Akarua Wines and Kitchen - Lake Hayes Rd, Arrowtown, New Zealand.

 

Akarua Wines and Kitchen

After a flight from Auckland with only an airport snack we needed some quality sustenance and that is just what we got at Akarua. Previously we have tried to have lunch at Akarua but without a booking could not get in.  At close to 3pm securing a table was not a problem and we were eventually placed under a huge umbrella with knee rugs, safe from the drizzle and the cold. 

On the way in a plate of the most delicious looking potatoes glided by and we were fortunate that the fryer was still on and quickly ordered two servings. The menu suited shared plates and that is exactly what we were after. Artisan platters were available and sounded delicious and were a possibility at first glance. But the lure of sous vide lamb neck, and buttermilk fried chicken won us over.

The twice cooked potatoes arrived and were beyond expectation; golden, crunchy and accompanied by some sort of aioli, they were much appreciated and disappeared quickly.

Sous vide lamb neck in a pomegranate and mint glaze with a smokey black tahini yoghurt was my favourite dish. We have recently become acquainted with sous vide and have been experimenting at home; with success I might say. This lamb was moist and falling apart whilst still holding its texture. The mint and pomegranate cut through the fat and was perfectly matched with the smokey black tahini yoghurt. The yoghurt was a difficult one to identify without checking the menu and had an almost labneh richness to it. The photo just does not do it justice as unfortunately we had started gobbling before I managed to take a pic.

I try not to eat bread unless it is so good that it would be rude not to. And this was the case with the warm bread and truffle butter on offer today. Jeff also tries to be gluten free and we concurred that this bread was worth the gasey tummy. 

Again all that was available for a photo was crumbs, sorry but it was very good.

Often when you order halloumi you get skinny little pieces tossed on a bit of salad. Not so with the seared halloumi, beurre bosc pears, crushed hazelnuts and Rua pinot noir gel. The cheese had a light but firm texture and the accompaniments were perfectly balanced and I scraped the last of the pinot noir gel and hazelnuts off the plate so not a trace was left.

Last but not least the buttermilk fried chicken with pickled cucumber and sweet corn emulsion. I was intrigued at the thought of a sweet corn emulsion and was not disappointed. The chicken was perfectly cooked and crispy without being dry inside and the emulsion gave a thick creamy coating to every bite.

All was accompanied by local wine and even though we were outside and it was pretty cold we were not too uncomfortable at all. The question that is always the ultimate judgement is, “Would you go back?” My answer would have to be, “I can’t wait to go back”.