Lauraine’s blog
13 April 2012
I took my mother for a drive yesterday along Dominion Rd. We lived in Valley Rd when I was young, so it was a familiar stamping ground; somewhere where we went to the doctor, bought our shoes and conversed with our neighbours. How it has changed!
It's a total miscellany of businesses and there are some stunning shops and restaurants. There's also what seems like hundreds of tiny ethnic eating places and I would love to have recommendations for many of them. My mum was quite put out that her favourite vege shop had gone, to be replaced by a Chinese cafe.
La Voie Francaise at 875 Dom Rd is a French bakery not-to-be-missed! The young Japanese baker, whose name is Tetsuya, creates amazing bread and feather light pastries - the best artisan products I have seen or tasted since I was in Paris. Those are his breads in the photo, and they disappeared in about five minutes when I got them home.(I was the only one there!)
Next door at 873 is Serandip, a stunning treasure trove of Sri Lankan food products that brought back memories of last year's trip. I bought red rice, mango chutney and my favourite herbal remedy as an insurance against the cooler weather. It's posibly the cleanest, best organised Asian store around.
And then there are the restaurants. Michael Meredith's sensational place is at 365 Dom Rd. He stole the show at the recent South Pacific food and wine festival in Fiji with his freestyling with green coconut and I would love to see him do a totally Pacific-inspired degustation menu there.
At 215 Dom Rd is the wonderful Jeremy Schmid's Two Fifteen bistro. He's the master of sausage making and cured meats and I have had a sneaky peek at his forthcoming book. It echoes all the things I think about his food; deliciously approachable, unfussy and with huge emphasis on flavour. My mother wants to go there for her 89th birthday next month and it will be perfect.
And just off the road on the corner of Dominion Rd and Walters Ave at the Valley Rd intersection is Serafin. How classy is this? A tiny gem where Serafin Bueno Sanz himself produces a range of tapas that start with little toppings on bread and work their way through to meaty treats. It's a real touch of Spain in the neighbourhood and a real treasure.
1 April 2012
This amazing pork belly, was cooked to perfection on the rotisserie at Wakatipu Grill by Qtown's exec chef Peter Thornley last night. Served with salt baked pears, swede, horseradish and and Colman's mustard. I had some house made pancetta on toasted sourdough baguette by head chef Mario to kick off, then my entree was the most amazing baked Detroit beetroot with goat curd wrapped in brik pastry and hazelnut puree tea raisins and orange flower vinaigrette. I looked in envy at the yellowfin tuna carpaccio served with serrano ham,juniper, white anchovy, pomelo and red shallots. The husband thought the venison was the best he'd ever had! a fabulous autumn menu.
The menu is outstanding, especially the entrees and I can't wait to eat here again. Thornley is a perfectionist chef, who stands in the open kitchen cooking in full view of the diners and guess what? There's laughter and fun noises emanating from the kitchen all evening long.
Is this the best hotel dining in NZ? I think so.
24 March 2012
I am not always home on Saturday night so thank god for MySky. This time next week I will either be watching, (or that little black box in my study will be recording) the fabulous Lyndey Milan's latest TV programme.
She's been touring with crew in Ireland and I had a sneak preview of the series, Lyndey Milan's Taste of Ireland last week. Lyndey is a good friend of the lovely Sean Connolly, so she held a private lunch at his Auckland restaurant, The Grill in Sky City. Sean cooked some dishes from the show and we were in heaven tasting real food, cooked by a real chef and orchestrated by a really feisty, talented woman.
Lyndey travelled throughout Ireland meeting producers, restaurateurs and exploring the countryside. I can't wait to see the episode when she was with my great friend Darina Allen at Ballymaloe Cooking school. It will be terrific.
MEanwhile above is the most silky rich Irish style creme brulee we enjoyed, accompanied by real Irish coffee - as strong as the day is long! Don't miss this wonderfully witty and entertaining programme on Saturday nights on Food TV starting March 30.
Lyndey Milan's Taste of Ireland. 8 weeks of blissful food.
7 March 2012
They're back. The best oysters in the world, and this year they're fatter and even more delicious and juicy than ever.
Bluff Oyster Day atSoul has to be the best restaurant promo in the universe. $50 bought as many oysters as you could eat...straight from the shucker, the now famous Keith of Bluff. He shucks about 300 an hour and believe me the salty taste straight from the shell is incomparable.
Not only fresh oysters but deep fried, Oysters Kilpatrick, oysters with wasabi mayo and tartare, fresh lemon or vinaigrette. If that isn't enough a frothy oyster cappucino and then a beef and oyster pie. Chef Gareth Stewart and host Judith Tabron has us all impressed.
Don't miss this absolute treat on the Soul menu.
3 March 2012
Possibly the most originally conceived dinner I have been to in a while, and definitely the best wine and food matching for yonks. Sara Simpson, chef at The Tasting Shed near Kumeu worked wonders with a superb Nose to Tail menu that accompanied fine Peregrine wines. There’s nothing quite like a playful approach in a world where far too many chefs and wine makers take themselves so seriously. Nose to Tail, as you can see from the illustrated placemat meant a progression of courses founded on Fergus Henderson’s quirky book, but this was much cleverer.
First up EAR; a tasty course with corn (as in ear- geddit?) matched to Peregrine’s creamy sauvignon blanc. Delicious food, delicious wine and as Greg Hay said “It’s nothing like Marlborough sav - that’s why we do it!”
Then HEAD; a deconstructed and crisp light crumbed pig’s head, served alongside a meaty scallop with Peregrine Pinot Gris 2010. Delicious food and a wine of finesse that stands out in the varietal Greg called the “rice of the wine world.”
Next NECK; a lamb neck (absolutely the best meat on the whole beast) tucked into a generous ravioli to match a delicate, unctuous spicy dry gewürztraminer.
BELLY: tuna belly cooked sous-vide and garnished with vanilla gel and nuggets of golden hazelnuts to match chardonnay 2010 that was “melted butter in a bottle”.
LOIN; venison medallions baked in ash and served with cherries and anchovies that were deep fried in a batter. Naturally pinot noir to accompany, elegant, weighty and a trophy winner.
Finally TAIL and so witty. It was the dessert course and a fruity cock-tail of a citrusy jelly topped with little tastes of the lovely flavours in the Charcoal Riesling that was a perfect sweet ending to the dinner.
Fabulous food, wonderful wines, friendly professional hosting that made this an evening to remember. I would love to have been a fly on the wall when the chef and the owners sat down to brainstorm this very smart dinner and wine matching. Don’t miss this fabulous restaurant. We can’t wait to return.
609 SH16 Kumeu T 09 412 6454
2 March 2012
What a privilege. This week I flew to Queenstown to reacquaint myself with Blanket Bay, the stately lodge that hunkers into the mountains at the head of Lake Wakatipu.
While New Zealanders everywhere are decrying foreign investment in land, companies and assets, Blanket Bay is a timely reminder of just how spectacularly thoughtful and valuable this can be for us. Tom and Pauline Tusher, the owners, have been guardians of a magnificent piece of land that will now be assuredly kept pristine forever. And they've invested in the kitchen crew too, training chefs that are amongst the best in the nation. Current chef Corey Hume totally wowed me with his food.
Here's my entree. Ten textures of carrot. Chef Corey worked total magic on carrots. Savoury carrot and cumin sorbet, carrot gel, faux carrot caviar, carrot marshmallow, carrot 'sheet' with cardamom, carrot and ginger croquette, pickled heirloom white carrot with honey, shaved purple carrot, and baby carrot wafer. Now that's really doing amazing things with food!
27 February 2012
The Avondale market is a total must-do for anyone seeking Asian vegetables and herbs, plus a host of other vegetables at wonderfully low prices.
Yesterday was a sunny warm day and folks were out in their hundreds to gather up fresh produce for the coming week. Every imaginable Asian herb, including perilla, holy basil, Vietnamese mint, amaranth, crysanthemum, purslane, curry leaves, kaffir limes and leaves, lemon grass, ginger, turmeric, galangal and more were there in dewy fresh bundles.
Vegetables included shiitake, daikon, bamboo shoots, chinese cabbage, bokchoy, chillis in abundance, bitter gourds, fuzzy melons, snake beans, aubergines, including the small round green Thai variety and so much more.
And ta-daa! Wing beans. I had searched very vegetable market in Sri Lanka last year to track down wing beans and yes, that's what those are pictured. Who would have thought I would have to find them here, rather than in Sri Lanka? Our wing beans were fabulous steamed last night with spinach and chilli on noodles with touch of soy sauce.
23 February 2012
I had heard good things about Ile de France, a French bistro in Remuera Rd, Newmarket that has settled into the space in the old AEPB building, occupied briefly by the Mecca coffee chain. So when I heard about a seven course Alsacien dinner, matched to fine Alsatian wines by the guys of Maison Vauron, I booked six places.
We had a fabulous evening last night, where every course was deliciously simple and very ‘authentique.’ The canapé, a generous slice of duck liver pate with black truffle kicked the night off, followed by some slow cooked pork rillettes with the most amazing bread. (Apparently made by a young baker, Tetsuya but not that Tetsuya.)
Anyone who has visited Alsace knows it’s not a place to take anyone with a faint appetite for it’s a cuisine rich in fat, sausage and meat and where vegetables are rarely sighted unless you count choucroute as a vegetable – not fresh of course! This meal prepared by chef/owner Gilles Pabst, a tall young native of Alsace now resident in Auckland, lived up to expectations. The pate and the rillettes melted in the mouth, and then escargots, presented with rich dark mushrooms on toast.
Next; the snapper matelot (pic above) with onion jam ravioli, and a tender ballotine of chicken stuffed with foie gras and Champagne. The obligatory cheese course (a meal would not be French without cheese) was croustillant of Munster, the rich buttery cheese oozing from its pastry case, and we finished, groaning with spiced poached seasonal peaches with ice cream, cherry sauce and almond tuiles.
The pace and service were excellent, and the Maison Vauron boys kept us entertained and well in touch with the wines; pinot d’Alsace, pinot gris, pinot blanc, riesling, gewürztraminer and an audacious Albert Mann pinot gris Altenbourg vendanges tardives to finish. Best wine of the night? The Marcel Deiss 1er cru Engelgarten 2007. A wine so amazing I have written about it on the Wines to Drink page of my website.
17 February 2012
Sensational. That’s the only way to describe sublime food that excites the senses and satisfies the palate.
Last night we opted for a five course degustation (well, it turned into an eight course dinner) accompanied by house made bread with white truffle butter, at Cru restaurant. Sale St, a large rowdy bar on the city fringe, hides this elegant restaurant behind a curtained space out the back, and the restaurant is approached down a tiny passage behind the bar. Nick Honeyman is Cru’s chef and he’s on fire. He’s probably the only chef currently cooking here that’s learnt some of his stuff from Pascal Barbot at L’Astrance, the tiny but perfect three Michelin starred restaurant across the river from the Eiffel Tour.
Presently Nick and his team are turning out around three new dishes a week; each one a tiny and intriguing combination of tastes and textures. Sometimes there’s only a bite or two on the plate. Want more? There’s something else original and delicious on its way. There was foam, savoury meringue, smoke (no mirrors), sous vide meat and fish, shavings of this and that, purees, gels and more. Standouts? Suffice to say it was all standout.
Pictured above, our fourth course, sous vide snapper, as fresh as fresh, on a carrot and cumin puree with shaved baby crimson and white carrot, a cheesy beignet that was as light as a feather, crunchy hazelnuts and herbs and flowers. That delight had followed yellowfin tuna with yuzu gel, venison carpaccio wrapped around meltingly tender aubergine on a charcoal puree, and some hapuku belly with a lemon puree and tiny cubes of pork crackling to provide snap, crackle and pop.
The quail confit leg, our fifth course, was accompanied by rare quail breast wrapped in nori and garnished with smoked eel, dried Iberico ham and port jelly and it arrived in a cylindrical bell of smoke. Knock out!
And then the duck to conclude the savoury courses, followed by an aperitif dessert that was memorable for its wonderful presentation with warm Italian meringue covering artichoke ice-cream and ice-cold strawberries and raspberries. Finally the play on a Penang pudding with a shower of freeze dried lychees.
Great food, fine wine choices to match delivered at a fine pace that didn’t ever drop for a second. Go and eat Nick Honeyman’s food soon.
Cru, Sale St, ph 09 307 8148 Tues - Sat
10 February 2012
It's rare to sight an All Black on my food pages, but this week I met Conrad Smith, pictured above, at the launch of Forest & Bird's new Best Fish Guide.
He's cutting a 'fish cake' which is a far cry from the fishcakes in the posting below this. We got to enjoy the moist chocolate cake after eating a spicy kingfish curry Conrad had cooked alongside Shaun Clouston, Logan Brown's head chef. We also ate a selection of tasty hors d'oeuvres made from such highly endorsed fish like kahawai, paua, kingfish, trevally and more.
Forest & Bird put careful research into their listings of fish and rate all fish caught in New Zealand waters from Best Choice through to Worst Choice. This list is available on their website www.bestfishguide.org.nz where you can also download the Best Fish Guide mobile app.
The work is extensive but now the real work begins as we must find ways to get fish shops, supermarkets and recreational fishermen to source the fish at the top of the list. This means we all need to learn to seek and cook such fish as anchovies, pilchards, kahawai, trevally, sprats and butter fish. Quite the challenge.
Who's up for it? I am!