Lunch at the White House

WHITE HOUSE RESTAURANT

Cuisine: New Zealand
Address: 15E Minden Road, Te Puna 
Phone: 07 552 4443
Website 
Drinks: Fully licensed
Reservations: Recommended

 

Owners Jo and Penny have been in hospitality around this area for what seems like ages. 30 years? Dunno. It must be around that long. First, if my mouldering memory serves, over at Blue Biyou in Papamaoa, and most recently taking over Phil's Place from its original AC/DC drumming owner. In between there was a lodge in the Papamoa foothills and other ventures.

 

What's been clear in each case is that they know the area and people's tastes and have a no-nonsense approach to food. Nothing weird, good fresh ingredients not messed with too much and cooked properly. And personal welcoming service. Their latest venture in Te Puna is opposite the Nourish cafe up on a small hill. It is wooden and white, with a light open European feel and serves food and drink from midday every day except Monday.

 

Jim, of the most excellent Finer Wines in Katikati, has half a dozen wines from there on the White House winelist so suggested we join him for lunch the other day. He's a bit of a seafood fiend and had been raving about their bouillabaisse. 

 

As it happened we ended up going the full fish monty, all of us eating naught but our tasty little fishy friends. It turned out the pan-fried fish of the day was John Dory - my favourite fish in the world - and the fish and chips fish was Gurnard which Jan loves, so we had those and all shared a plate of squid to start...

 

Salt & Pepper Calamari (GF) $19

resting on julienne salad garnish with aioli

Seafood Bouillabaisse (GFO/DF) $39

mussels, prawns, scallops & fish in a tomato & fennel broth served with toasted ciabatta

Fish & Chips $32

beer battered fish, served with beer battered chips & fresh salad

John Dory $?? (I forgot)

pan-fried fish, sweetcorn cake, fresh vegetables, spicy tomato salsa

And everything was cooked just right. Every bit of fish was moist and not overcooked. Jim reported that the Bouillabaisse was again brilliant. The chips were crisp, the vegetables still with the right amount of crunch. The calamari was unusually tender and perfectly cooked while the little salad accompanying it had a fantastic curry oil dressing, transforming it from a throwaway plate-filler into something quite special.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

               

(The only thing that didn't sit for me was the salsa with the John Dory which I thought clashed with the corn cake, but the fish was so good I wasn't really worried...) 

To go with that, or at least to drink alongside it since we all felt like something red despite the pescatarian nature of the meal, we had one of the wines Jim supplied for the winelist.

Infame Carmenere Reserva Chile 2018    $49

 

It was seriously good, with terrific aromatics - lots of berries on the nose. The flavour was also berry, with smooth integrated tannins and a touch of spice but without any of the darker chocolate notes you sometimes get, a really well-structured wine with lovely texture. (You can of course get it direct from Finer Wines.)   

All in all it was a very pleasant afternoon. As I said earlier, Jo and Penny know their audience. This is essentially hearty fresh food for middle New Zealand and its popularity attests to how well it is judged and executed  All the meals are of a decent size - essential for the Kiwi mindset - and, like I said earlier, feature good ingredients cooked and presented simply and well. 

This rustic approach is in many ways this is the exact opposite of Clarence Bistro in town where I ate a couple of weeks back, which has a very small menu (last time we were there it didn't feature lamb, pork or chicken at all) and leans towards carefully plated fine-dining presentation, each ingredient carefully curated, with options for food starting at $69 for two courses. 

I don't say that to suggest that Clarence is overpriced, just that there is a minimum spend. You could certainly drop that same amount for 2 courses at White House Restaurant - and some might think that overpriced for such "casual" food - but there are also many other options...

White House has a huge menu that includes an extensive list of snacks and light meals, sharing plates, pizzas, main meals and desserts. There's also a separate vegan menu and children’s menu. They are set up for anyone, whether you want lunch, an afternoon glass of wine and nibble of pate (they do very good pate) or a full dinner. Relaxed and laid-back, this is already very popular and will no doubt continue to be a  hit over these increasingly sunny summer months.

Penny & Jo

White House at night