A Taste of Spain at Oscar & Otto

Oscar & Otto

Cuisine: Otto: Cafe breakfast/brunch/lunch

               Oscar: Spanish-influenced evening bistro

Address: 51 The Strand, Tauranga

Phone: 07 282 7879

Website

Drinks: Licensed

Reservations: Recommended

I have a bit of a soft spot for Oscar & Otto but I haven't been back to Oscar - the restaurant half - since we had the Sunday roast there. They're still doing that I see. But, in the meantime, owners Hamish and Catherine have rebranded and the restaurant food has moved from "Rustic Kiwi" to "Rustic Spanish-influenced Kiwi". There's bugger-all Spanish food on offer in Tauranga so good on them for finding a niche and filling it.

One reason I have a soft spot for them is that the restaurant is so totally unpretentious. They serve food that I don't think you'd insult by calling "comfort" and they keep their prices reasonable. All that has stayed the same. It's more that the small plates on the menu have scooted sideways to become tapas, and a well-established dish such as their slow-cooked lamb has transitioned to become "Slow Roasted Andalusian Leg of Lamb". And there is, of course, paella.

It was early Sunday evening, too early for dinner, so we just called by for a glass of wine and a few of said tapas. Another thing I like is that Hamish is genuinely into his wines and often finds something new and different. Just in were wines from Central Otago producer Wet Jacket made by legendary wineman Greg Hay. 

We had the Pinot Noir and the Gewurztraminer, which were both well priced (sorry, I forgot exactly how much...). The pinot took a little time to open up but revealed dark fruit and a firm dry palate. The real surprise was the gewurz, the first I've had from Central Otago, which wasn't heavy-bodied at all or "oily" like the Alsace ones but was very concentrated, with citrus notes, a touch of the old Turkish delight and a lovely floral edge. It reminded me of a TWR gewurz and I'd like to drink a lot more of it...

• Serrano Ham & Manchego Cheese Croquetes    $14
• Chili Garlic Prawns in Butter Sauce    $13
• Spanish Meatballs with Sherry Vinegar Tomato Sauce    $12.50
• Chicken Liver Pate, Cornichons, Tamarillo Chutney, Sourdough    $16

Like I say, this isn't a complete Bar Centrale-style plunge into another culture.  They're not reinventing the wheel or importing rare and obscure ingredients: it's just regular common tapas, done right. And everything we had was just that. The croquetes were cheesy, the prawns were garlicky -  there were 5 of them which seemed okay for $13 - and the pate was tasty and smooth (great tamarillo chutney!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The meatballs were a perfect example of this. There was nothing unusual about them but they were made with enough bread to give them a proper light texture and the tomato sauce wasn't just ordinary, it had a real zing to it. Fresh food, done well. And on a lazy Sunday there are worse things in the world. 

FINAL NOTE: Another thing I like at Oscar is that they do sharing main courses. There's a rib-eye steak, the paella and that leg of lamb, all available for two people and all priced under $50. Again, good unpretentious food, reasonably priced.

FINAL FINAL NOTE: If I have one criticism of the restaurant, and it's more a suggestion, it's that I can't help wondering if the animal trophies on the wall inside are hurting business. I really don't know. I don't personally have an issue with them, but in these modern times of increased vegetarianism and general fussiness I'm not sure I'd risk putting something like an animal head on the wall. Having said that, apparently people take pics with them, so maybe it's more of a swings and roundabouts situation...

 

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Norris & Bell: a new restaurant on The Strand

NORRIS & BELL

Cuisine: Wood-fired bistro

Address: 83 The Strand, Tauranga

Phone: 07 5711543

Website

Drinks: Fully licensed

Reservations: I would assume necessary

It's always nice to welcome a new restaurant to town and there's been a conspicuous space down on The Strand for a while between Volare and India Today. That has now been filled by Norris & Bell, a name that nods to the property's 1915 land agent owners and a concept that centres around wood-fired food.

I don't have a review for y'all, since Norris & Bell doesn't open till this Friday (19th March). But they're taking bookings now and I was lucky enough to be invited to some welcome drinks on Thursday. I like the look and feel of the place. It's a long narrow space with a sort of smart retro wooden shed ambience, a collection of steak knives and bottles displayed on one wall opposite the imposing shape of the wood-fired oven. It's a huge beast set in the middle of the room and there's wood stacked around to feed it.

outside

inside

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THAT oven

wine, knives

The menu reads well, with some interesting combinations. Actually, it sounds delicious. I'd happily eat my way through every small plate there. In fact I intend to, starting with these:

SMOKED PORK HOCK BRAWN - Baby carrot giardiniera / Burnt pineapple / Dijon mustard / Crostini    $20

WOOD FIRED PRAWNS - Tiger prawns / Goan chorizo oil / Bomba calabrese    $21 

 

That's just a couple and they sound pretty damn good! Meanwhile the mains are largely cooked in the wood-fired oven (even the fish), which promises to be something rather special.

 

We did get to try a few things and, yep, they were excellent. The ceviche was lovely and all the little touches of sauce and relishes were a notch above the ordinary. The prawns, presented as finger food rather than the entree, were particularly good and genuinely sang with that hint of wood-fire. The chef - American I believe - seems to really know his oven!

 

I also spotted one dessert, which was most definitely a mouth-watering bit of all right:

 

DARK CHOCOLATE DELICE - White chocolate sands / Lemon sorbet / Plum powder / Sugar tuile / Hazelnut praline    $16

 

 

OK. That's about all I know. The wine list is largely popular favourites from the Lion stable but the vibe is good and of course it's all about that wood-fired food. Nail that and this place will go off in a big way. Owners Billy Emeny & Mohinder Sawroop have form at CBK and more both here and in Rotorua so seem to know what people like - I wish them every success!

THAT Lasagne at Sugo

SUGO 

Cuisine: Italian

Address: 19 Wharf Street, Tauranga

Phone: 07 5714138

Website

Drinks: wine, beer, vermouth

Reservations: probably for dinner

 

I've been wanting to get back to Sugo since I last had a quick bite there because I've been really wanting to try their signature lasagne. I've thought since they opened that it is a brave move at a modern Italian restaurant to lead with such a traditional classic. Everything falls apart if you don't make a world-beating lasagne.

 

So we popped on the way home from work and had just that. The lasagne and a salad.

• Bologna style beef cheek lasagne, bechamel, aged Parmesan, olive oil    $32
• Rocket, Parmesan, lemon, olive oil    $12 

And I have to say the lasagne was everything you could possibly want in a lasagne. Just great. Charred on top and sloppy in the middle. Perfect housemade pasta with a sensational ragu, unctuous gelatinous bits of beef cheek in the richest of sauces and a creamy bechamel. Damn, it was good! I would go as far as to say it was probably as good a lasagne as I've ever eaten. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've always thought Sugo made an interesting choice with their mains, going with pretty much an all-pasta line-up (there is also one risotto and one other dish). In these anti-carb times that's a real statement of foodie intent. But if all their pasta is as good as this - which I suspect it is - then this will the the place I return to whenever I get cravings for a carb fix. It really is comfort food raised to the most luxurious of heights. Kudos! 

 

Just as an aside, we couldn't help but notice that the salad had not been dressed. Both the lemon and olive oil were absent. Odd, given that's two out of only four ingredients and it wasn't at all busy. Still, the leaves and Parmesan were very pleasant.

 

Stuffed Thai Capsicums (easy Thai food #3)

 

 

 

 

 

If you ever make Pad Kra Pao - Spicy Beef Mince with Thai Basil and Chilli I'd suggest trying this variation because it's dead easy and delicious (and always impresses guests - never a bad thing!). Apologies in advance for some of the photos. A friend dropped round unexpectedly so we cracked a Martinborough Pinot while it was in the oven. And shortly thereafter my (already negligible) plating and photography skills abandoned me; I even broke one of the eggs...

OK. Moving right along, all we're doing is stuffing mince into capsicums. It's still summer right now so there are great "King Sweetie" capsicums around, those long thin ones which genuinely are sweeter, have thinner skins and are great eating. And if you happen to be cooking a multi-dish Thai meal you can stuff these in advance then cook them in the oven, freeing up valuable stove-top space and last minute time for other more hands-on dishes. Otherwise, this is a good-sized meal for two, with perhaps some rice or a salad.

Ingredients

• 1 x recipe Pad Kra Pao
• 2 "King Sweetie" red capsicums (or other capsicums)
  
• 4 eggs
  
• Extra Thai basil

Method

• First up, make the Pad Kra Pao as per the recipe. It might look like this:

• Cut the capsicum in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds and membrane. This is surprisingly simple as the peppers cut easily and there are very few seeds. (The picture is pre-deseeding.)
  

• Spoon the mince on top of the capsicum. This is enough mince for 4 capsicum halves but I was being lazy and stuffed extra onto three bits to fit the dish. You can then cover and hold these in the fridge for a few hours if required. Probably overnight but I haven't tried that...
  

• Pre-heat the oven to 180C and when it's hot bake the capsicum for 30 minutes. Regular, thicker capsicum might take 40 minutes.

• Fry the eggs - one for each capsicum half.

• To serve, sprinkle the capsicum with extra Thai basil, put the eggs on top and eat accompanied with rice or salad. Or just on their own.
  

Yes, a broken egg. Oh the shame! A Definite case of Plating Under the Influence

OK. There we go. Nothing authentic in the slightest I'm sure but absolutely delicious, hot and salty and spicy, with soft sweet red pepper and rich thick egg yolk flowing in with the mince and little aniseed hits from the basil - YUM!

And, of course, only one of many things you can stuff into those brilliant capsicums. I love food that can be prepared in advance; it just makes things easier. Sorry again about the crap plating. And photos - I'm using an old instamatic and can't work out how to turn the flash off. 

RESTAURANT REVIEW INDEX MARCH 2021

AUGUST 2020 - MARCH 2021

At the start of each month I'll post a current index of restaurant reviews. Some may obviously be a little on the older side. Nearly all the restaurants are in the Tauranga region (except where marked).

1 - 100

88 Chinese Restaurant

B 

Bar Centrale (1)

Bar Centrale (2)

Bar Centrale (3)

Bluebiyou

C

Chidori

Clarence Bistro (1)

Clarence Bistro (2)

Clarence Bistro (3)

Craggy Range Restaurant (Havelock North)

D

Dumpling Delight (1)

Dumpling Delight (2)

I

India Today

Izakai 

M

Miss Gee's

Mudan

O

Oscar & Otto

P

Pasture (Auckland) 

Pho Vina

R

Rice Rice Baby

S

Sichuan Style

Somerset Cottage (1)

Somerset Cottage (2)

Sugo

T

Takara

Te Puna Deli

The Barrel Room

The Chook Nook

The Cider Factorie

The Falls Retreat Bistro (Waikino)

The White House (1)

The White House (2)

V

Vine (Taupo)

Volare (1)

Volare (2)

Z

Zozo

A new Korean chicken joint on Wharf Street

THE CHOOK NOOK

Cuisine: Korean, chicken-focused 

Address: 15 Wharf Street, Tauranga

Phone: 07-571 2000

Website

Drinks: small list of beer, wine & "Korean Special" 

Reservations: probably unnecessary

And so it came that, unsurprisingly, Momo Teppan-Yaki has gone from Wharf Street. It was always hard to see how the teppanyaki concept was going to work on a street now geared towards al fresco dining. In its place, next to Pho Vina, comes The Chook Nook, self-described as "A Korean Chicken Kitchen".

I must confess to little knowledge of Korean chicken kitchens but this wasn't exactly what I was expecting. First impressions were good: the service was courteous and efficient and the room bright and clean with a couple of funky touches, including a light at the door which will surely look groovy at night.

The menu itself is very short. There are three types of deep fried chicken, which each come in one size with sides, and a platter of all three with sides. There's also braised chicken, spicy chicken stew, and spicy stir-fried chicken. Each of these come in sizes for 2 or 4 people. And there's Bibimpap (described as "rice mixed with vegetables") and Korean Chicken Soup. That's it. There's a menu pic at the bottom if you're curious.

I have no issues with a small menu done well, though to be honest I was actually expecting something more like Nandos or suchlike with many options to order pieces of chicken in various-sized portions... But, like I say - not a Korean food expert! Cohen and I shared a couple of things to introduce ourselves to the food...

• Sweet & Spicy Fried Chicken     $21.50
• Korean Chicken Soup     $19.50

And being, as stated, inexpert, I don't think either of us had quite grasped the nature and extent of the sides. For the fried chicken they were: potato salad, pickled daikon/carrot, green chilli, cornichons, chips with 2 sauces and a bread roll. It also came with salad and coleslaw. 

 

 

The verdict (from two avid fried chicken lovers)? The pickled veges were very perky, the egg salad was very mild, the chips were better than the chips at KFC and the chicken... well, kinda fantastic really! Crispy as all get-up with a solid crunchy coating, slathered in a sweet sticky slightly spicy sauce (we went medium). It was really first class chicken. I got to take home the few leftovers and can confirm that it's pretty damn good cold too!

 

chicken soup and sides (no egg pancake!)

the missing egg pancake!

The soup came with its own sides: rice, kimchi, potato salad, and egg pancake. Actually they forgot the egg pancake and brought it later and I'm glad they did because it was very good. The kimchi was remarkably mild (which I rather liked) and the soup itself was very black peppery and felt restorative even as you ate it. It also brimmed with healthy vegetables and noodles though the chicken was of the riby-boney variety that some might struggle to want to eat.

So there we go. I think we should probably reserve judgement since the restaurant has been open less than a week. They seem to be doing pretty well so far and I wish them every success. I really liked the chicken but I can't help thinking that an option of just fried chicken without the extras might be what punters are hoping for...

outside!

inside!

The full menu...

Auckland's Pasture - a unique dining experience

PASTURE 

Cuisine: one tasting menu each season

Address: 235 Parnell Road, Parnell, Auckland  
Phone: they do not take phone calls
Website 
Drinks: bespoke drink pairings or local wines by the bottle
Reservations: essential

Dining at Pasture was an experience like no other I have had. It is certainly a restaurant like no other in New Zealand and one where you can genuinely describe your evening as an experience, not just a meal.

Chef Ed Verner and his team have won every award going, and so much about their approach is kinda mind-blowing. Consider this: they currently serve one 20 course tasting menu that changes seasonally; there are three sittings, four nights a week - 5.15pm, 7.15pm and 9pm - with a mere six people at each sitting; Pasture "cannot accommodate dietary restrictions such as vegetarian, pescatarian, no egg, or no dairy"; and it is by my reckoning the most expensive degustation menu in New Zealand.

Pasture also offers paired drinks. One was a Garage Project Beer, the only regular thing I drank all night. If you don't choose the drink pairings there is a concise and uncommon wine list.   

The restaurant specialises in fermentation, pickling, preserving, curing and baking and they like cooking over fire. Obscure and time-consuming techniques are applied to every part of the freshest and rarest ingredients, nose to tail, root to flower.

Starting in the bar...

But what feels most unusual is that this does not take place in a reverential white table-clothed setting with hushed-voiced waiters. No, it all happens inside what resemble a couple of slightly dark Japanese sheds, where half a dozen chefs surprise you for a good three hours, first in the bar, then in the restaurant proper at the chef's counter, then across at a coffee table for dessert, all to an accompaniment of fairly loud eighties rock music.

With so many courses I'm mainly just going to go with a whole lot of photos to give an idea of the place. But here's how it started: the chefs welcomed us, shook our hands and seated us at a six-seater bar. Def Leppard was playing and they were already preparing food and drinks... 

...our first drink contained fresh strawberry, whisky, sake, and wasabi (Chef Verner grated the fresh wasabi in front of us - it came in handy later too). We were offered one stalk each of incredibly fresh chilled choy sum and white asparagus, the asparagus lightly pickled, lined with cured duck egg yolk and flowers, the choy sum dipped in elderflower vinegar with more flowers and nibs of something I forget. It was probably the best-tasting asparagus and choy sum I've ever eaten. That was a thought that occurred often during the meal. 

Then they topped up the second half of the drink with NZ bubbly, creating a totally different cocktail which went with the next two-bite snack that comprised wild strawberries and some sort of jelly (rose?) and something else all wrapped in pumpkin and a nasturtium leaf. As you can tell, this was no ordinary meal. We were on a journey through New Zealand produce...  

So, here we go. Things in italics are the drinks.

Strawberry & Nasturtium

Choy sum & white asparagus

 

Pumpkin & rose

Clos Henri, Blanc de Noir, Marlborough '16

 

Tomato 

(this is the second time in the week I had a dish just called "tomato" - the other was the sensational smoked tomato at Tauranga's Clarence Bistro. Here the chef explained that the first job each morning was to start the fire and, when it reached embers, hang the leaf-wrapped tomatoes in a sack to slowly cook over it for four hours. The pic may not look like much but the tomato tasted unbelievable!)

 

Courgette, aloe vera, almond

Distilled vegetable trim

(Distilled vegetable trim? Yep, waste veges - alcoholic, a bit like sake! It's the clear liquid in the small cups.) 

 

 

 

 

At the chef's counter...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Young coconut, wasabi, salmon roe

Salted Rosé, raspberry, habanero

This was one we got to mix ourselves after they shaved on fresh coconut. The drink was the first of several where wine, this one rosé, had unexpected ingredients added.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oyster, white asparagus & mushroom

Riesling & green tomato

(Presented in an ice glass: "eat it quickly before the oysters - hidden under the mushroom - freeze & cook". Wow.)

 

Lobster Tail, fresh wasabi, verbena

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Northland banana, leche de tigre

Zenkuro 'Junmai', Queenstown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Young coconut squid                                                                                                                                                      Blue Abalone, Yuzu Kosho

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mushroom trim & black pepper (it's the soup)

 

Wheat & rye sourdough, six month aged butter

Garage Project 'Heels to Jesus', Wellington

Pasture is justifiably famous for the bread which takes around four days to make. The butter, meanwhile, was incredible, tasting like a cross between blue cheese and Parmesan.  

 

 

 

Fresh cheese, summer truffle

 

Aged smoked salmon, elderflower

Momento Mori 'Fist Full of flowers', Victoria '19

 

 

                         Snapper over embers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Woodfired leek

Bellbird Spring 'Aeris', Waipara '12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The steak, aged 100 days

Patrick Sullivan, 'Rain', Cabernet Franc, Pinot Gris, Victoria '19

For each menu Pasture buys a whole wagyu beast. This bit, we were told, was from the shoulder. (In the same curious echo, earlier in the week I had had 55 day aged beef at Tauranga's Clarence Bistro. Which was amazing. This was, somehow, even better. Damn.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At this point we relocated to some low tables at the other side of the room and the second party of six moved through from the bar to the counter. The others took the chance to practice being Instagram influencers. I kept eating.

 

 

Then there were three dessert courses...

 

Lettuce, cheese & berries

Sparkling banana bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuna

Sorrel & pine

BK, Pet Nat, Basket Range '20

 

Of course the tuna wasn't really tuna which was a relief from a dessert standpoint. Actually it was compressed watermelon wrapped in a leaf of some sort. The sorrel and pine involved crisp biscuits, cream and flowers and was really very groovy. As to the drink I have no memory of it whatsoever and no pics. I assume it existed...

 

And that was that. I could only get a reservation for the early session so we were in at 5.15pm and back at the hotel by 9pm, complete with our complimentary loaf of sourdough bread,  blown away by the meal, completely trashed from the cumulative effect of the drinks (do NOT plan to go out afterwards) and deliriously happy from the experience.

 

The cost - $260 p/p, drinks $180 p/p. Not cheap, but not something you'd do every day. And like those bloody credit card ads say: the experience - priceless. To finish off, here are some more pics of those chefs working their magic...  

 

Chef Ed Verner - wagyu!

Chef Ed Verner - fire!