Pasta & Cuore - Mt Eden Village, Auckland

 Two things brought us to this restaurant this evening, the first being that we had recently purchased some handmade raviolii and pesto from an Italian gentleman at the French Market in Parnell. It was so good that we lusted after more pasta. Secondly I had received a voucher as part of a prize at the School quiz night. Not as you may have assumed for intelligent quiz question knowledge, but for the best dressed woman! Again an assuption may have taken you in the wrong direction, this was not a glammed up event, I was dressed as a slutty middle aged 'Westie' woman. Funny that I won because I am a middle aged 'Westie' woman, it must have been the addition of 'slutty' that got me the prize. 

Anyway back to food.

Every morning on my way to school I sit at the traffic lights and ponder whether this restaurant is as it looks, 'authentic'.  Actually it is more than just authentic food, the host shares her delightful story in the menu and you can almost see her as a small child in the kitchen covered with flour helping her Nona.

Auckland generally welcomes warms evenings at this time of year however the temperature had dropped this week and seated outside we were a little chilly, nothing that a light jumper would have taken care of had I had thought to have brought one. With the side blinds lowered, the heaters popped on and a glass of wine down I warmed up nicely. Although I did suffer from jersey envy when other customers popped them on.

The menu is cunningly presented as if a small child may have constructed it. The cover is a piece of corrigated cardboard that could have come from a box and is folded to create a booklet. All of the menus are explained right down to the style of pasta and it's origin. I found it very intriguing and I feel that Lance was a bit frustrated at how long it was taking me to choose.

We decided that we would skip the antipasto and go straight to the pasta and chose three main dishes to share. Our lovely young waiter informed us that the Gnocchi alla Romana would take 25 minutes to prepare. This gnocchi is a semolina gnocchi and was baked in large rounds. I loved it! It was light and creamy with a crispy cheesy top. Lance was expecting a more traditional gnocchi and this was not his favourite, which was great because it meant that I had more!

Whilst we were waiting for our food an antipasto of cold meats and cheeses came out to the neighbouring table. Each piece was explained and the delightful Italian accent made it sounds even better than it probably already was. It looked fantastic with the cured meats sitting up of the board in delicate folds. I hazard a guess that in the future we will not be passing up on the antipasto!

Our other two pasta dishes were a tortelinna con panna and ravioli with tomato sauce.

The tortelini was good with firm pasta and a thick creamy sauce that clung to its sides. I would have liked a bit of pepper to grind on it though. 

And the pièce de résistance was raviolli in tomato sauce. Sounds so simple doesn't it. The half rounds of raviolli sat in a tomato sauce that did not drown them, it was just there, just enough for a bit if a coating and enough to scoop some with a spoon. And as you scooped you snagged a couple of the cherry tomatoes that were perfectly cooked, not too firm and not too soft, just cracking open to reveal their seeds and goodness. The ravioli was stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese, they were light and perfectly cooked. This was Lance's favourite dish, but I did manage to snaffle a fair amount.

Deserts were simple, Lance ordered a panna cotta with chocolate sauce and myself a rich choclate mousse with crumbled amaretto biscuits on top.

I did find it difficult to choose my wine as the menu offered what looked to be only Italian wines. The pinot grigio was not what I expected but good enough for me to have a second glass. Lance was happy with the zero Heiniken. 

We left content and not over full, but replete. This is another place that we will visit once more.

 

Martinborough NZ - Day 2 9 January 2021

 We awoke after both having a great sleep, which at our advancing years is not a regular event.

Martinborough is a slow starter and the two places that we had eyed up for breakfast did not open until 8:30am. By the time we arrived a few doors down the road to Cafe Medici there were already a couple of people standing outside waiting for it to open. This is always a good sign and proved to be a great indication of the quality of this eatery. We both chose the same breakfast, which is another unusual phenomena, and we hit the mark with Spanish eggs. The eggs had been lightly scrambled and piled onto crispy potatoes and then a load of tasty tomatoey stuff laden with chorizo was on top. I couldn’t finish mine, but it was delicious. And the coffee was great.

After a trip back to our room for some toileting we wandered around the shops for a bit. This village is definitely tailored to female shoppers.  In fact at one shop Lance had a chat with the blokes outside and it was unanimous that there should be some chairs and fishing magazines strategically placed for patiently waiting for spouses.

I did not buy much at all as I am waiting to see what they have in Greytown tomorrow. When I say shops I don’t mean a whole lot of them. There are a few homeward and ladies clothes, bags and jewellery places a couple of grocers and a great looking butcher amounts to a few other bits and pieces. But a very nice place to wander. The village is set around a large square of lawn and trees and this has conveniently placed crossings to all sides of the quadrangle.

Hitting the road just after ten we thought we would check out a few wineries. I had called Poppies vineyard as it had been recommended for lunch. Bad luck, they were full today and tomorrow, but we intended to stop for a tasting.

Turning down the drive of Haythornwaite wines we took a right turn, thinking this was the vineyard, and had to stop for an elderly Chinese man who was tending the driveway. We could see a beautiful homestead at the end of the drive, and were feeling nervous that this may be the residence and not the cellar door. It was a relief to spot a flag with OPEN on it and we parked next to the vines and entered the house. The man from the drive arrived and chatted to us about the house which had been moved in pieces from Wellington 21 years ago. We had some tasting and offered to pay the price that was on the board for a tasting but he waved us off. After a quick visit to the toilet, which by the way was spotless, we made our way back down the drive only to find that this was a little boutique vineyard called Vynfields and not Haythornewaite at all. They also serve food and we were tempted by the dumplings as I am sure they would be authentic. But may need to save that for another trip.

Back on the road we passed people on side by side tandem bikes and then a four seater bike.  Martinborough is well known for hiring bikes to go on a tour of the vineyards. 

Poppies was next on the list and was just down the road. It was quite busy when we entered and we were greeted on entry and directed to where Poppy was doing a tasting. Poppy and her husband Shane were both at the helm each sharing their passion for their wine. Poppy was very passionate and took us through the steps of winemaking, right down to how many leaves are left around a bunch of grapes to get the best result. They only sell at the cellar door and appear to be very popular. As I was paying for the case that was to be sent home to Auckland (come on, I had to help them out) Lance was chatting to Shane and mentioned that we couldn’t get in to eat. No problem! A table was set and lunch ensued with a glass of their gorgeous rose. Lance is not drinking, but even his lemonade was different and delicious. At Poppies they don’t have a menu and their platters are adjusted to the seasons and what wine you have chosen to drink, so I guess I set the tone.

In the banter that had occurred during the tasting we found that Shane is also a chef and he explained the platter to us in a way that had our mouths watering.

The salmon came with the most Devine coconut cream dressing, And the spicy Indian relish it compliment the frittata ended up on almost everything that it ate. I loved how they piled it up so I didn’t have to be mean with it. Cold pork belly had some preserved apricots snuggled up next to it. What a surprise when I bit into one and it had a beautiful fresh coconut flavour through it. It almost tasted like a cocktail. We ended by sharing a lemon coconut tart and Shane brought out a glass of late harvest desert wine for me ‘on the house’. Now any of you who know us know that we do a lot of eating out and this has never ever occurred before. Of course I had to drink it.

Clutching our bellies we waddled out to the car park and were amazed by the amount of bicycles leaning up against the wall. There had to be 35 bikes. I just wonder how they are wobbling back home at the end of the day?

Toilet report! - The toilets here were photo worthy but I left my phone at the table - bugger! Entry is by big double doors and the furniture is large romantic French country.

Replete we hit the road and headed out to Lake Ferry which we thought was the lake, however it is the name of the small village on the shores of Lake Onoke. Confusing huh? At the end of the 30 minute drive we found a rugged beach that had a bar (not the drinking sort although there was a pub) or spit that divided the lake from the sea. There were loads of people fishing and I got out for a quick and blustery walk.

Back in town Lance had a rest and I nipped over the square to the museum. This entry by koha (donation) and was fascinating. It was set up like a house crammed with stuff and only a couple of rooms had roped off barriers. I would hate to take poorly behaved children in there. I poked around and smiled at some of the things that brought back memories or that I still have tucked away at home.

Lance had booked us into a restaurant a 17 minute drive away in Greytown called Pinocchio. Click here to read my review. This was a great meal and worth the drive, especially because I had Lance as my sober driver!

Pinocchio Restaurant Greytown New Zealand - 9 January 2021

 Lucky we booked! Situated on the main strip of Greytown along with every other retail outlet is a lovely restaurant called Pinocchio. We were happy to sit inside and were snuggled around the corner of the bar away from other diners. 

Not too long after being seated our order was taken for food and drinks. We had the option of a five or seven course tasting menu or al a carte and we chose the latter. Unfortunately oysters were not available, this was disappointing but just one of those things that can’t always be helped. Lance ordered beef carpaccio with black truffle, cherry, parmigiana reggiano, tomato and nut praline and he raved about it. I chose the prawn and crayfish ceviche with coconut, green chilli, lime, red onion and coriander. This was as good as any I have had and the best bit was that they gave me a spoon.  There is nothing worse than eating all of the meaty bits with your fork and having to leave the delicious juice in the bottom of the bowl.

I neglected to mention that the entrees arrived very quickly and we hadn’t yet received our drink order.  In fact it appears they had been forgotten and we had to ask. But this error was quickly rectified and the rest of the service was great.

After the swift arrival of entrees I was worried that this may be one of those evenings when here you have finished before an hour has passed, however we had a wee wait until our mains arrived which was perfect.

Lance enjoyed his confit duck leg, parsnip purée, potato rossi in a cherry and orange jus. In fact the duck just fell off the bone and was moist and succulent. My medium rare beef fillet, beef cheek croquettes, cauliflower purée, mustard mayo and nuts was ‘to die for’. The beef was sitting on tasty big flat black mushrooms and was cooked to perfection and well rested as not on droplet of blood came from the beautifully pink flesh and yet it was tender and juicy. We added only one side to our meal as we had over indulged the previous evening. So a bowl of chunky and crispy potatoes sat between us. 

I had been eyeing the deserts as they floated past all evening and we shared a coconut panna cotta, summer berries, lemon curd, merengue and the most amazing mango sorbet. This all slid down very nicely.

This restaurant is run by a husband and wife team and well worth a visit. For a bistro style restaurant they are serving food that is well thought out and cooked to perfection.

Grading

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.

Food 5

Comfort 5

Service 4

Price 3

Martinborough - 8 January 2021

 Usually at this time of the year you would find us on foreign adventures.  This is the time where we take off from Aotearoa to somewhere new. Alas this year our passports were shackled by COVID and the limits that is has placed on the World. Lance had suggested a few of our favourite New Zealand haunts but I whined to him that I wanted to go somewhere new like we always do at this time of year.

And that is why I am nestled in puffy white sheets in a boutique hotel in Martinborough.

Martinborough is located abut an hour north east of Wellington in the Wairarapa region. I had no idea where it was or anything about it, and felt ever so slightly stupid when every time I mentioned this holiday destination people replied “Oh I love Martinborough, you will love the wine and the shopping”. It appears to be a best kept secret, but not for much longer.

The flight from Wellington went smoothly, well as smoothly as any flight is when you are landing in Wellington which is notoriously bumpy. Our car hire company was not manned and unbeknown to us we had to walk ‘quote’ a short 350 metres. In reality it was 800 metres which in the scheme of things is not far at all. However it would have been nice to have been informed. Feedback will ensue.

Once we were out of Wellington Central we enjoyed the beautiful scenery that New Zealand offers pretty much at every turn. The day was a little bleary but without rain and the climb up the Remutaka Range was breathtaking.

Arriving in Martinborough we found our way to the Martinborough Hotel which is located in the town square. This hotel was built in 1882. Now I know that overseas readers may be thinking that is fairly modern, but in New Zealand it is pretty old. Our room is in a side building known as the ‘Petit Hotel’ and has an olde world charm about it. Our room is upstairs with lovely old sash windows and an adequate balcony with views over the valley.My only concern is that the shower is above the beautiful claw foot bath and it has only a rain forest shower head. Now I know many of you love these but I always feel like I am about to drown, and I don’t always want to get my hair wet. Even with my trusty shower cap the water still manages to find it’s way in.

Before leaving we had our usual packing debate over which suitcases we should take. Lance’s view is that we take as smaller bag as possible and mine is that we need space in case we buy stuff. I say in case but I really mean ‘when I buy stuff’. Anyway we took seperate cases, mine being that larger version with plenty of space, and on arriving I found that I had packed all of our spare packing cells in stead of putting them back in the cupboard! At least they don’t weigh much.

Dinner had been booked at the Hotel and when we got downstairs it was pumping. We were very lucky to nab a couple of seats at the bar to imbibe before dinner. I don’t know how many were visitors to the town and how many were local, but it was a mixed bunch with a nice atmosphere.

Of course we ordered way too much for dinner, everything looked so good that we didn’t want to miss out. Lance started with whitebait fritters which he said were great.  He even ate all of the salad! I had snapper ceviche which was also lovely and a nice light start to the meal. 

Lance had already drooled over the menu before we left Auckland and had pretty much decided that he needed the sausages in mash. I chose the mushroom risotto and it really was great.  I have been disappointed with mushroom risotto many times but this had so much flavour with big slices of meaty mushrooms lording over the rest. Why on earth we got fries, beans with shaved parmesan and a caprese salad I’ll never know. We struggled to finish our mains and my risotto was entree size! We didn’t even have desert which is a very rare occurrence for me.

After a wander around the square we sank into our bed and slept like babies.

Culprit Restaurant January 2021

 Culprit Restaurant - Auckland

On New Years Eve we were planning to go into Auckland City to see the New Year in and had been looking for a dining option. Fortunately, unfortunately - our son Declan had made a booking for Culprit for the 10 course New Year Epic Menu. Unfortunately his partner Samara was sick, fortunately we were free, unfortunately the booking was for 5pm. Anyway we took up the offer and found ourselves entering the staircase to Culprit at 4:50pm. Not our usual dining time, and making it a long time to last until midnight but we were there boots and all. In fact we were the first diners to enter.

The menu consisted of eight bite size selections before a main then desert.

Hunker down and grab a snack because here we go...

I chose a glass of the Laurent Perrier Champagne to start and it was a perfect accompaniment to the Fresh oysters served in the shell with rock melon and tequila. Tequila seemed like a heavy option for oysters but they slid down nicely with the zing of tequila complimented with the freshness of tiny cubes of rock melon. A great start!

Arriving with the oysters was something hiding under some sort of puffy crisp. I always think that oysters are a taste of the sea, however the Kina (sea urchin) cream served with the waianae and tapioca cracker had a different taste that took me straight to the ocean. The Kina cream had a richness that caught you right at the back of your palate. Both dishes were cleaned up quickly.

The next course arrived swiftly which led us to the conclusion that there must be another sitting after ours and they would be moving us along as soon as possible. So we tried to slow down. However this proved to be extremely difficult as we gobbled down the next two arrivals. 

The Yellowtail kingfish sushimi with lacto fermented sweetcorn (what ever that means) and habanero dressing proved to be another show stopper. My only complaint was that it was a dish for two people and there were three slices of kingfish. There could easily have been a fight for the extra bit, but we conducted ourself with dignity and shared it without a fight.

The Matangi beef tataki was rare slices of beef served with a sliver of yellow plum and ponzu mayo and was superb. The beef was tender and had a marbling of fat which the tangy plum cut through nicely. We had to remind each other once again to slow down because we were four courses in and it was still only 5;30pm!

The restaurant doesn’t present itself as a fine dining place however the food says something different.  Culprit’s point of difference is that it brings its food around on trolleys. I am not too sure how this works as on this night and the one time we had visited previously the menu had been set. Obviously we need to come back for a ‘trolley’ experience.

Back to the food which was still arriving swiftly. The thought of chicken liver parfait served with fresh doughnuts was intriguing and I thought the doughnuts must have some sort of savoury slant. But it was not to be, the doughnuts were light and fluffy and would have been just as good served with jam as they were with the chicken liver parfait.  Just to give it that jammy flavour though the platter was drizzled with a boysenberry and pinot noir syrup.

I know that you must be finding it hard to believe that we could shove this much food into our mouths when the hour hadn’t even reached 6pm, but we persevered and were delighted with the Mills Bay mussel and kumera fritter tacos with saffron roullie and iceberg. I really didn’t know whether to pick this up and eat it like a taco or use my knife and fork. So I started with fingers and finished with cutlery. This was a truely delicious blend of flavours and had a street food feel with an extra finesse of flavour.

As I am writing this I am thinking that we must be up to the mains, but my photo trail tells me diffferent and next on the list of treats was Wasabi peas. These fresh sugar snap peas had been delicately coated in a cumin tempura batter and were served with a delicate NZ wasabi aioli. The crisp fresh flavour of the peas matched perfectly with the wasabi peas were devoured smartly. So simple yet devine.

The last of our bite size servings was bone marrow served with house made Vogel’s bread and sliced caper berries. Lance and I really could have easily had a tussle over the marrow, they called it ‘marrowmite’ as it was served with Vogel’s.  For those of you who have never resided in New Zealand our Vogels bread is epic and is best served with, in my opinion, vegemite. Others may beg to differ and choose martmite, but the bone marrow with caper berries and a squeeze of lemon was really great. And again a unique combination.

In the short time that we had to breathe until our main course came they slipped in a small palate cleanser. The tiny jelly jet planes made from Mount Edward vermouth and a tiny elderflower were placed delicately next to a sprinkling of blackberry sherbet. You know when food is great but also extraordinary when you each take a bite and then look at each other with surprise and delight.  And that is just what this evening was all about.

 For the main course we had a choice of beef short rib or cornflake eggplant. No prizes for guessing that the short rib won the lottery. It was served with a pickled lime salsa and freeze dried kimchi. Of course it just fell off the bone as any good short rib should. The accompanying dishes were chook salt stuffin, chicken skin, sage, nectarine panzella and curious tomatoes stracciatella.  My only complaint was that the beef short rib was served in a small bowl and I would liked to have the ‘chook salt stuffin’ swishing around in the juice of the short rib to sop up the juices and the tomatoes close by to cut through the richness of the dish. However the whole lot disappeared quickly and it was now only 6:30pm.

And then there was desert...

We tried to slow them down but were told that we needed to be out by 7pm. I know that this is the custom to ensure that the restaurant can get two sittings or more in, but it was a shame to have to rush such a wonderful eating experience.

So here we go for the last on the list; A ginger kiss ice cream sando with rhubarb  and ginger jam and strawberry condensed milk ice cream with a flourish of candy floss on top.

We finished the evening with a nice little desert wine. And we had managed to polish off a few bears, four glasses of delectable Amisfield pinot gris as well as my champagne.  Please note that Lance was drinking wine as well as beer and I was not the main consumer! This did take the price of the evening up to a higher level of dining so I have not graded the restaurant for price. However I believe the menu was $120 per person which is not unreasonable for something of this standard. On checking the website I found that they do offer some alternative options. And we were also eligible for a discount on a drink in their bar across the road ‘Little Culprit’.

A memorable night although a little rushed.

The Old Town Hall Cafe & Tea Rooms - Urenui

 Nestled in Northern Taranaki is the quaint and quirky village of Urenui. 

We are on a short holiday visiting family and after a late bacon and egg breakfast we set out on a bit of a jaunt that included a quick trip to Urenui. You can stop in for a look on your way into New Plymouth when approaching from the north, or take a 24 kilometre trip out from New Plymouth. 

The small village looks quite intriguing and there were a couple of shops that I need to explore at a later date (sans husband). But today we were there for food. I know that I have just explained that we had a late breakfast but we were prepared to stuff ourselves further after the reports from Lance’s sister Jo gave us of the scones at The Old Town Hall Cafe and Tea Rooms in Urenui. 

The building is furbished with rainbow coloured bikes and curios and set to look older than it is. Inside the old mismatched tables and chairs are surrounded by olde world charm and anything with a hook is festooned in hats of all descriptions. One chair is covered from top to toe (well chairs don’t actually have toes, but they do have legs) in a fitted crocheted blanket. 

But we were here not to admire the curious surroundings, we were here to eat scones!

The owner settled us in and welcomed us with English charm and wit. The menu offers an array of scones to select from, and when with a slip of the tongue a ‘normal scone’ was requested we were told “We don’t have any ‘normal’ scones here, you must mean a buttermilk scone”.

Lance’s cheese scone 

Lance ordered his usual, a cheese scone, but this scone came with butter and Branston pickle, and a cup of English Breakfast Tea. Yorkshire tea was suggested and sure enough a large teapot wearing a woollen tea cosy arrived. All places were set with old sets of tea cups, saucers and side plates. 

. I try not to eat things with gluten but this was an experience that I was not prepared to miss out on so I went full scale and ordered a ginger and pear scone with butter, clotted cream and ginger jam. 

All orders were placed and our party of seven chose a variety of hats to wear whilst we awaited. 

I really don’t know how to explain with culinary expertise how good my scone was, but it really was bloody great and I can’t stop think about it.  If you are a scone connoisseur you may understand what I mean when I say the centre was light and fluffy whilst being dense and moist. And the outer was crusty with out being crisp or crumbly. I scraped every bit of butter out of the dish and coated the two inner halves with the chunky ginger jam. I love ginger and this jam took the cake (or scone). And the clotted cream, OMG that was the creme de la creme. As I loaded small shovels full onto my scone the butter, which had melted on the warm scone, oozed into the clotted cream. I could have eaten a second! 

My delicious ginger and pear scone  

The treats that the others had ordered looked good and it took me all of my manners to not ask the man at the next table if I could take a photo of his pork pie. It arrived at his table on a bread board with a pickle, boiled egg, Branston Pickle, Piccallili, a wedge of cheese and Colmans hot mustard. 

If you are on the road in the vicinity of Urenui you should really stop in for a bite. This is a not to be missed spot.