Lantern - a great new Papamoa restaurant!

LANTERN

Cuisine: Southeast Asian 

Address: 20 Domain Rd, Papamoa 

Phone: 07-262 3113 

Website 

Drinks: Licensed 

Reservations: recommended 

 

I'm a bit out of touch with Papamoa restaurants which is why I missed the arrival of Lantern, the recent Southeast Asian restaurant and bar occupying a space that I believe once used to house the garden bar of the Papamoa Tavern. It is a lovely spot and surprisingly large.

 

Here it is, easy to miss from Domain Road but spacious inside with airy white wooden buildings and an outdoor-indoor space that also includes (unseen in the pic) a courtyard bar with leaners to the left and a hidden seated area with tables for two amongst the palms round to the right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Service was young, friendly and informed and we had a light lunch. But first of all we had the restaurant's two signature cocktails, both tributes to legendary Asian bars. There are also another half-dozen bespoke cocktail offerings and a small but well-chosen and interesting winelist.

 

• JUNGLE BIRD (From the Aviary Bar in Malaysia)      dark rum, Campari, pineapple, lemon     $18
• SINGAPORE SLING (from the Raffles Hotel)               gin, cherry liqueur, Cointreau, DOM Benedictine, grenadine, pineapple, lime, bitters     $20

 

 

The menu is divided into "Garden", "Small Plates", "Curries" and "Large Plates" though the division seems a little arbitrary. I couldn't really work out what constituted "Garden" (which includes the likes of Crab Lettuce Cups / Avocado Summer Rolls / Prawn Papaya Salad / Soft Shell Crab Salad / Wok-tossed Mushrooms) but it hardly matters. Most things were priced between $20 and $35 and I notice the curries all leaned Thai with the menu also encompassing Chinese and Vietnamese flavours.

 

• Duck Pâté - Warm Banh Mi, Umeboshi jelly     $8
• Tiger Prawn Toast - Sriracha cheese sauce, sweet chilli, green rice flake, turmeric sourdough     $20
• Cured Kingfish - Coconut, apple, fish roe, coriander stalk, rice, nahn jim, crisps (GF* DF)     $21 
• Duck Fried Rice - 63 degree egg, confit duck leg, sate, smoked duck fat, corn, pickle (GF* DF)     $24
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to the waiter's recommendation we actually had one pate each and initially they did looked completely unbalanced! The quenelle of pate and plum dots seemed tiny against the baguette. But the bread was light and hot and fluffy and the pate really intense so it turned out to be exactly the right amount. Top marks.

 

In fact everything was outstanding. The Prawn toast was a brilliant reinvention of the yum cha snack with thick fried turmeric bread topped with a sriracha cheese mixture oozing cheesy deliciousness, all covered with prawns and a great layer of crispy green rice flakes which replaced the more usual sesame seeds. It looked and tasting sensational - simply fantastic!

 

The kingfish was fresh and perfectly balanced, the crisp apple and coconut foam combining with the pop of tiny fish eggs, the flavours perfect together and cut just right to sit on the housemade rice crisps.

 

And the duck egg rice - the only "large plate" - was brilliant. Perfect duck and the tastiest rice you can imagine: that smoked duck fat elevates the rice to a different plane, especially with the unctuous egg yolk flowing into it. Yum.

 

So that's it. We were blown away. I can't wait to get back and try everything else - y'all in Papamoa are very lucky!

 

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Master Kong arrives at The Mount!

MASTER KONG 

Cuisine: Pan-Asian "street food"

Address: 2/217 Maunganui Rd, Mount Maunganui

Phone: 07-572 0698

Website

Drinks: Pan-Asian-inspired cocktails, wine, beer etc

Reservations: Probably for weekend yum cha lunch...

Pan-Asian "street food" is the flavour of the day. The trend became fashionable in Auckland and Wellington at least 5 years back so it's about time it reached Tauranga. Macau, still on The Strand, got on board immediately. Now, years later, everyone is following...  

 

Even Frosty & Fox, only opened recently at the Mount, has already dropped most of their signature "hot dawgs" for Asian "street food". I put that in inverted commas because I've spent a lot of time on Asian streets and the way the term is used round here is pretty random. Adding the word "street" to your Asian food style is currently great for marketing - presumably it makes everything sound more "authentic" - though not necessarily for accuracy. 

Now the Mount has swapped one Pan-Asian eatery for another. Bamboo has gone, Master Kong is here and looking to be bigger, bolder and better. Given how exciting Bamboo promised to be at the start, we'll wait and see how it works out but first signs are good: the new operators (the Wellington Hospitality Group who also own Latitude 37 at the Mount) have smartly tweaked the courtyard that joins Master Kong to the adjoining restaurant/bar Madam Sunset and have created a very cool under-cover space with huge potential. This could well be the Mount's hospo hot-spot for summer...

the courtyard as seen from outside Madam Sunset

more of the same as that other one...

 

 

 

 

 

Madam Sunset, next door, is Tiki bar-themed and you can order food and drinks from both places anywhere in the courtyard. We had a couple of Madam Sunset cocktails later and had a look at what looked like a relatively short but fascinating Polynesian-and-beyond menu (Spiced Roasted Duck Nachos anyone?). But we stuck to Master Kong food - there is much to try and despite wanting most of it there were only two of us so we settled on three small and one larger plate. And, before that, a couple of cocktails.

• 

  Crouching Tiger
  

  Tokyo Thyme - Roku gin, Mandarin Napoleon liqueur, watermelon, melon & thyme syrup     $18.5
  
• Crouching Tiger - El Jimador tequila, yellow chartreuse, raspberry and mango puree, Vietnamese mint and lime juice     $16.50  
  

Tokyo Thyme

Both were interesting and slightly unusual (I say that as definitely a Good Thing). And surprisingly subtle. They did not taste noticeably alcoholic and I would call both of them "pleasant" rather than anything that would knock your socks off. I notice both bars also do "Taptails", cheaper pre-mixed cocktails on tap. Word is that they're pretty strong...

 

• RARE BEEF TATAKI truffle ponzu, rice crisp, furikake (gf)     $15  

• POPCORN PRAWNS Taiwanese spices, yuzu mayonnaise, cured egg yolk (df)     $16
• CHEESEBURGER SPRING ROLL parmesan cheese, burger sauce (df)     $15
• FIRECRACKER CHICKEN sizzling lemongrass chicken in firecracker sauce, compressed pineapple with steamed rice (df)     $30

This was a really interesting combo of things, very varied in style. There is a three chilli heat rating guide (light touch / punch to the guts / KO) of which the chicken was rated the full three. Others not at all. 

The star for me was the Tataki. It was a noticeably more delicate dish as the picture shows but the flavours were sensational, the beef lovely, the truffle ponzu really redolent of truffle and the crackers a great accompaniment. 10/10. 

 

On the other hand, the prawns and spring rolls were simply enjoyable deep fried snacks. Of course we had to try the combination of cheeseburger and spring roll. Some things you just gotta do. And they're exactly what your mind imagines - a meaty burger patty and cheese inside a crisp spring roll wrapper - junk food at its finest! And they did indeed come with "burger sauce" (and a chewy parmesan wafer). The popcorn prawns were crisp, not at all greasy, and slightly plain; a good snack while drinking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the chicken? Three chilli heat? They warned us and bloody hell it was hot. To my surprise it was more of a stew/stir-fry with green vegetables and mushrooms. I was expecting something crunchy. Behind the blinding heat there was a definite hint of Sichuan spicing but the chilli heat was different, a dry heat which suggested somewhere else - Indonesia maybe? The iron plate was also deceptive - it looked modest but was quite a large portion. Frankly it was too hot for me and I'm pretty good with this stuff; I'm glad I tried it but once was enough. Maybe if you were drinking a lot of beer? Perhaps it will become a challenge for those young and foolish enough to be so inclined...

 

After that we thought we should check out the cocktails at Madam Sunset since the bar already comes with good word of mouth.

• Lava Guava - Lusty Lovers Larios gin and St Germain imbibe overproof rum and sacrifice guavas and passionfruit to the volcano gods     $16
• Banana Daiquiri - Hold on to your bananas! Havana rum, banana syrup and demerara throw some fresh limes and bananas around at a party. It's a slippery slope.     $16   

I can't speak for the Lava Guava since I didn't try it but after some initial issues with the crushed ice I believe it was good. The daiquiri was lovely, a beautiful balance of lime sour and banana sweet with a solid underpinning of rum. I liked it a lot.

click to enlarge...

OK. There we go. I obviously need to try more of the food. I don't see the menu on-line yet so I've run it off below, plus the cocktails one too. Why not? I suspect these two joints are going to go off in a major way, with lots of good ideas: the shared yum cha approach at weekend lunches is one of the winners, while both restaurants also have dishes that are lit on fire (a burger and a dessert in case you were wondering!). I'm looking forward to my next visit already...  

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a reminder - the A Debt To Pleasure Facebook page is up and running, with lots more (shorter) food things than here, and even a Song of the Day. Come Like and/or Follow it - all sorts of groovy stuff is planned!

It's Cocktail Hour! The Garibaldi

It must be time for a cocktail and this one comes once again thanks to those good folk at Bar Centrale, where it features on the cocktail menu.  With its Italian name you might think it originated there but in fact this two ingredient cocktail originally comes from the legendary Dante in New York, one of the world's most prestigious cocktail destinations.

And I say “two-ingredient” cocktail but it in fact requires three ingredients: Campari, orange juice, and a high-speed blender. Yep, enough of those health options, use that blender for something really useful – cocktails! The combination of sweet orange and bitter Campari is lovely but it's the blender that really makes a Garibaldi...

Who would have thought that simply aerating the orange juice in a blender would make such a difference? It's a thing of real beauty and oh so easy to make. Especially if you buy your "freshly squeezed” orange juice rather than actually squeezing it. I realise this sounds a little unlikely but, trust me, you'll never drink another Bloody Mary for breakfast after discovering “fluffy orange”.

GARIBALDI 

 

Ingredients

• 60ml Campari
• 160ml fresh orange juice
• 5 or 10 or 20ml sugar syrup (50/50 sugar/water) (optional)

Method

• Put the ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend for 30 seconds. 
• Pour into an ice-filled glass. 
• Drink quickly since the orange will lose “air”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE: I add a little sugar syrup because most “freshly-squeezed” orange juice that you buy pre-squeezed taste a bit “pithy” to me and not quite as sweet and pure as one would like. A little sugar syrup helps. With that particular juice in the pic I use 20ml sugar syrup. Of course, freshly squeezing your oranges is the best solution, assuming you are less lazy than me.

FINAL NOTE: Yes, you can do this with a stick blender!

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RESTAURANT REVIEW INDEX JUNE 2021

AUGUST 2020 - MAY 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).

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1 - 100

88 Chinese Restaurant

B 

Bar Centrale (1)

Bar Centrale (2)

Bar Centrale (3)

Bar Centrale (4)

Bluebiyou

C

Casual Kitchen

Chidori

Clarence Bistro (1)

Clarence Bistro (2)

Clarence Bistro (3)

Craggy Range Restaurant (Havelock North)

D

Dumpling Delight (1)

Dumpling Delight (2)

Dumpling Delight (3)

G

Great Spice Tauranga

I

India Today

Izakai 

M

Malabar (Taupo)

Mary's (Havelock North) 

Miss Gee's

Mudan

N

Norris & Bell

O

Oscar & Otto (1)

Oscar & Otto (2)

P

Palace

Pasture (Auckland) 

Pho Vina

Piku (Havelock North)

R

ReBurger Tauranga

Rice Rice Baby

S

Sichuan Style

Solera (1)

Solera (2) 

Somerset Cottage (1)

Somerset Cottage (2)

Sugo (1)

Sugo (2)

T

Takara

Te Puna Deli

The Barrel Room

The Chook Nook

The Cider Factorie

The Falls Retreat Bistro (Waikino)

The Melting Pot 

The White House (1)

The White House (2)

V

Vine (Taupo)

Volare (1)

Volare (2)

Z

Zozo

 

 

Cocktails at Piku in Havelock North

PIKU restaurant & cocktail bar

Cuisine: Modern Japanese Izakaya

Address: 15 Joll Road, Havelock North

Phone: 06 8779 400

Website

Drinks: Fully licensed, Japanese-inspired cocktails 

Reservations: definitely a good idea

Last time we were in Havelock North we had dinner at Piku and loved it. Great service, great food, everything you'd want of a Kiwi Izakaya. And we went next door afterwards and drank many a cocktail. This visit we ran out of time for food but made sure we popped in for more of those cocktails. 

15 Joll Place in Havelock North is actually a bit of foodies dream, what with the one address containing both Mary's and Piku. At Piku the restaurant is around one side and the cocktail bar on the other, opening into a small courtyard. We sat in the courtyard. The young cocktail team are both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the large and varied list ranging from classics to complex gin and tonic combos, dessert tipples and signature cocktails, many of which have a distinct Japanese influence.

 

I completely lost track after the first couple but amongst the various things we tried were: 

• Lemon Meringue - Skyy Vodka, Limoncello, Amaretto, Lemon & Egg White     $19
• Kaistau Sour - Feijoa Skin Infused Haku Japanese Vodka, Aperol, Lemon, Feijoa & White Chocolate Cordial     $17
• Not As It A Pears - Furikake Infused Havana "Especial" Gold Rum, Dow's Tawny Port, Walnut Bitters and Pear Juice     $18
• Shiso Tasty - Shiso Infused White Vermouth, Yuzucello, Disaronno Amaretto & Yuzu Curd     $17     

I'm not going to do a rundown of each cocktail, but now I want to try everything else on the list! They were all excellent, unusual creative combinations using bespoke ingredients, many of them created in-house, each garnished imaginatively. It was a pure joy to rediscover the place and enjoy the skills of their expert cocktail-makers.

 

 

One special note, for the last of our drinks - Homemade Baileys ($10.50). Now I know there was a time when everyone made Baileys at home. And it was always awful. It never tasted quite right or - particularly - got the texture right. Some were too thin, some were too thick, some were too eggy, some were just "claggy" and coated your throat...

 

Not this one. The flavour of the week was Matcha & White Chocolate and it was outstanding! There was even a slight green tinge from the matcha. Or perhaps I was imagining that; we had several. 

 

OK. One of the pics is the signature cocktail part of the current menu which seems to change regularly. Expand it and I think you can read it. And if you're anywhere near Havelock North and feel like a cocktail, Piku is well worth a detour. Of course there's food too... Kudos. 

 

   

 

 

 

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Just a reminder - the A Debt To Pleasure Facebook page is up and running, with lots more (shorter) food things than here, and even a Song of the Day. Come Like and/or Follow it - all sorts of groovy stuff is planned!

Burgers 'n' Wings at Palace

PALACE  

Cuisine: American diner-style burgers and wings

Address: 217 Maunganui Rd, Mount Maunganui  

Phone: 07-572 1550 

Website 

Drinks: Tap beer, natural wine, cocktails 

Reservations: Not sure it's an option

 

For some time now I've been hearing about this very funky burger place at the Mount. It's been a busy time, but I managed to pop in and enjoy a quick burger, along with a cocktail. And got some wings to take away for later...

The first thing that surprised me about the joint is quite how grungy it appears. I mean that in nothing but a good way. When I heard it was modeled as an American Diner I immediately thought of something clean and shiny like the Burger King that used to be next to the cinema in town, all bright lights and Happy Days music. But this certainly ain't that.

 

There's still definitely that fifties vibe all diner-style restaurant seem to exude but at Palace there's more than a touch of juvenile delinquent in the mix. If it were a boy it would be a bad boy; if there were tracks Palace would be on the wrong side of them. It's got a slightly dark 'n' dangerous look, perhaps because of the mesh on the window, and this is carried on by the music, good dirty Americana Southern rock. It works.

 

But the service was quick, friendly and efficient and - as you can see in the pic - it's a bit of magnet for families as well as the generally hip and happening. 

 

The menu lists 3 meat burgers, 3 chicken, and 3 vegetarian (mushroom, jackfruit and cauliflower respectively) as well as chicken and cauliflower wings. There are also sides and desserts.The drinks menu has cocktails, beer on tap, some interesting shakes and wine, with several natural wines also on tap.

 

• HOEDOWN - BRISKET SMASHED PATTY, CHEESE, BEER BATTERED ONION RINGS, BACON, JALAPEÑO JAM, BBQ & CHIPOTLE MAYO      SINGLE $15 DOUBLE add $4

• MAPLE BUTTER BASKET - SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN WINGS COVERED IN OUR MAPLE BUTTER SAUCE    $14

• PASSIONFRUIT MIMOSA - PROSECCO, ORANGE, PASSION FRUIT    $12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, as you can see from the pics, the "grunginess" continues with the food. The burger was what you might call "Burger King Style" with a small soft bun as opposed to a big toasted one and no sign of anything green. It wasn't very pretty. But taste-wise, with its smashed brisket pattie, this was light years ahead of any chain. In fact all those listed ingredients were present and correct and combined into a thing of total deliciousness - crisp bacon and onion ring, oozing cheese, tasty sauces, damn!

 

The mimosa was also very good, just what I felt like, and when I had the wings at home they were most excellent, and fantastically unhealthy-tasting with that maple butter! I would happily eat everything here again and look forward to trying literally everything on the menu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOME FINAL THOUGHTS

 

In my mind, Palace is actually doing something very new and very cool. It is, in an offbeat way, the complete package - perfectly matched food, decor, drinks and vibe - along with a bunch of fascinating contradictions which I think are the reason it feels, despite the retro trappings, so modern. 

 

First of all you have the extensive (and imaginative) vegetarian options. And you have the natural wine, pretty much a first for the Bay especially in a burger bar! These would suggest some sort of health-consciousness, but then look at that burger - it has nothing healthy in it at all just deep-fried stuff and fattening sauces. And I'm sure the maple butter sauce - mouthwateringly good as it is - should probably come with a health warning.    

Then there's the down-beat look of the place. It seems very "adult", like a David Lynch biker bar, yet most of the people in when I was there were happy families...

Something is happening here and I don't know quite what it is. But I like it! 

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Just a reminder - the A Debt To Pleasure Facebook page is up and running, with lots more (shorter) things than here, including a Song of the Day. Come Like and/or Follow it - all sorts of groovy stuff is in the works!