Ahi
Auckland, New Zealand
This was an anticipated restaurant for me, as the chef carefully curates a menu of exclusively New Zealand products, but building dishes that meld traditional and contemporary approaches to how the plates are created.
The restaurant itself is beautiful, although housed within a mall. Nonetheless, there are full length windows that can be drawn open to allow fresh air to surround diners while looking out on the harbor.
The plates that I ordered are pictured below, each attractively presented. Although the dishes were enjoyable, the flavors were not very memorable for me, with strong preference for complex and layered flavors.
Wallaby tartare, puffed wagyu tendon, fermented hot sauce
I have had wallaby in the past, but it is not frequently on a menu, so I opted for this plate. The wagyu tendon was crunchy and easy to snap into pieces, but without providing additional depth of flavor. I really enjoyed the hot sauce and would have liked many more little dollops on my plate!
scampi corn dog with american-style burger sauce
The starters were creative and I was enticed by this take on a corn dog. The sauce was tangy and sweet, but with the scampi portion really just a lightly fried tempura texture that was easy to dunk and crunch, rather than lending an additional flavor component. It was fun to eat, but I would not order it again as the profile of flavors was straightforward for my palate.
duck breast with kohlrabi sauerkraut, nettle chimichurri, and puffed daikon
Unfortunately, I did not expect that many of the entrees at the restaurant to contain ingredients that I am allergic to, as they were in sauces, et cetera, so I could not determine this by reading the menu. Therefore, I was limited to ordering the duck. I do enjoy duck and the accompaniments on the dish were pleasant. However, my primary memory of this entire experience was that the duck was not a palatable meat. It was quite tough so that I could not cut it even with the gorgeous steak knife that was placed before me. Having had many different types of game, I did not expect the lack of memorable fattiness nor lack of grill flavor.
After observing my awkwardly long attempts to chew the meat, the restaurant apologized and attributed the texture to the duck being wild, but I have consumed game many times and this was a very different experience. To my memory, I do not recall explaining a plate this negatively in all of my writing on food, but I share this only to be honest and true to my experience.
pavlova with papaya
This was not what I expected, as the restaurant's creativity meant that the pavlova was created by the tiny dots of meringue rather than being a single large harder shell pavlova. However, it was a enjoyable dessert as papaya is sweet, but with a musky tanginess.
Ada Restaurant
This restaurant is housed in a building that was once a convent and is now a boutique hotel. It boasts a menu that highlights indigenous foods, which is why I sought it out!
Cured market fish with salted cucumber, coconut, and chervil
I found this to be a familiar flavor profiles across several menus in the city of Auckland, utilizing local produce with the cured fish. It was light and easy to like, but mild in flavor.
cured and smoked duck breast, cabbage, black garlic, sweet potato
This dish was perfectly balanced with smokiness, fattiness, and crispiness! I enjoyed the gentle creaminess of the garlic sauce and would have liked to order the same thing once again!
Cazador
Auckland, New Zealand
This is a family owned restaurant with craft sherry and beer and well as a selection of unique charcuterie, including items such as venison, pork, and duck, sourced locally. Further, the had a carefully sourced wine list, including many imported wines and really lovely outdoor dining area, in addition to the indoor restaurant. They had a take away counter during the day for purchasing their various homemade goods.
The service was incredibly memorable. I was given a warm welcome that lasted my entire visit. I never felt I was a bother, although I was dining alone and love to ask questions. They offered to make a charcuterie board for me that did not include any of the foods that I am allergic to, as their set charcuterie board did. The server was well versed in the menu, including each of the wines.
The charcuterie board was entirely homemade, including pickled items and sauces. It was the best charcuterie board that I can remember having, perfectly balanced with salty, sweet, and acidic.
Jurassic Ridge Vineyards
Minimal intervention natural wine with entirely pure varietals with hand picked and sorted fruit. Unfined wines with whole berry fermentation.
This was my favorite find while wine tasting in New Zealand. The wine maker is a retired neurologist and so I was not surprised by his attention to detail in his wine. Each one he carefully described before pouring me a taste, repeatedly explaining that he does not provide intervention for the grapes, but instead allows nature to shine through undisturbed, resulting in an illumination of the attributes of the fruit and the terroir. My personal favorite was the ten year Sauvignon blanc aged on the lees. It was complex but also rich without anything that I found to be unpleasant, as I do sometimes detect cat pee like aromas in his varietal.
The Archive (at Mudbrick Vineyard)
I studied all of the restaurant menus on Waiheke Island, hoping to land on something unusual, local, and complex. This restaurant was highly reviewed and the menu descriptions captured my attention. My visit began memorably, as the minute I was being seated, the wind surged and caused me to be covered in small splatters of wax from a nearby candle. Tiny dots of wax were peppered all over, but the staff was very kind and even too my bag a ironed the wax off of it while I was seated at a new table.
Once settled, I began with the market oyster, as I felt that I had not tried enough seafood while in the country. It was very enjoyable, served with a traditional mignonette, but I savored it with just a touch of lemon.
Trio of eggplant (caponata, pomegranate, sunflower), which came highly recommended and, I do agree was tasty, but not unusual, as is typically my preference.
I finished with the rosewater panna cotta, which was beautiful to gaze at, but to me was a nicely made panna cotta without me being able to detect the rosewater above the fruit, but I do appreciate that it also did not lean to far towards erring on having the rose water being overpowering, as it is a delicate balance to achieve. Nonetheless, the texture of the panna cotta was lovely and very thin in the plate, making it a nicely portioned dessert.
Soul bar and bistro
strawberry meringue, matcha white chocolate cremeux, strawberry consommé
This was refreshing and beautiful to look at. The meringue was harder than I like, being crunchy all the way through, but was balanced by the strawberry sauce surrounding it. I only wish that I had a way to ensure that no sauce was left behind on the plate. The matcha was earthy and true to traditional flavor rather than being too sweet, as some matcha desserts can tend toward. This made for an enjoyable treat as it was refreshing and light.
