I've been feeling so sorry for the various hospitality establishments down in the Tauranga CBD on Wharf Street that I try and go down each week and spend some money at them while the street is being torn up and chaos is ensuing. It must be seriously messing with business and it would be a shame to see any of them fall over.
There's good sushi, Dumpling Delight - which does about as good cheap Asian eats as you'll find in Tauranga - The Hop House, which keeps doing interesting tastings, music, and the like, and new Italian restaurant Sugo has just taken over where Rye used to be - there's also Thai and Teppanyaki, and noodles at Pho Vina: lots of choices, all of which are no doubt suffering from the extended street upgrade.
(NOTE: There seems to be an Italian renaissance occurring downtown, what with Bar Centrale, Volare reopening and now Sugo. If any restaurateurs are reading this - after the pan-Asian and Italian booms, can we have a French bistro please!)
Anyway, this isn't a new thing particularly but I thought maybe I could lure a few of you down that way by pointing out the pleasure to be had in a Gin Flight at The Barrel Room.
It isn't really for serious gin drinkers, it's just a bit of fun if you happen to be down that way. They do three different gins on a paddle, each with different garnishes. It costs $20 for the 3 mini-G&Ts.
When Cohen and I dropped in and sampled them this week they were doing Scapegrace Gin and the three pours were:
Scapegrace Dry / rosemary
Scapegrace Gold / fresh lime
Scapegrace Black / freeze-dried plum
I believe the tonic in all three was East Imperial Old Fashioned.
Cohen and I enjoyed comparing. We both agreed that the Gold with lime was the best of the three, though the rosemary and dry would suit some tastes. The freeze-dried fruit was fun and rather nice but completely overwhelmed the gin.
But "fun" is really the word here - this isn't a serious taste test, it's just an entertaining way to try a couple of things you might not try otherwise. And the paddles do look good!
Of course The Barrel Room also do a whole lot of other things, including regular music, and I think many will be surprised at what an extensive and serious wine list they have. You'll even find rarer varieties such as Albarino, Pinot Blanc and Gruner Veltliner represented - it is a very impressive list for an pub.
I should also mention that their menu has also become a lot more modern and sophisticated since the place opened - there's some very good gastropub grub on it - and of course they have a bunch of beers, this being essentially a craft beer bar. Also, for cider drinkers such as me, it's good to note that they usually have an interesting cider or three available, even if they do lean towards flavoured varieties.
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