Miscellaneous Food: New Zealand Part 3

I apologise for the long wait in between posts - it's been one of those weeks, or months, rather, at work. Thankfully, there'll be a bit of a breather before the next onslaught, and hopefully I can catch up on a few more posts.

Day 5: Napier

Lunch

Before we knew it, it was Day 5, and we were in Hawke's Bay - arguably New Zealand's wine capital. I had originally planned for us to arrive in Napier just in time for lunch at Fox on the Quay, a restaurant by the bay that promised "fine food, casual dining". Unfortunately, I had forgotten that it was a Monday, and, as a result, the restaurant was closed. While we did manage to lunch somewhere else nearby, the food was pretty mediocre, and quite a disappointment after we had been looking forward to a good meal.

Nonetheless, that was quickly forgotten after an entire day of wine-tasting at two artisanal wineries, as well as at Napier's flagship winery and vineyard, Mission Estate, which rounded off with a lovely tea spread of crackers, pate, cheese, and chutneys.

Fox on the Quay
14 West Quay
Ahuriri, Napier
Hawke's Bay

Dinner

I'd researched where to go for dinner when in the Napier area, and one recommendation which came up a few times was Terroir, the restaurant of the Craggy Range winery in Havelock, about 30 minutes' drive out of Napier.


It's easy to see how the Craggy Range winery acquired its name: it's nestled up against the most gorgeous mountain range which, in addition to being picturesque, must also do wonders for the micro-climate, and probably explains why Craggy Range consistently produces top-quality wines.


The winery itself is also beautiful, housed in muted, earthen colours of tan and sandstone. Partly because it was dinner time, and partly because of the location, there was a great sense of serenity, sobriety even, as if this were the altar upon which prayers to Dinoysius were answered, as opposed to the location of Bacchanalian delights.


Terroir, the restaurant, is no less visually impressive, with a magnificent fireplace in the centre of the dining room, the chimney of which also serves as the central pillar holding up the vault of the ceiling. The wooden rafters and beams give the appearance of a huge oak tree spreading its branches, in keeping with the restaurant and winery's terrestrial, natural feel.


Unfortunately, the food did not live up to its surroundings, with the meal beginning with S's starter of mille feuille of marinated oyster mushrooms and caramelised garlic vinaigrette. Although the puff pastry was delightfully light, the oyster mushrooms had been marinated in white wine or verjus, leaving them sour and unnatural. For $21.50, this left a rather unpleasant taste in the mouth, both literally and figuratively.


My Provencal fish soup, coloured with saffron, flavoured with Pernod and served with rouille, croutons and Gruyere cheese, was better, and certainly came in a generous tureen, but I thought it could have been richer and headier; though I suppose I was asking for it, ordering a fish soup in a restaurant called "Terroir".


The woodfired fish of the day was a sole, served with fried potatoes, aioli and a preserved lemon. By this time night was beginning to fall in earnest, hence the poor quality of the remaining photos. The portion was far too large for S to finish, though she did like the potatoes.


My seared lamb loin, served with a cauliflower puree and a red pepper, olive and caper salad, was enjoyable, which was unsurprising, considering how good New Zealand lamb is. However, in contrast to the size of the fish, I thought they could have served a larger portion of lamb, even allowing for the fact that loin cuts are generally the pricier parts of the animal.

We were very full and very tired from the wine-tasting, so we decided to forgo dessert, but I was more than slightly disappointed by what Terroir had to offer. While the food wasn't bad (perhaps with the exception of the mushroom millefeuille), I suppose I had expected rather more as a result of the ambience and reputation. Perhaps, when it comes to food and beverage in Napier, I might just stick to wine.

Terroir
Craggy Range Winery
253 Waimarama Road
Havelock North
Tel: +64 06 873 0143

Day 6: Taupo

Lunch

After Napier, it was time to head back North towards Auckland, and the end of our journey. All good things come to an end, but that was no reason not to get a few good meals out of Taupo, which was our next stop.

Like the city of Rotorua nearby, Taupo is dominated by a massive freshwater lake that is larger than all of Singapore, and that was sufficient excuse for me to make a reservation at the Waterside Restaurant, a pub facing the lake and its boardwalk, where we could put up our legs and enjoy watching people go by.


Since we were having a fairly late lunch, I didn't want to ruin my appetite for dinner, and so I had a tiger prawn and calamari salad, with a coriander, chilli and citrus dressing. Again, a surprisingly Asian-influenced dish, but the prawns were nicely pan-fried, and the squid was fresh and tender. I didn't quite enjoy the crispy "nest" that sat atop my salad, but apart from that, it was a nice change of pace from all the meat I'd been having.


S's fresh pasta was infused with fresh basil oil and tossed with warm bacon, baby spinach, sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese, which all added up to quite a substantial meal, but it was refreshing nonetheless.

Waterside Restaurant
3 Tongariro Street
Taupo 1128
Tel: +64 07 378 6894
Website

Dinner

Fishing is a fairly heavily-regulated activity in New Zealand, which was somewhat surprising, as I didn't think over-fishing would be much of a problem given the ratio of people to landmass.


With a huge body of water conveniently located right in the centre of town, water activities feature quite prominently on the list of tourist attractions in Taupo, and for a not inconsiderable fee to cover boat rental and fishing licences, tourists can be taken out onto the lake to try their hand at fishing for trout. Lake Taupo is home to two species of trout, the rainbow trout and the less commonly seen brown trout, and, as both are closely related to salmon, they make for very good eating.


Serious anglers will not, however, find fishing on Lake Taupo much of a challenge - using sonar, the boat crew take you to spots where trout are in abundance, and they set up all the fishing rods (affixed to harnesses so that you don't even have to hold them), and all you really have to do is reel the catch in.


In all, we manage to catch two trout that were of regulation size, but we had to give one away since there was obviously no way were going to be able to eat them both.


After the catch has been netted, one of the crewmen kills the fish by striking its skull with a pair of pliers, before slipping it into a plastic box where the fish, if it isn't already dead, suffocates its way to a slow and agonising death - so really the pliers are kinder.


When your time is up, or when you've decided you've had enough, your fish are gutted, cleaned and placed in plastic bags. If you return to land before 4pm, there is a good chance that you can smoke any excess fish; otherwise, you'll just have to bring your catch to a local restaurant that is willing to cook it for you, which is not really that difficult, since my impression was that just about any restaurant in Taupo offered such a service. The one we chose was Plateau, a contemporary bar-restaurant close to the lake (so that we wouldn't have to travel far to drop off our fish), and close to our hotel (so that we could get back for a shower and return to the restaurant just in time for dinner). More importantly, it had also been rated as Taupo's top restaurant by TripAdvisor, so I had high expectations (I really, really did not want them to ruin the very fresh and expensive trout).


S's seared diver scallops were beautifully plump and golden, and artfully decorated with rocket leaves and asparagus shoots. The earthy, slightly bitter asparagus and rocket perfectly matched the buttery nuttiness of the scallops, which were firm and tasty.


I chose a quail dish, which involved a leg of quail that appeared to have undergone a poche-grille treatment, as it retained a bit of blush despite being brown on the outside and cooked through, and served in what I believe was a mushroom consomme containing both sliced shiitake mushrooms and mushroom tortellinis. Once again, it felt distinctively Asian, but it was an enjoyable, light appetiser nonetheless.


Of course, the trout was the main event, and the restaurant certainly did justice to it: the trout had been stuffed with rosemary and lemon slices, and baked on a bed of zucchinis and celery. As if that weren't enough, it was also served with generous portions of mashed potato, which was some of the creamiest I've ever had. Although I'm not normally a big fan of fish, the trout was so fresh that it was impossible not to enjoy this. The flesh of the trout was salmon-pink, and so delicately smooth that there was barely a need to chew, and the melange of vegetables not only provided a brilliant colour contrast, but also tasted fantastic.


Alas, although our efforts were valiant, it was simply impossible for us to finish the entire fish.


However, as there is always space for dessert, we decided to share a white chocolate and vanilla panna cotta, which was a little too firm as a result of the white chocolate, and I thought the strawberry sauce was too syrupy, but otherwise a sweet ending to a staggeringly filling meal.

I was very definitely pleased with the food Plateau had to offer, and thought that it in fact was probably one of the best restaurants of the entire trip (together with the French Cafe), although I was only able to regain consciousness the next day.


Plateau
64 Tuwharetoa Street
Taupo 3330
Tel: +64 07 377 2425
Website

Day 7: Auckland

Dinner

Sadly, we'd come to the end of our journey, and, after braving an incredible three-hour traffic jam, it was time for one last meal in Auckland (technically there was breakfast the following day before our flight, but that doesn't really count), and I had already secured a reservation at Cibo, a trendy restaurant which was clearly the place to be seen on a Friday evening, because the restaurant was absolutely packed.

I was somewhat concerned when I noticed that many of the waiters were dressed in what floral shirts, sporting horned-rimmed glasses and pointed shoes. I have nothing against fashion sense per se, but I hoped that Cibo wasn't simply all style and no substance.


With a dish like "New Age gazpacho with stuffed baby vine tomatoes pickled spanner crab roasted garlic pannacotta and tomato essence", one can see why there was cause for worry. The dish was as pretentious as it sounded, with a number of discrete ingredients each vying for attention in a discordant cacophony of colours and tastes. It was not, of course, a bad dish; the baby tomato stuffed with spanner crab and the tomato essence, were actually quite nice, although I was rather less fond of the garlic panna cotta. The main problem, however, was that the separate components of the dish simply did not deliver a composite whole.


S fared better with her starter, though, which was a black sesame crusted tuna with crispy shredded duck and cashew nut salad palm with sugar dressing, although she did note that she could not taste the duck in the salad.


My main course was a char-grilled Angus pure eye fillet with red wine braised ox cheeks and a beetroot relish gremolata, which sounded pretty delectable, and indeed, the red wine braised ox cheeks were meltingly delicious, with a intense flavour of beef and red wine. Unfortunately, the restaurant had overcooked my fillet, and I was not at all impressed that one of the floral-shirted waiters attempted to convince me that this was because I had chosen to eat my beef cheeks first. He did, however, have the decency to concede that even if the beef continued cooking while it sat on my plate, it ought not to have been that overcooked, and I was given a new, properly-cooked steak within a short time, with no less than two apologies.


Sauteed prawns with caprino and chervil tortellini, served with toasted pinenuts and golden raisin butter with shaved pecorino were S's choice of main course (technically a starter, but she requested for a main course portion), and, notwithstanding the elaborate list of ingredients, looked like a very enjoyable and technically competent dish.


For dessert, we settled upon a compressed Valrhona cocoa with chocolate sorbet, milk chocolate mayo, sesame toffee and nut crisp. An elegant dessert, this was easy to enjoy, and we polished it off in fairly short order.

Cibo
91 St George's Bay Road
Parnell
Website
Tel: +64 09 303 9660

Miscellaneous Food: New Zealand, Part 2

Days 3 and 4: Rotorua

Lunch

Day 3 saw us driving into Rotorua, a quaint but surprisingly touristy city, where we had lunch at Relish, a laid-back, friendly cafe along Tutanekai Street, also affectionately known as "Eat Streat" due to the number of restaurants packed in one row.


The king prawns in S's salad seemed small to me, but they were fresh and crunchy, and dressed simply with some crisp salad leaves and soft ciabatta slices.


My chips were somewhat under-fried, as they were a rather pale off-white, rather than the beautiful shade of golden one would normally associate with chips, but otherwise my grilled sirloin was tasty and meaty, shorn of any distracting sauces and with only sweet roasted tomatoes as an accompaniment.

Relish offers simple lunches at decent prices, and their dinner menus look tantalising, so I was slightly disappointed that we couldn't come back for an evening meal.

Relish
1149 Tutanekai Street
Rotorua 3201
Tel: +64 07 343 9195
Website

Dinner

That evening, after a spot of rather lacklustre shopping, it was off to Bistro 1284, a highly decorated restaurant that has consistently been voted Rotorua's best restaurant, and that is frequently lauded for the quality of its lamb and beef.


So it was with some puzzlement that I regarded the starter: squid with Asian greens and a sweet chilli dressing, steamed in a bamboo steamer. It wasn't bad at all, but there is simply an ineffable incongruity at having such an Asian-influenced dish in what is, essentially, an upmarket meat house. It's like going to a curry house and being served foie gras and oysters.


Dining mishaps continued through to the main course, though this was mainly my fault: I'd got greedy and ordered a duo of lamb and beef, served with asparagus and bearnaise sauce, thinking that that would give me two bites at the award-winning meats. Unfortunately, the two cuts of meat were downsized, making it difficult for full justice to be done to them.


S, however, was very happy with her main course of twice-cooked pork belly with spiced apple relish, chilli and coriander rice cake, which was no surprise, as it balanced the tenderness of the pork, the sweetness and tang of the apple relish, as well as the spice from the chilli and the coriander, very deftly.


Desserts at Bistro 1284 looked a little uninspiring, however, so we decided on a change of scene, and landed up at Ambrosia Restaurant & Bar (1096 Tutanekai Street, Rotorua 3010, Tel: +64 07 348 3985), where we ordered the very last chocolate pudding, which was a fairly substantial affair, a dense and moist cake served with chocolate ice cream, a dollop of fresh cream and some blackcurrant sauce.

Bistro 1284
1284 Eruera Street
Rotorua 3201
Tel: +64 07 346 1284
Website

Breakfast

The next morning we got up bright and early to go white water rafting, and we decided to have a big breakfast before setting off, so it was back to Eat Streat, and a lovely cafe-restaurant named, appropriately enough as we were the only ones there at 7 in the morning, Solace.


For some strange reason, even though the size of portions during lunch and dinner is not remarkable, New Zealand breakfasts are enormous, and a solid breakfast is often more than sufficient to tide you through to dinner, unless you have a robust appetite. My stack of pancakes with banana slices, whipped cream and maple syrup was delicious, but oddly came paired with some rashers of bacon, which apparently is also what they do in the US. Oil and fat simply do not mix very well with sugar and fruit, so I can't really understand the logic behind this.


S had a nice big breakfast with buttery toast, fried eggs, and creamy mushrooms, and served with sweet grilled tomatoes. A rich, hearty meal that ensures you start your day with plenty of energy; enough, for instance, to tackle the Grade 4 rapids we were soon to encounter.

Solace Cafe
1111 Tutanekai Street
Tel: +64 07 349 1551

Dinner

After a good three or four hours of rafting, we showered and freshened up, and got ready to head out to dinner. I had made a reservation at the Aorangi Peak Restaurant, as all the reviews promised fabulous views across Lake Rotorua, but I was quite concerned at some of the photos I saw, which revealed tacky 80s decor and crockery. I was afraid the food would be equally dated, and wondered whether I was making the right choice, particularly as there were still so many unexplored restaurants in town along Tutanekai Street.


Being located atop a small mountain does, however, have its advantages, such as being able to watch the local wildlife play and gambol amidst the lushness. We saw rabbits, a herd of deer, and even a stately bull make their way across the meadow that was located just beyond the restaurant's boundaries.


In addition, the restaurant has a pair of friendly alpacas that wander freely about the grounds, and which diners can feed (remember to wash your hands afterward) - I imagine they must be a hit with children, and adults can take in the spectacular view on the veranda, where there is a small gazebo which is, presumably, used for weddings, given the amazing vista of all of Rotorua laid out below.


In terms of food, however, the restaurant had some decidedly bizarre offerings. I do not believe I have, for instance, ever had a duck confit as an appetiser. Although the duck had been suitably slow-cooked, the skin of the duck had not, however, been adequately crisped up in an oven or on a stove, and as a result the skin, instead of being delectably crispy, was somewhat limp and soggy. The salad was fairly fresh, but could really have done with more dressing.


S's starter was even weirder - sushi in a Western restaurant? It reminded me of an episode from Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, and I didn't take very much. It wasn't that bad though, and it was the closest thing to Asian food we'd had in a while.


S's fish filet looked much more traditional - floured and fried, served with a white cream sauce and some vibrantly coloured vegetables for contrast.


I, on the other hand, had gone the whole hog (or duck, rather), and ordered a duck breast as my main course, which turned out to be a mistake. Not only was it rather excessive to have duck for two consecutive courses, the kitchen had also decided to give me a second drumstick, in addition to the breast meat. This may have been in compensation for overcooking my duck breast, because I discovered to my dismay that it certainly was not pink, but a rather dry shade of brown.


Dessert was supposed to have been a chocolate fondant, but the liquid chocolate was far too thin, making it a far cry from the familiar, comforting molten chocolate cakes we so often take for granted.

Notwithstanding the spectacular view, therefore, the restaurant presented more misses than hits, although I suppose it is no doubt a romantic getaway on a Saturday night, or a fun outing for families on a Sunday afternoon.

Aorangi Peak Restaurant
353 Mountain Road
Tel: +64 07 347 0036

Miscellaneous Food: New Zealand, Part 1

The end of the year is always the annual high point, not just because it brings year-end bonuses, and presents, but also because it means holidays, and holidays mean vacations, and vacations mean getting the chance to try food in other countries.

This year, we decided to go to New Zealand, which, thanks to commercials for Anlene milk powder, is famous for having "more cows than people". With produce in such quantities, good food can't be hard to find. Our holiday was limited to the North Island; specifically, it was to be a driving holiday, setting off from Auckland, the biggest city in New Zealand and - according to The Economist - one of the best places to live, before heading down to Waitomo to spelunk and black water raft in some glow-worm caves, and then off to touristy Rotorua , with its sulphurous geothermal pools and historic architecture. After some wine-tasting in beautiful Napier, and trout fishing in lovely Lake Taupo, we're back in Auckland and ready to head home.

Although I had no hand in planning that exuberant itinerary, I did take responsibility for planning where we were going to be eating at each stop. I discovered that, despite the amazing abundance and quality of fresh produce, New Zealand cuisine has still not yet come into its own in the same way Australian food has, and there was only a handful of restaurants to choose from off TripAdvisor or Chowhound. In addition, I was surprised to learn that food in New Zealand is, on average, actually more expensive than food here. Of course there are no superstars like Guy Savoy who will charge you your right leg for dinner, but we were generally spending between $75 to $100 per person on dinner (1 NZD = 1 SGD), and even breakfasts were around $20.

Still, one mustn't complain about the cost of a holiday when they come by so rarely, and it makes much more sense to write reviews of the restaurants we went to.

Day 1: Auckland

Dinner

Our first meal was dinner in Auckland, and I thought we ought to start on a high note, by dining at one of Auckland's best restaurants, the French Cafe. Located at the end of a very long Symonds Street (we rather foolishly began at the wrong end and spent the next half an hour trudging down the interminable road), the restaurant is quite a swish affair, with dark leather seats and a well-heeled clientele. Reservations are absolutely necessary, especially on weekends, and we were forced to move to the bar to have our dessert as we had made a fairly last-minute reservation, and had to relinquish the table quickly.


The food definitely displays a classical background, but with updated techniques and interpretation. My starter of gazpacho jelly, for instance, was layered with imagination: feta cream at the bottom, with a chilled, lightly-gelled soup of fresh, clear, concentrated tomato essence on top, in which slivers of red bell peppers and sliced green beans hung in suspension, and finally a ruddy, ice-cold tomato sorbet, into which a thin olive wafer had been inserted. Amazingly refreshing on a summer's evening, with a melange of flavours and textures, I thought this was easily one of the best dishes of the entire trip.


S also enjoyed her starter of seared scallops, topped with some smoked bacon and drizzled with a cauliflower cheese and basil sauce, served in a beautiful scallop shell. Rich, tasty, succulent scallops are always a treat, and I was feeling quite pleased with choosing the French Cafe as our first culinary stop.


S's crispy roast duckling, however, was a little bit of a let down, as it seemed that the kitchen had decided to take the familiar "duck a l'orange" and give it an excessively Asian influence. As a result, the sauce was spiked with mandarin orange juice, a solitary, overcooked bak choy lay bedraggled and limp on the plate, and the entire dish was infused with a rather cloying sweetness. This was our first encounter with New Zealand cuisine's strange penchant for "orientalising" their food, a practice that I find detracts from the flavour and integrity of the dish. The duckling, having less fat than a full-grown duck, was also less moist and a little tougher than roast duck. The sweet potato mash, at least, was good.


Fortunately, my main course of pink roasted lamb, served with roasted artichoke hearts, wild mushrooms, truffle butter, spinach and rosemary rose to the occasion (although I was not sure where the spinach featured) - sweet, tender lamb, served with a rich, buttery sauce, offset by the taste of the soft, delicate artichoke hearts.


Dessert was also magnificent, notwithstanding our having to move to the bar to have it. A small but decadent chocolate souffle tart, served with a cream ice cream and a slice of orange to cut through the sinfulness, was a lovely way to end off the meal, and the perfect welcome to New Zealand.

The French Cafe deserves its reputation as one of New Zealand's finest restaurants, and a trip to Auckland is not complete without a visit.

The French Cafe
210 Symonds Street
Eden Terrace
Auckland
Tel: +64 09 377 1911
Website
(Closed on Mondays)

Day 2: Waitomo

I had originally planned for us to have dinner at HUHU Cafe, a stylishly modern restaurant that has garnered rave reviews on TripAdvisor, but sadly I discovered that the restaurant was completely booked for a private event on the one night we were going to be in Waitomo, so we had to make do with dinner at a neighbouring town, where the food was uninspiringly poor, and best not put into writing.

HUHU Cafe
10 Waitomo Caves Road
Waitomo Caves 3942
Tel: +64 07 878 6674
Website
(Closed on Mondays)