Hubby and I dined here on a Saturday Night before a show at the Enmore theatre. Luckily we were in early, as the the restaurant soon filled with kiwi expats with a sense of nostalgia, wanting a reminder of their Island homeland across the ditch. The restauraunt itself has a rustic beach house feel scattered with kiwi nik naks and some unfortunate reminders of their brilliant rugby team.
The drinks menu featured kiwi inspired cocktails, beer(bottled and on tap), cider and wine. The cocktails were a little hit and miss.
The dinner menu contained meals inpired by ingredients sourced from New Zealand and Australia. We decided to order the prix fixe 2 courses for $35 or include dessert for $45 which was great value.
I also liked the sound of the kina and prawn arancini with kataia fire mayo. Kina being Maori for sea urchin. This was a tasty morsel, with a crisp fried outer crust with a tasty risotto filling with nice flavour and the chilli mayo to add a bit of a spicy kick.
For our entree we shared the cuttlefish as well as the king fish sashimi with tomatillo. I was happy to see that they had cuttlefish on the menu, although similar to squid and octopus. I prefer cuttlefish especially if it is well prepared. The cuttlefish in this instance was well prepared. It was tender with delicate flavour. The chilli, garlic, lime dressing and squid ink mayo enhanced the flavour. A great starter and share plate. The king fish was also a good option, nice and fresh.
As this was a cold winter night we both decided on the slow cooked meat options for our mains, to help warm us up. I had the venison stew with corn bread to mop up the sauce. This was a hearty meal with rich flavour. The kiwis like their lamb nice and tender and that is how it was delivered. This was absolutely delicious, it was literally melt un your mouth. 16 hours slow cooked lamb shoulder served witb carrot and brussel sprouts. Up there with the best lamb dishes we have eaten.
We also shared the jelly tip with white chocolate mousse. A nice way to finish the meal, light fluffy white chocolate mousse filled with jelly.
Good food, in a relaxed casual evironment and for a reasonable price. Make sure you book, as this place is popular. Service is incredibly fast, which I love! read more