Lauraine’s blog
1 July 2012
I have known and admired David Thompson for years. Eaten at Darley St Thai when it was in Bayswater Rd Sydney, eaten at Nahm in the Halkin hotel in London, attended several memorable cooking demos he's done in Auckland and Melbourne and even ambitiously cooked for him at a dinner at my house a few years back. So here we were at his Bangkok restaurant Nahm in the cutting edge Metropolitan Hotel and he was not there, sadly.
But his food was. And after all these years I think I finally understand just what Thai food is all about - not one iota like anything I have ever been served in Auckland or any other Thai restaurant that doesn't have David's stamp on it. His amazing staff mentioned David with revered tones as they explained our meal. We began with an array of tiny bites, every single one an intricate and delicate masterpiece. My favourites were airy open roll of airy, thin pastry not unlike a taco shell filled with shards of tender pork, and the soft young betel leaves to be rolled around a complex and fiery minced mixture of meat, nuts, and a thousand other tangy flavours.
But it was the main course, all served at once as Thai food should be, that really inspired me. Probably two large spoons of rice, to be eaten with tiny spoonfuls, one at a time, of a veritable and balanced banquet that was served neither hot nor cold. Very civilised and very, very mind-blowing.
And so I now know that every dish is there for a reason, to complement and contribute to the balance; a clear soup with roast duck, green coconut meat and redolent of Thai basil, the famous crab coconut curry with kalamansi lime, a delicate and ancient recipe of stir-fry of mild pork and yellow beans (not like any other stir-fry in the universe), some chunky marinated and fried grouper which was salty and deliberately bland to provide a little respite from the spices,a scallop salad which was amazingly complex with sweet and sour flavours, and a highly unusual dish of pork and prawn in freshly grated coconut milk that was accompanied by a bowl of fresh Thai greens and some deep fried fish layered with garlic and shallots to dip into. AMAZING!
A selection of desserts to follow included gorgeous stinky durian on sweet rice and a host of other treats. If you make it to Bangkok, it's a must. The restaurant itself is sophisticated and stylish, and is one of those places that you say, "Oh yes, I want to be here forever."
And by the way, in case you're thinking she raves too much, Nahm is in the Top 50 in the World San Pelligrino Restaurants.
Nahm at the Metropolitan, 27 South Sathorn Rd, T +66 2 625 3388
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21 June 2012
I attended the Fine Food show in Auckland this week. It’s an event set up exclusively for the hospitality and retail trade to view the latest trends and equipment in food and other products that can impact businesses. It’s a terrific show and because it’s not open to the public there’s none of that grabbing and squeezing to get around in other large food shows.
By walking fairly swiftly through the first time round, I got an overall sense of what was trending and what new food are offering. As I said on Facebook earlier this week, over the last five years the more recent immigrant groups have started to impact on the food market. Ethnic food is big.
The Chinese had taken a large area and although most of their product was display only, they made quite an impression with their eagerness to engage with show visitors. I saw many Indian, Korean, Greek, Middle -eastern, French, Italian and other ethnic food products that were well made, well presented and promising.
Many immigrants who arrive in a new country are not able, for various reasons to find jobs in the field they’re trained in. So, they end up turning to something they know very well. Food. They’ve been eating their own familiar cuisine all their lives, and they no doubt miss authentic fare, so that’s what they do and they do it well. They are having a big impact in supermarkets and small ethnic restaurants and cafes, and the next generation will be eating very different food from the fare their grandparents ate.
Two weeks ago I went to Oamaru in search of food stories in my Listener column, and while there I came across the Hearts of Haukinima Dairy, pictured above. Oamaru has a significant Tongan community, attracted there to fill the local rugby team. Api Fifita’s husband, Tevita is a rugby player, they have four children and Api needed a job. So she used her initiative and with a fair helping of faith, started a dairy. On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays she makes take-out Tongan food for the locals and it’s so popular her sister has come to live in Oamaru to help her.
It’s a very heartening and heart warming story. Api comes from a very humble village in Tonga, and has taken her village name for the dairy. She’s doing exactly what many of our new New Zealanders have done, and although I don’t see imagine that her products will get to the Fine Food Show, you never know.
If you pass through Oamaru, call in and see her at 36A Arun St, opposite the school, in most desirable residential district within the town.
16 June 2012
Most weekends year round we head to the beach house where everything about life is almost perfect. My kitchen is a dream - plenty of room, the best equipment and possibly the sunniest spot overlooking a breathtaking view of the ocean.
I head to the Matakana market on Saturday morning and every week I find fresh and interesting produce to whip up a plateful of fresh salad that makes lunch the easiest meal of the week.You don't need too much imagination to do that. I was delighted to find mussels that had been steamed yesteday and bottled in sea water - hooray for no oversweetened marinade!
Watercress sprouts, new hard-boiled eggs, mussels, steamed haricots vertes (From Lum & Co) and some diced tomato. The dressing: local limes and local olive oil. Eating in the warm sunshine and sheltered from the southerly, I almost felt for a minute or two it was summer.
28 May 2012
Today, despite greyish skies, I lunched with three mates on the deck at Fish at The Hilton Auckland. With all those ferries and fishermen whizzing by on three sides, this may be the best sited restaurant in the city.
I'll go there again for Chef Shane Yardley has put together the most delicious Bento Box lunch, complete with an Aperol on ice for $29.50. Four huge crisp tempura prawns, a tasty wagyu slider, some thick slices of fresh rare tuna on mash with grapefruity/lemony garnish and a superb little mango and rice pudding with dried mango crisps. Heaven. Don't miss it!
17 May 2012
At the Auckland Writers & Readers Festival event, High Tea at the Langham,a question was asked of our food writing panel who were discussing the 'Generosity of Food.' "What do you all eat while you're writing?" Our answers varied from nothing to a cup of tea and snacks. Personally my favourite is miso soup, made with miso paste and dashi stock. I love that umami dimension that comes through the savoury nature of this light broth.It's so comforting.
So I seized upon a brand new product at the Wellington Food Show last weekend. A young Japanese chef, Takehito Maeda and his wife have spent the last seven months perfecting miso paste. It is the first miso paste to be made in New Zealand, made from Motueka soy beans and Marlborough natural sea salt. The process Takehito uses involves fermenting the beans for almost six months and it is unpasteurised. They market it under "Urban Hippie" brand.
Such is the power of social media that Ricky Lee and Makato from the highly rated Auckland restaurant Cocoro noticed my tweet about this miso and asked me for more info. So I took the packet I had purchased over to them and Makato whipped it up with dashi stock for us to taste-test it. Cocoro imports an organic miso from the USA and so we tried both; the American miso was good, but the new product that I had purchased form Takehito at the Foos show was very good, we all agreed.
We loved the texture, loved the saltiness and the subtle flavour, and I will be ordering more. I hope Cocoro does too!
If you want to try this miso, call Takehito on T 021 031 3527 or email him info@urbanhippie.co.nz
(Pic is Ricky and Makato tasting the miso at Cocoro)
8 May 2012
I am just back from Sydney and already missing it. We ate some really outstanding food in the new hot places, and also had a dose or two of familiar comfort food to keep us on the straight and narrow.
I’d been alerted to the opening of Sixpenny in suburban Stanmore, and have to say that was the pinnacle. It’s worth a whole special feature itself so that will follow soon. Apollo in Potts Point really appealed for its modern rustic Greek treats and lively didn’t cost-a-lot-to-set-up atmosphere that is so typically Sydney-esque (think long blond hair on every woman and the obligatory black clothes, men’s white or striped shirts hanging out everywhere.)
Neild Ave in the street of the same name is the newbie from the creators of Icebergs and here the décor did cost-a-lot just like the simple herbed grill food that dominates the menu. Three Blue Ducks in Bronte was worth the wonderfully exhilarating walk around the coast from Bondi; youthful, casual and with great attention to detail; like herbs and hens in the backyard and healthful hearty salads. It’s work in progress with a bar next door due to come into play shortly. And then Chiswick; Matt Moran’s new garden place in the heart of Woollahra where the food was fast and chic, and everybody in the room was dining with their adult kids (as we were.)
But what was the most impressive was Sydney service. Every single place we ate had someone in front who had personality and made you feel like you were the best thing that had arrived that day. It’s the little things that matter in the end. Lots of Sydney restaurants have a no-bookings policy. My daughter tells me that means she and her friends eat out early in the week as it’s mostly the case that unless you show up at 5pm, you encounter a wait of two hours on Fridays and Saturdays.
At Apollo the maitre d’ took our cell phone number, sent us to the nearby Roosevelt for cocktails for 45 minutes but called us a mere 30 minutes later to say he had a table for us. At Sixpenny the maitre d’ welcomed us with a complimentary glass of bubbles and the chefs proudly carried our food to the table. At Three Blue Ducks the staff carefully found the right wine.
And in every case, the staff knew the menu so well they could describe every dish as if it was their favourite. They all knew their wines too. In every place the staff had smart clean uniforms. Lots of tap water poured frequently so we didn’t have to ask. All our meals were delivered at a fairly clippy pace – no endless waiting for entrees, wine or water top-ups. And they all seemed to keep their attention on us right through to the end. The bill arrived promptly, was processed immediately and cabs called for us pronto.
And it wasn’t just the new places where service was great. We ate a comforting pub meal at the Paddington Arms, had a great breakfast and coffee at Sonoma bakery, and best of all returned to Bill’s original café in Liverpool St, Darlinghurst where the food is as fresh as it was all those years ago when Bill started out.
Pic: Salt cured tuna with cucumber, coriander, seaweed & sesame starter at Chiswick
3 May 2012
It's not often I post an interior shot rather than the foood of a restaurant but the new decor at Soto is so cool I cannot resist.
After nine years the more traditional Japanese style has been swept out and Designworks have given this very good modern Japanese restaurant a stunning backdrop to match the Izakaya food. For too long our city's ethnic restaurants have been second cousins to the more sophisticated decor in top tier places, but ta-daa! The old tired garden/conservatory has gone and there's light, style and a wonderful array of clever design features.
And in an age where we all want shared, casual plates of delicious things the style of eating here really hits the spot. Light, delicate, full of wonderful umami flavours, this is Japanese casual eating at its best.
Don't miss the oysters with ponzu, the grilled fish with pickled ginger, a smart fashionable beetroot carpaccio, pork cheeks in an open wrap (almost Mexican style), and juicy duck breast on cold soba noodles. But for me the standout is the prawns in tempura with chili mayo. I want to know where to get such fabulous prawns, and how to make that tempura batter that's so light it is merely a quick, crisp sensation on the tongue. Next time I will order a double of that dish!
Soto, 13 St Mary's Rd, Ponsonby T 09 360 0021
30 April 2012
FRIDAY 11 MAY 1.30pm to 2.30pm Join me for the definitive Masterclass on duck and pinot noir at the Food Show Wellington.
"Love duck, but not sure how to deal with it? Love wine, and like to find good food matches? In this intensive Masterclass, NZ Listener food columnist Lauraine Jacobs will talk you through everything you need to know to produce delicious duck dishes. She’ll share secrets for preparing her favourite duck recipes, show you how to prepare twice roasted duck, including halving a whole duck and removing the carcass bones, and explain how to achieve very crispy skin and moist duck breast. Duck tastings will be paired with pinot noir to give you a chance to taste this magical combination."
Once only opportunity Tickets $50 (with goody bag) from www.foodshow.co.nz
25 April 2012
That year went quickly! Last weekend Ebisu, one of the star openings of 2011 celebrated its one year birthday.
A thoroughly contemporary Japanese Restaurant, Ebisu sits smack bang on Quay St with a sunny conservatory out front facing that ever-encroaching Port. It's airy, light and not ever too crowded even when its busy. (The landlord Britomart, is guardian of three exceptionally good restaurants in the precinct; Cafe Hanoi, Mexico and my favourite; Ebisu.)
After one year, it was time for a menu change so we ate our way through all the new dishes. The menu sticks pretty close to authenticity, and the flavours seem to have been boosted in this new menu. There's a lot more spice and slightly peppery dishes and I like that!
Standouts were the marinated scotch fillet - oh so tender and sweet, the beautifully presented sashimi of yellowfin tuna, and one of kingfish, a superb sliced duck breast that almost had flavour overload and some wonderful vegetarian dishes not to be missed.
Of course Ebisu's famous agadashi tofu continues, as does the classical tempura, and the sushi dishes. Above is the clever presentation of prawn sushi, which marries traditional sushi with tempura. And don't miss the black sesame ice cream to finish. It's a little unusual but terrific.
Ebisu, 116 Quay St, Britomart T 09 300 5271
17 April 2012
As an appetiser tonight we devoured this smoked mullet in record time. The husband is a fisherman of great repute, especially around the Omaha Beach boat ramp and even he could not believe just how tasty this fish is.
"I thought mullet was a bait fish," he said, quickly hoovering up the greater part of the moist flesh.
It was smoky, salty and savoury at once and the thing that makes it such great eating is the oil. So much of the essential oils and vitamin D we need! I removed it from its elegant Aqua Apatu packaging and placed it in tinfoil. It was then into a hot oven for 8 minutes and was ready to eat with lemon wedges and some Best mayonnaise.
Hamish and Nichola Apatu moved from Hawke's Bay to Coopers Beach in the Far North to set up their smokehouse for locally caught seafood and they are now one of what I would call NZ's true taonga (or gift.) They also have a range of other seafood treasures including the most amazing Kina Pate.
All available in my local New World in Remuera, or if you can't make it to there, phone them on T 09 406 2015.
PS If you're far from my New World you can also order the Aqua Apatu range online through www.kai.co.nz