A birthday lunch at Clarence

CLARENCE BISTRO
Cuisine: Fine dining bistro, Italian influence
Address: 51 Willow Street, Tauranga 
Phone: 07 574 8200
Website 
Drinks: Fully licensed
Reservations: Recommended

It was my birthday last week so you can bet your life I took the chance to eat out and generally treat myself as often as absolutely possible. First up was a lunch at Clarence Bistro with #1 son Cohen. It had been a while since I'd been to Clarence and I keep hearing nothing but good things. And we'd both been eyeing up their groovy-sounding snacks and starters. 

It was a quiet Tuesday with nothing happening so we settled in with the thought that we'd just nibble our way through as many of their entrees as we could. As should be obvious by now, I like that kinda small plate sharing approach to eating, and a little birthday indulgence seemed not unreasonable.

Without further ado, this is what we started with...

• Clarence Charcuterie - Today’s Cured Meat, Szechuan Pickled Cucumber, Seeded Mustard   $15
• Wagyu Tartare - Wagyu Beef, Kimchi, Beef Tendon, Oyster Emulsion   $15
• Robata Skewers - Wagyu Beef, Chicken Heart, Kingfish Belly, Spring Onion, Soy Caramel   $19
• Petite Veg Garden - Petite Vegetables, Horseradish Labneh, Rye Crumb   $14

Charcuterie

Robata Skewers

Wagyu Tartare

Petite Veg Garden

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are all listed as "snacks" on the menu and indeed they are. Things like the dinky tartare crackers resembled fancy amuse bouches one might get at restaurants where such things are served. And they were brilliant, the kimchi - not too strong - giving them a complexity and edge, the crisp crackers meticulously made from dried and fried beef tendons, and the oyster emulsion adding creaminess and salt. I could easily get through a dozen a day.

Those crackers were my pick though everything was good. The skewered bits were great: juicy kingfish and amazing-tasting spring onion (both of us were surprised quite how good a small amount of glazed spring onion could taste with that soy caramel on it!). 

And the charcuterie was top notch, their own air dried beef, with pokey mustard seeds popping in your mouth and lightly-pickled cucumber (I didn't spot the Szechuan touch). Head Chef Perin Yates was there for the lunch service and told us each of the chefs has their own charcuterie project, dry or wet curing their choice of meat. Later, one of the other chefs brought over a little pork guanciale that he'd been working on - it was really good!

The veg garden was simple and refreshing, crisp baby vegetables, sea succulents and a savoury crumb, although the horseradish in the labneh was a little overpowering. 

• Tomato - Smoked Tomato, Courgette Flower, Ricotta, Garden Herbs, Tomato Water   $21
• Venison - Venison Carpaccio, Fermented Cherry, Pistachio, Dark Chocolate, Raspberry   $21
• Mushroom - Mushroom Dumpling, Smoked Eel, Pickled Oyster Mushroom, Bamboo Shoots   $23
  

Tomato

Venison

Mushroom

On to some entrees and what can I say? Each was outstanding with the tomato being my pick of the bunch. It arrived freshly smoking under a cloche and then had clear tomoato water poured over. The smoke - a mixture of hickory and cherry - gave the tomato an otherworldly taste, almost like it had ham in it, while the (housemade) ricotta added creaminess and the herbs and flowers little accents of flavour. Beautiful to look at, even better to eat. I'd go back for this alone.

The venison was close to as good, perfectly accompanied by the bite of fresh raspberries and richness of their own fermented cherries. The shaved chocolate added another subtle layer. And the mushroom dish was a delight, the smoked eel adding a distinct saltiness that lurked just at the back of the palate while the dumplings themselves surprised by holding a delicious spicy laksa mixture.  

We rounded things off with a big plate of meat.

• Dry Aged Beef For Two - Dry Aged Ribeye On The Bone, Bone Marrow, Seeded Mustard, BBQ Greens   $90 
  

Dry Aged Beef for Two

Chef Yates brought out the rib eye steak to show us before he cooked it, a huge beast of a thing, dark and dry and mysterious after 55 days of dry aging. It looked incredible and when he brought it back, cooked absolutely expertly (he had already explained the complex cooking method to get it perfectly cooked to the bone without overcooking the outside) - damn! It was rich, meaty, fatty (yes it is the tastiest part), oh just incredible. My mouth is watering writing about it. 

And just about as good was the bone marrow mayo that accompanied it and the jus, so strong and intense it couldn't have been reduced even a drop further. This was absolute meat indulgence. It was wonderful. 

After that any thought of dessert went right out the window. After you've eaten the best beef of the year you don't need much else to follow.

Winewise, we indulged by the glass. The winelist from the Bistro isn't online but it is very impressive. The by-the-glass selection is well chosen and the main list is huge with a lot of interesting Italian wines along with some unusual Kiwi offerings.

• 2019 Black Estate Damsteep Riesling, Waipara   $13.5
• 2019 Te Kano Pinot Gris, Central Otago   $13
• 2018 Takapoto Pinot Noir, Central Otago   $16.5
• 2018 Motolo Jester Shiraz, McLaren Vale, Australia    $15
• 2016 Mills Reef Elspeth Syrah, Hawke's Bay   $23

They were a good bunch. The Riesling was very dry but opened up as it warmed up and had beautiful lemon, lime and orange notes. The Pinot Gris was light but intense.

 

The Takapoto is a favourite and we both had a glass. It is drinking very well for a 2018 with cherry and raspberry fruit flavours and some earthier tones, silky smooth and with some lovely floral/herby aromatics - it seemed the perfect wine to go with the venison and mushroom and indeed sat nicely with them (particularly the venison).

 

We had the bigger reds with the beef and it was Elspeth that shone. It really was great, with dark berry flavours and a hint of white pepper and a good solid backbone. I can only see it improving but it's lovely right now. As to the Aussie Shiraz, good but Cohen lamented its lack of acidity. I agreed.

 

Executive Chef Perrin Yates

Overall I reckon Clarence is knocking it out of the park right now. They are fast becoming my favourite restaurant in Tauranga with their attention to detail and meticulous approach to making so much food in-house, aging, curing, fermenting, really taking trouble over their ingredients. 

 

Add to that ideas like the "Kitchen Mutiny" nights, during which, every fortnight, the junior chefs get to design and present their own 5-course degustation meal. It's a brilliant concept, giving them experience and allowing them to show off their growing skills. It's a great idea in principle and works just as well in practice - Chef Yates is rocking it - he's running a very exciting kitchen and has a great team. I can't wait to see what they do next!