetheless, I was intent on sitting outside on the verandah, beneath the ivy (or was it Wisteria?). The management kindly supplied a range of spray on insect repellents, gratis, which, when liberally applied to the exposed skin, worked marvelously well.
Green tea was the order of the day, with a dockworker-sized ham and mustard sandwich, garnished, nay, blessed, with an assortment of garden- sourced goodness. This simple, worthy recipient of my mealtime attention was delicious, filling and was made for me while I sipped my tea - Home baked bread of mouthfilling chunkiness through and through, thick slices of local, flavoursome ham and bright salad ingredients. More than this, though, the service was genuinely friendly, helpful, professional and in keeping with the quality and standing of the Lodge. I felt I was being ‘looked after’ very appropriately during my 45 minute stay.
The venue offers superb accommodation, spectacular evening dinners boasting middle to upper South island produce, a good wine selection, outstanding river and mountain views and complimentary WiFi if you need to check your emails……or Skype a friend!
My visit was a lunch snack-stop only but I resolved to stay longer on my next trip through the region in the hope of experiencing one of the much-talked-about evening meals……and the Brown Trout fly-fishing in the Maruia River is claimed to be the very best in the country.

Herb Centre Cafe

16th April 2013

After a morning of meaninglful but unhelpful property-related mess-ups, I suddenly found myself in the Garden of Eden….on Kilmore Street. The cares of the world, well, my world anyway, were swept away by a gentle puff of wind and my position beneath the healthiest of teenage fig trees secured for me a state of unassailable contentment. Not more than 100 centimetres from my right elbow two plump, flighty bees were going about their most excellent business amongst the violet blue flowers on the Rosemary bushes, paying no attention to me whatsoever. I felt at home in such a welcoming, peaceful environment and was given more reason to exclaim my happiness when the gentle Autumn sun floodlit my table in a gracious sign of acceptance.
In a short while, my overworked and tragelaph –like body was to be appropriately disciplined with a strong espresso, the very Switch of pleasure it could be said.
The Barista and waitress, a talented girl from Germany perhaps, swished by with a second espresso, its grasp so compelling, its crema so comforting, its taste a tribute to the Switch brand. Next came my reward for not sinning as much today as I did yesterday – café romance! Yes, a fantastic, fresh and wholesome, cheerful gallimaufry of salads and individual vegetables, each vying for the honour of opening the Opera, handing me the Engagement ring, singing from the mountaintops…..
There was Carrot & beetroot, home made potato salad, lettuce, bean sprouts, radish, cucumber, broccoli, herbs and spices, wild rice and an Indian rosti with a cheeky chutney. The colours, so full and fecund, refulgent and beautifully elemental.
How can I not return for more of this passion amidst the midday madness, roadworks, cranes and cacophony of stapleguns in contemporary Christchurch?

Hippopotamus

APRIL 2013

Hippopotamus
God moves in mysterious ways or so I was once told by an aspirant to the Papacy. I have dined at some of the world’s very best restaurants and have long since accepted that the Almighty, believe it or not, must have a hand in the kitchens of more than a few of them.
Standards vary and peoples’ perceptions of what represents good service differ from one culture to the next; in New Zealand we have relatively low standards of service and, as a general rule, mediocre levels of culinary creativity. Some in the Kiwi gastro community wonder if this is why we have never managed to get a nomination in the S. Pelligrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants……
My own view, firmly held, is that we do have some truly worthy superstars in New Zealand who day after day deliver electrifyingly sensational, saporous offerings of edible personality, spun with an artistry hard to find in the world at large.
And so to Hippopotamus, one of Wellington’s treasures for the gourmet, powered along by the efforts of a well-schooled team overseen by Executive Chef Laurent Loudeac. This was not my first time at this restaurant but on my frequent visits to the Capital I have striven to find the time to get a lunch or a dinner in.
Entering the Museum Hotel is like leaving the fiction of life behind for the truth of Art in all its forms. The dinner guest is blessed at once with the expectation of seeing, up close and personal, magnificent, original artworks on resplendent display throughout the groundfloor spaces.
On Level 3 of the hotel is to be found Hippopotamus Restaurant, exuding Parisian glamour and opulence in décor, boasting an exquisite menu, far-reaching, carefully compiled wine list and impressive, much-valued supererogatory service overseen by Maitre’d, Frenchman Timothy Lepoutre.
A delicate sampling in the form of an Amuse Bouche of salmon & caviar shared with a glass of Louis Roederer Rose (2007) was a perfect way to glide into the evening and await les entrees -
“Tortellini de Kikorangi sur poireaux a la crème” and “Tortellini d’escargot et puree de petit pois”. The attention to detail and the surprisingly eye-catching presentation of both these dishes offered immediate gratification, eminently followed up by gentle waves of subtle flavours so finely embedded in the whole.
The Granny Smith crackling and the walnut crumble in the first mentioned dish were true examples of this.
Our experience continued with perfect pauses between courses and a range of wines that included Rene Mure Riesling, Trinity Hill Viognier, Banyuls, Elderton Shiraz(2009) and 7 glasses of CP Lin’s acclaimed Mountford Hommage A’L’Alsace(2009), all over a period of 5 hours and, of course, interspersed with numerous litres of water.
The main courses, or Les plats princpaux as described on the menu, offered some exciting prospects and for me it came down to a choice between two beef dishes, the “Beef fillet with braised beef cheek pithivier, braised beef short rib, horseradish soufflé & mushroom jus” and the “Rib of beef with béarnaise, hand cut fries & sautéed green beans with shallots.” With the beef fillet, my choice, came a side of green beans tossed in butter with a walnut and feta crumble, another beautiful example of careful, creative presentation coupled with flavour matching to offer top line taste sensations. Encounters with such harmonious combinations of exquisite food, plated so alluringly and joyfully and truthfully trumpeting a gift of worshipful flavours engender a desire for immediate, heartfelt genuflection.
A glass of Banyuls, four fine French cheeses from the well-stocked trolley and a truly comprehensive explanation of each from our waiter, Antoine. Comte, an ancient, salty, complex, nutty cheese so delightful to start the closing stages of a fine dinner. Follow this with none other than a camembert from Normandy, a delicate, charcoal ash covered Valencay and a lovely, gracious Roquefort, the pride of the Massif-Central.
Fully relaxed and thoroughly satisfied we adjourned to the elegance of the harbour views, the agreeable countenances of stuffed peacocks and the prospect of good coffee and a further tipple or two in the Hippopotamus Bar.

Ratanui Lodge, Pohara

The pursuit of excellence is alive and well in Pohara, Golden Bay. To some a most unlikely place for such an activity but we all seek and find places in the world where we want to offer the best of ourselves to others, in our fields of expertise. Of course, you all know I’m writing about food and on this occasion I’m going to discuss Ratanui Lodge, an elegant lodge by the sea in a special part of New Zealand. Their essential, prime focus might be on the accommodation but I can assure you they do the restaurant part of their business with enviable skill and attention.

I was one of the fortunate few who dined there on Valentine’s Day, 2013. A very exciting menu, impeccable service and attention to detail made this a memorable evening, an unblemished standout for me.

Visit eatdrinkandwrite.com and look at the photos of the food, so carefully and exquisitely presented, so delicately arranged and so completely satisfying in all respects. A credit to the talented kitcheners out the back in the restaurant’s engine room.

We arrived and were welcomed by a smartly dressed Maitre’d who ushered us to a comfortable setting close to the bar; drinks were served and we knew we were not going to be rushed.

Waimea Dry Riesling 2006 was our poison of choice and helped us to enjoy the romantic hugs of aromatic honey and fruit leading us into temptation and a night of culinary joys commensurate with fine dining.

A set menu for Valentines Day sat well with us and we were ready for some pampering so a start of Gazpachio in an elegant bowl set the standard with style and grace. Every spoonful cooled the palate and brought dashing smacks of taste to the buds, delighting other senses in the process.

Follow this with a “Gently rubbed tenderloin of venison with blackberry jus & potato mash…and fresh local seasonal vegetables.” Sounds innocuous enough but let me tell you that the venison was an unequivocal expression of faith in this meat, a beautiful, memorable culinary contribution by the chef to the culinary world. High praise – yes, but entirely earned and warranted.

Presentation was pleasing to the eye, with long and solid beans, rough hewn splits of carrot and heads of broccoli sprouting up here and there. Very appealing indeed.

A bottle of Coopers Creek Chalk Ridge Syrah brought some of the Hawke’s Bay heat, black pepper and full body to the table in an admirable effort to complement the finesse of the rare flesh and embolden the vegetable accompaniments. It did so with aplomb.

The chocolate hearts took our hearts and cradled them with love. These were stunning representations of decadent tidbits, as predominantly alluring in taste as in appearance. Very fine indeed. Paired with Seifried Estate Sweet Agnes Riesling 2011, a tribute to local vignerons and a very good choice in every respect. Exceptional quality, stone fruits  a luscious presence with a good, lingering finish. I was happy, without doubt, and am certain you would have been also. Beautifully prepared food can be wonderful on its own but so often the experience can be immeasurably enhanced by matching a good wine. Think about how you can make every meal a masterpiece! Don’t forget – your body is a temple and requires a regular top up of  altar wine…

I will return.