Wanaka 29 September 2020

Something that I forgot to say from yesterday:

When we came home from the restaurant we found that the headlights on our hire care were a bit like Mr Magoo. Just feel your way around. We found our way to our road but it was so dark without street lights that we went right past our house, we really had no idea where it was and eventually turned around and crawled down the road until we could recognise something through the dark.

We started the day with a visit to Puzzling world. If you visit Wanaka you must go there. We had last visited in 1998 and I thought that maybe it could be a bit rundown, but on the contrary, it was even better.  Lance and I spent less than ten minutes in the maze that takes between 30 to 60 minutes. This was not because we were great maze runners, more like we were great escapers and cheated. Lance is not a particularly patient person so needed it to finish quickly.

Inside we entered the illusion room, we had been warned that we could feel unwell and I thought “Oh I’ll be fine”, but I tell you it was like your worst ever drunken state. I immediately felt ill and walking was embarrassingly silly. But it is worth the effort and is short if you want it to be. We laughed our way through it (just like being drunk) and moved on to the next illusion room that had hundreds of faces all following you around the room. I can’t really explain the full effect so you will just have to go there one day. There were many more intriguing displays.

Like most touristy places Puzzling World also hands a cafe and a gift shop, and I am a bit of a puzzle nerd so spent a bit of time and money in the gift shop Whilst Lance grabbed a coffee.

Our next stop was just up the road. Lavender Farm has an array of animals to be fed including donkeys, alpacas and pigs.  And rows and rows of lovely lavender gardens. As you can imagine the gift shop smells gorgeous and every little detail is in keeping with the lavender them right down to the lavender coloured umbrellas available for loan. Lance stayed in the car and when I came out i suggested another cuppa at this cafe which looked so much more inviting. In we trotted and as they don’t serve coffee I had a plum and something a rather tea and a lavender cake. Lance had good old English breakfast tea and a piece of honey fudge. All was scrumptious!

Lance had booked a massage in town and when we got there we noticed it was next to a place called La La Land. Hmmm thought I, this doesn’t sound like a ‘well-being’ massage place. But all ended well (not happy) and La la lounge is a bar and the massage place was above board. Whilst Lance was being pummelled I wandered around the shops and made a couple of purchases. The day was a chilly 6 degrees but with not a breath of wind it was quite pleasant in the sunshine. Wanaka was pretty busy with mainly families down here for the school holidays. The shops are varied in kind and in price and I did catch my breath at some items. 

We came home and had some refreshments because our dinner booking was for 8pm and we didn’t’t want to fade away from hunger (highly unlikely). After we finished hoovering down the little cheese board, wine and beer the restaurant messaged to say that they had changed our booking to 7pm which was our original request. 

The restaurant is two houses up from us and is called Maude (See my review) and is described as ‘Bistro Gentil”. It is part of Maude Wines. We checked the temperature and saw that at 10pm it would be only 1 degree, but we didn’t want to dress too warmly and be cooking in the restaurant. So off we went with only two layers each. When we got there we were ushered into the outside area that is protected by plastic screens. I had a moment of panic and considered dashing back home to add more layers, but my panic was unfounded and we even had to ask them to turn the heater down, it was very toasty.

The meal was extraordinarily good as was the service. We looked out over the mountain range looming over Lake Wanaka as the sun set. 

It was easier to find our way home this time; by foot and with iPhone torches on. And we collapsed on the couch to watch ‘The Sting’ on the big screen.

Maude Bistro Gentil - Wanaka New Zealand

 When a restaurant is recommended by a well known restauranteur you really need to check it out. And that is just what we did when Annie Mantell who started the award winning Auckland restaurant The French Cafe told us that it is a good place to go. 

Lucky for us we were only two doors down from the restaurant in Golf Course Rd in Wanaka staying in Mantells Luxury Accomodation (another tick for Mantell).

We were greeted and seated in the covered outside area of the restaurant. The seating situation was met with some trepidation by me as it was only 4 degrees celsius outside and likely to drop to 1 as the evening progressed. However there was nothing to worry about, the chairs had thick sheepskin draped over the backs and a patio heater blazed over our table.  We were very comfortable all night and the heat adjusted as needed.

I chose a Maude Poison Creek pinot noir from the three Maude pinots on offer. It was satisfyingly good and complemented my meal perfectly.

A complementary treat arrived to get us started, but alas we ate it before I could take a photo! A perfect silky dollop of pate on a crispy crouton and garnished beautifully disappeared in the wink of an eye.

Lance chose the French onion soup with a gruyere crouton for starters and I took the cranky goats cheese, honey, puffed buckwheat, beetroots and rocket.

The soup was hot hearty and delicious. You could tell that the onions had been slowly cooked and cared for by the sweetness that came through the thick soup. Lance was in heaven and I had a little taste so that I had some ammunition for the oniony repercussions that were sure to arrive later in the evening.

My Cranky goats cheese was ‘plate lickable’, I hadn’t expected a deep fried wedge of cheese along with the generous thickly smeared cheesy deliciousness under perfectly sliced beetroot, which cut nicely through the Richness of the cheese. The buckwheat offered a change of texture and a welcome crunch.

    

Our waitress was attentive and chatty enough to be sincere but not interrupt our evening together. And the clientele was made of tourists and a group of what appeared to be older locals enjoying a special evening out.

Lance’s main of 200g 55 day aged beef fillet with a red onion relish and an onion caramel that rivalled the onion soup, blue cheese butter and potato dauphines left him a very happy man. There was a moment that I thought he was going to succumb, but like the good Kiwi bloke that he is he stumbled, picked himself up and finished the job. The photo does not do this dish justice.

Myself ... I took charge of Te Mana lamb blackstrap, croquette, jerusalem artichoke, brown butter, comte cheese and some wafer like chips. The lamb was rare, tender and flavoursome, it was draped in a wafer thin slice of cheese and the brown butter added a richness to the jerusalem artichokes which were chopped in a rough fashion and roasted. The croquette was a surprise with what appeared to be slow roasted and shredded lamb encased in a crispy bread coating. The whole dish was delicious and very rich and I had to weigh up wether to finish it or leave room for desert. Anybody who knows me well will know what the answer to this dilemma had to be. Leave some and have desert. 

Before desert arrived we were spoiled with another treat, choux pastry puffs with cream cheese and I think she said fig jam. Biting into these was a surprise and the jam left a fizzy feeling on your tongue after the thick creamy texture of the cream cheese.

Desert was accompanied by a lovely fruity Pegasus Bay Noble Riesling. Lance had the vanilla creme brûlée, almond crumb and hokey pokey ice cream. And it beat him!

Sorry this is blurry, I feel a bit embarrassed taking photos of all the food, like I am one of ‘those’ people. And if you are one of ‘those’ people I apologise.

My desert was sublime and I ate every bit of the salted caramel bavarois, sous vide cooked apples, earl grey gel, crumbs and ice cream.  I was interested to try the sous vide apples as we have a sous vide at home and we have used it only for meat. I wondered what the point of difference would be in sous vide rather than poaching. The apples were perfectly cooked in wedges without any of the soft slushy texture that you may get with poached or roasted, they were firm but soft. I am not a fan of earl grey tea and the perfume flavour almost put me off ordering this desert, but the gel had just a hint of the perfume and went perfectly with the rest of the yummyness (new word, someone tell Oxford). 

We enjoyed a meal of very high standard and at what we thought was a very reasonable price of $248 without tip. In Auckland we would pay up to and maybe even above $400 for an evening like this.

Oh and the toilets were lovely. And another bonus was that we didn’t have to pay for an Uber. If you are in Wanaka you need to try Maude and you will have to book in advance.

Maude

Food - 5

Comfort - 5

Service - 5

Price - 3

Erynn’s Grading scale

Food 

1 - 2 Won’t be back

3 - 4  Might be back

  5     Can’t wait to get back

Comfort

1 - 2  Just stay for a quick bite

3 - 4  Okay for a medium price

  5     Could stay longer

Service

1 - 2  Lucky I don’t complain

3 - 4  Ho hum

   5    Expect a great tip

Price

1  change from $100 for two people

2 $100 - $200 for two people

3 $200 - $300 for two people

4 $300 - $400 for two people

5 $$$ dust off the visa you’re going to need it.

Snowy Queenstown to Wanaka 28 September

 I woke frequently during the night and each time scanned the vista outside for snow, but alas, I was disappointed. Lance got up at around 8 am and I was fast asleep. He kept saying something to me that I couldn’t quite make out, suddenly it clicked, “It’s snowing”. I was out of bed in a flash and outside in my pyjamas and bare feet. The tiny flakes melted as they hit the ground, but it was still snow, I was thrilled. It wasn’t long before Mother Nature had laid a snowy white carpet on everything outside and I was in and out taking photos and videos; still in my jammys. Jeff had gone to drop his car to have some work done and was picking up a loan vehicle. As the snow got heavier Kay received a call from Jeff, he was just up the road and the car had slid into a bank. Lance and I were both thinking the same thing, If Jeff lives here and is used to the snow, how will we be when we pick up our hire car today!  The plan was to pick up the car and at 2pm take a scenic flight over Milford Sound, but the snow got in the way of plans and the flight had to be cancelled. 

No animals were harmed in this photo.

Still in my pyjamas.

We packed up ready to make a dash as soon as the snow cleared, which it did before long and Jeff took Lance to pick up our little hire car, Lance was offered chains for an extra cost but declined. Not because of the cost, if it was that bloody snowy we would be staying put!

Kay in the meantime was meant to be at work but could not drive the usually ten minute drive to the local library. They asked if she could walk, so she started getting herself rugged up with boots waxed ready for the trek.  Fortunately the snow abated before she left and Jeff dropped her off and we hit the road.  There were still small flurries of snow (I’ve never used that word flurry before, never had the opportunity) and the world was carpeted in white, it was truely beautiful.  What surprised both Lance and I was how quite it was when it was snowing, no sound at all and not at all like rain. You can tell that we are not skiers can’t you.

We have travelled through the Karawau gorge many, many times in the past but the drive felt like a first for us, everything looked so different. 

Before long the snow was behind us and we drove on through the beautiful Otago landscape to Wanaka. 

We have been to Wanaka many years ago but only for the day. This stay is to be for 3 nights at Mantells Luxury Accomodation and luxury it is. As I sit here writing I am ensconced in a day bed tucked in a window alcove overlooking the lake and mountains. Everything we need is here, including the huge projection TV, gas fire and glowing bath (more about that later). Our plan was to find somewhere that we can sit and relax without feeling guilty that we are not being regular tourists and this is perfect. On our arrival I phoned the owner Colin Mantell and shortly after, both him and his wife Annie arrived. Annie and Colin showed us the ropes, they live in the next door apartment that from what I have seen on their website is even more luxurious. They are perfect hosts and left us with artisan bread, eggs, milk, fancy yoghurt, beer and wine at our disposal. There are other bits and pieces like vegemite and they just told us to help ourselves. The view from the front of the apartment is just beautiful.

 The mountains rise up from around the lake and dominate the skyline. They are ever changing as the day moves along and at times even disappear. I can’t stop taking photos of them.  I would really love to know all of their names, but can’t find anything that gives the information that I need. 

Lance and I settled in for the afternoon with a quick trip into the township for some extra supplies and to check the location of the restaurant that we had booked for dinner, Francesca’s. Fortunately we did this because we spent ten minutes walking around where google maps said that it was only to find it snuggled in behind the building with a rear entrance.  

Back home I ran the bath and what a bath it is! A free standing bath made of some sort of plastic that at first looks like porcelain. As I was getting my self sorted with towels and the glossy magazines provided I found a remote control and couldn’t work out what it might be for in this cavernous bathroom. Low and behold the bath lights up and changes colour! It was the most delicious and extraordinary bath that I have ever had! I finished with a shower that is bigger than my office at school and had both nozzles buffeting me with water. Meanwhile Lance was lounging and watching the big screen by the fire.

Dinner was at 8 and we were starving by then. The meal started well but then was a little ordinary, in saying that, the beef carpaccio was outstanding with fat juicy capers and silvery anchovies. 

Once again I started before taking a photo!

It came with grilled focaccia that I had to eat, so needless to say that it was delicious.  Lance had garlic pizza bread which was also very good. The mains were okay and Lance enjoyed his beef cheek gnocchi, my ricotta and spinach cannelloni was sloppy and flavourless. Enough said. We had no room for desert so rolled off home to bed.

Queenstown - 26 & 27 September 2020

 After months of lockdowns and a variety of levels of depravation we have finally been allowed to board a plane and depart from Auckland City. This trip comes in three instalments, Queenstown, Wānaka and Clyde. As always the disclaimer is that this is my travel diary and there will be bits that may be boring to the reader but a memory for me, there will be mistakes in spelling and grammar (I will try hard but blame my dyslexia), and there will be toilet stories good, bad and honest.

Arriving at Auckland Airport we headed for the Koro lounge however the line was so long, because they can only let 100 people in at a time, we decided to just grab a coffee out with the rest of New Zealand who were escaping for the holidays. We were all fairly close and I wondered how it could be okay that the Koro lounge needed to space people out but the departure area didn’t have enough space to keep our distance.

Fortunately, unfortunately:

Unfortunately Kay, who we were about to stay with in Queenstown, had a funeral to attend in Auckland. Fortunately she managed to get the same flight as us back to Queenstown so we could have a chat before the flight.

It is always lovely to stay with Kay and Jeff and in my ‘Itinerary’ I have them noted as ‘Turner’s retreat’. We had a late lunch at Akarua (See my review) and highly recommend this place. The evening was spent at home and we caught up with all that has been going on since we saw them last year in 2019. 

A bit about Queenstown. We don’t need to do anything touristy because we have been here many times and have done many things. If you have never been to Queenstown you need to know that it sits on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and is nestled within mountain ranges, my favourite are the Remarkables who rise up in pointy shards and loom over the township. Maori have been here since 700 AD and did not settle here but used it as a summer hunting ground. English settlers arrived mid 1800s for farming and gold. The resilience of the people of these times never fails to amaze me.  As I sit here writing the snow is falling and the temperature is 2 degrees. Imagine settling in tents and shanty towns with minimal heating, I guess the rough liquor kept them warm.

Queenstown today is a modern and thriving tourist destination, from New Zealand and in normal times the world. It is an adventure playground and close to beautiful ski fields and world class wine producers.

Our friends Kay and Jeff moved here from Auckland 24 years ago and have built a beautiful house on the shores of the lake. These days our visits are filled with good food, wine and company.

A slow start was had on Sunday morning and we had a quick look at the shops in Queenstown.  I did make a couple of sensible purchases because the weather was predicting snow for the following day. We stopped for a coffee at a cafe called Bespoke where we have previously had an excellent breakfast. We were not disappointed with the fare today. Lance had a cheese roll which is a local delicacy involving bread and cheese presented in the most delectable way. You may be interested in my 2015 blog where we did an Otago tour and conducted some scientific research on the merits of a good cheese roll.

Once we were home Kay slapped on a slow roast of lamb shoulder coated in mint, garlic, spices, mint, coriander and olive oil whilst I regularly checked the weather app for snow. Initially the app told me that snow would arrive at 6pm but as each hour arrived it changed its mind and left me waiting for another hour. At 11pm no snow had arrived, despite the app telling me that it had, so we hit the sack.

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”.

Paris Butter - Auckland, New Zealand

 

After a two week Covid 19 level 3 lockdown we were ready for something special, and special we got when we visited Paris Butter for the first time.

I really had no preconceived ideas about what I may encounter at Paris Butter, but I had heard that it was good.  Our booking was at 8:30pm which is a late start for us middle aged people. Actually I would like to know when 'middle age' starts and finishes. After very recently turning 60 (the number sticks in my throat) am I entering my dotage and should be considered elderly? I think not!

Anyway we stopped for a drink at the Elbow Room in Ponsonby first and chose to sit outside with a trusty Heineken for Lance and a Moet for myself. I felt that in our first foray into the Covid invested atmosphere an outside seat would be safer, and it was actually quite a mild evening for early September in Auckland.

Okay, we are here to discuss Paris Butter, so lets get started...

The road frontage it quite unassuming but on entering we were scooped up and ushered to our table. It is the small things that count and I liked how the bench seat had a small cushion for my back, often these bench seats are stiff and uncomfortable, but not at Paris Butter.

A French restaurant with French wait staff is always a good start. On offer is a set two, three or seven course menu with a wine pairing option. Because we tend to be a little extravagant we chose the seven.

My choice of beverage for the rest of the evening was rosé, this was limited with only one to choose from on the wine list, however the Domaine Houchart, Côtes de Provence was more than adequate.

The leader for the parade of fine food is simply described as 'snacks'.  

As a child when food arrives and you have no idea what it is you feel panicky, however no panic was felt when seven small plates arrived and only the bread and oysters were not in disguise. The waiter kindly alerted us to the slate side plate to be used and mentioned that sometimes people think it is a coaster.  I love it when disaster and foolishness can be avoided. 

Two of the plates were warm and that is where we started, I actually can't remember much about the little black balls except they were truffles and were tasty. Lance and I looked nervously at the eggs and wondered if a spoon should be used, Lance bravely lifted the egg and took a sip. The eggs were filled with a warm creamy brothy something that was full of lip licking greatness. Fortunately we love oysters and these were from the Kaipara Harbour and were served with shallots and a green oil.  This green oil featured in many of the dishes and had a lovely grassy freshness to it.  I think the small circular morsels were tuna tatare and the tiny macaron had a surprising savoury burst of flavour that I think the waitress said was miso, but it was hard to hear through her sing song French accent. The bread was thick and crusty and served with a flavoured butter of which there was plenty.  I try not to eat bread unless it is so good that I must and this fell into that category especially with the thick creamy butter. And that was the first course!

The tatare of venison was melt in your mouth, with the richness of the venison countered with beetroot and tiny onion flower buds.

Delicate and carefully constructed the Celeriac, soy and salmon roe was melt in your mouth. I love the way the roe bursts when you apply pressure. 

Quail is not something that I would ever order as I am not fond of bones and hate to pick around them, however this quail, beetroot and silky smoked potato was rich and worth a little picking.

At this stage of the evening I had been to the bathroom and as is usually necessary in any of my blogs I need to talk about the toilet. I am always a little picky about bathrooms at restaurants and too often I feel that the level of thought and also cleanliness can be wanting. Not in this place! A lovely little antique looking cabinet had a candle burning and flowers on top along with a hand written note to ladies inviting them to use the items in the top draw if the need arises. Of course I took a peek and a selection of feminine items were available. Never, and I will say it again, never have I ever encountered this sort of hospitality in a restaurant.

Sweet things:

A little palate cleanser arrive which is described on the menu as 'crossover', and what a perfect crossover it was. A mandarin and butternut granita was not too sharp and had a subtle butternut flavour that evoked a fleeting feeling of pumpkin pie.  It was barely discernible, but it was there.

At last we were reaching the end of the parade, our belts were loosened in anticipation and we were not disappointed. 

However I was disappointed to find that the photo that I took of the rest of the desert was too blurry to post. The menu simply states carrot cake, there is no mention of the other little delights that crowd around it or the carefully honeycombed merengue on top. I got a fleeting taste of cardamon before I gobbled it down. Accompanying this delectable desert were a few treats made up of tiny warm madelines, some jellies that were quite jube like and that I could not detect the flavour of only to be told by the waitress that they were capsicum flavour. I hate capsicum! But these were great, and some little jelly sweets that were shaped like tiny bottles and had a subtle whiskey flavour.

This is a great place to go for special occasion or a lock down hiatus. Service, food, comfort and decor were Right up there.

Food  - 5         Comfort - 5       Service - 5     Price - 4

Erynn's Grading Guidleine

Food 

1 - 2 Won’t be back

3 - 4  Might be back

  5     Can’t wait to get back

Comfort

1 - 2  Just stay for a quick bite

3 - 4  Okay for a medium price

  5     Could stay longer

Service

1 - 2  Lucky I don’t complain

3 - 4  Ho hum

   5    Expect a great tip

Price

1  change from $100 for two people

2 $100 - $200 for two people

3 $200 - $300 for two people

4 $300 - $400 for two people

5 $$$ dust off the visa you’re going to need it.