O'Connell St Bistro, CBD, Auckland [republished]

That I'd been given vouchers to the famed O'Connell St Bistro only served to hasten my visit there. Sure I'd planned to go sometime, but one can only afford to dine finely as much as the pittance of a student's part-time wage can sustain. And as B was back from Sydney for the weekend, I had the perfect excuse to give this Auckland eating icon a try.

I'd become intrigued with this restaurant ever since walking past a few years back. Though the place was always filled with suits, they never seemed to be there on business, and looked to be truly enjoying gorging themselves on the gorgeous food.

O'Connell St Bistro has won the laudments of almost every Auckland food critic for its simple, elegant style, intimate dining experience, and especially for its deep and varied cellar, for which it has garnered several awards. The space is tastefully decorated without being overly romantic - wooden floors, chocolate walls and rich, red velvet curtains, with candle light on crisp white tablecloths (somewhat oddly covered in white glossy paper). There are mostly tables for 2, and a few for 4, with a separate private dining room at the back for larger parties. Several older couples and a group of business partners render the atmosphere relaxed though muted - 'Very Adult' as our voucher so plainly states.

I can't quite navigate the book-long wine list with much panache, so we opt for two mocktails (not on the menu). These arrive in martini glasses and are a combination of pineapple, cranberry and lime juices, topped off with what I think is ginger ale. Delicious and refreshing, and I suspect will be of use in cleansing the palate later on in the meal.

I feel I must make a mention of the complimentary breads - though not quite as fresh as, say, those at The French Cafe, they are superb little bites, dense and chewy and perfect for soaking up the Motutira (Te Arai Olive Estate Olive Oil - itself flavoursome, light and a little spicy.

Ordering is a la carte in the modern European Bistro style - notable for one of Auckland's top fine dining establishments is the lack of a degustation menu (which has almost become the norm), save the 5 course $250 pp Veuve Cliquot Set Menu. We'll save that for another time.. So without much further ado, we order:

Steak Tartare, Quail Egg Yolk, Matchstick Potatoes.

Not on the menu, this was one of several specials offered to us by the Maitre'd once we had been seated. Finely diced, premium eye fillet steak was marinated with capers, onions, parsely, gherkins, olive oil, cognac, mustard and egg yolk and pressed into a large disc. I was happy that the beef was not too finely ground nor too densely packed, as often steak tartare can come to resemble an uncooked burger patty. Instead, here the different ingredients in the dish were easily discernable and could even be tasted one by one.

The beef flavour was intensified by the tangy marinade, not saucy, but absorbed into the meat. The capers and onions provided a little crunch for textural contrast with the soft beef. The complexity of the marinade was perhaps overshadowed by a little too much salt from the pickled capers and gherkins, though it was not too salty for my taste. The raw quail egg yolk on top added a rich, fatty, eggy flavour that took the edge off the pickles and further highlighted the quality of the beef.

The fried potatoes on the side were well done, crispy, even something like McDonalds fries, and tasted great with the addition of the table sea salt.

This was a pretty sizeable starter for the price ($25) and I was surprised by the combination of different flavour and texture elements. Being a raw meat kind of a guy, I thoroughly enjoyed the full flavour of the fresh eye fillet and the simplicity of its preparation.

Seared South Island Salmon, Ruby Grapefruit, Snow Pea Shoots and Crispy Shallots.

A stark contrast in colours and flavours, this dish had it all. The salmon, wonderfully fresh, was seared til the skin was crispy, but melt-in-your-mouth tender on the inside. Salmon can often be hurt by overcooking, changing a soft, squishy mouth feel to flaky and dry. This, however, was exemplar.

Accompanying was a textural medley - fresh sweet grapefruit, bitter shoots and crispy fried shallot goodness. I think that fried shallots should be served with everything from now on, they are just SO good! The flavours of the salad complimented the salmon perfectly, adding a refreshing change to the taste, and lifting the fat, whilst providing a nice textural contrast.

Pappardelle of braised Bendigo Station Rabbit, Rimu Smoked Bacon, Walnut Watercress Pesto and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Not wanted to be stuck with the usual sirloin, scotch or lamb rump again, I opted for the rabbit for my main. I'd eaten rabbit in a casserole before, and very much enjoyed the wild flavour. Here again the gamy flavour of the meat really stood out, though unfortunately it was a little tough in places. I would have thought that a slow braise would take the stringiness out of the meat and leave it soft, but perhaps it had been too quick of a job here.

The walnut watercress pesto, which I suppose was to bring a deeper earthier feeling to this dish, was slightly marred by the cumulative meat juices of the rabbit and bacon, which were dark, rich and very flavoursome, though obscuring the other flavours somewhat. I felt that this dish was one-dimensional where it didn't need to be. The pesto, tossed through the delicious fresh egg pasta, was lacking in punch, and light olive oil flavours didn't quite come through over the brawn of the smoked meat.

Milk fed Veal fillet wrapped in Prosciutto, Calvados caramelised Apples, Poached Baby Leeks and Truffle Jus.

I am always cautious to order veal, as I believe it takes a very skilled chef to be able to cook and garnish it well, and I am happy to say that this specimen was outstanding.

The fillet of rare-cooked veal was rolled in prosciutto and cut into medallions. The creamy, rosy pink veal was delicate and meltingly tender. The mild flavour - not as meaty as beef, nor as brazen - actually tasted like a baby cow. Mmm... baby cow...

The prosciutto was extraordinarily fatty and rich, and injected that much-needed salt and fat into every bite. Accompanying this meaty morsel was a dark sauce that tasted mostly of drippings, though I could just make out the earthy flavour of truffle hidden in there. Again, the rich oily flavours enhanced the meat's unique taste.

I couldn't at first make out what the caramelised apple was; it seemed to me like parsnip posing as something else. The light sweetness was refreshing. The leeks, sadly, were overdone and slightly tough on the outside - perhaps the outer layers should have been stripped first?

Overall, the meat here was the highlight - great flavour and garnished well to leave a comforting taste on the palate.

Roasted Beetroot with Chive Creme Fraiche.

The beetroot, a beautiful earthy red colour, smacked of quality seasonings and olive oil. The creme fraiche dressing provided a lightness and creamy sour lift that melted into the roasted flavour of the beetroot. Outstanding.

Baked Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brulee.

Look how big that is! Though it was in a shallow dish, this creme brulee was huge! I was a happy creme brulee fiend that night ^_^ (Last year I was obsessed with this dessert, making it batch upon batch until my friends and family were sick of it XD)

The top was browned to perfection by a kitchen torch (I still don't have one! Christmas present anyone?), burn marks and bubbles apparent in abundance. The crisp burnt sugar layer was of variable thickness, sometimes up to a millimetre and down to paper-thin. The flavour was intense, with a great, burnt caramel taste.

After cracking through the veneer, the soft yellowy custard creme was creamy and light - much lighter and less sweet that I am used to. There were subtle hints of vanilla flavour here and there, and the use of real vanilla bean was marked by the tiny black specks throughout. I thought it tasted much more like a custard than a caramel creme proper, and the texture was more of a light goo than a pudding. The combination of the crisp, sharp sugar skin and the soft custard was heavenly.

[As an aside, I read on KevinEats that the Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brulee is a Thomas Keller (The French Laundry) signature creation! Perhaps that dish was Stephen Ward's inspiration for this beautifully executed classic?]

Valrhona Chocolate, Pedro Ximenez Sherry and Hazelnut Trifle.

Hmm.. I am unsure what to make of this one. For sure it was  a top class dish, using very quality ingredients and with just the right amount of pizzaz, but something about the quantities in there put it off-balance for me. It may just be that I am used to my mother's amazing custard/berry/sherry/sponge creations!

The trifle consisted of layers of sherry jelly, ladyfinger, coarse-chopped hazelnuts, chocolate mousse and cream, topped off with shaved chocolate. The jelly had a really strong, almost fruity flavour, and there was far too much of it, overpowering the delicious rich chocolate mousse. The ladyfinger and hazelnut didn't lend enough weight to the dish, almost no nut flavour coming through despite the generous layer. The sponge was also slightly dry, needing a good ratio of cream and jelly on the spoon to even it out.

Great individual flavours in this dish from the jelly and mousse were lost by the lack of balance here, and the hazelnut had yet to make its appearance known.

Italian Nougat.

B was slightly disappointed when the nougat turned out to be of the crunchy variety than the soft and chewy French style she had anticipated. I, however, tucked in with gusto. The nougat was actually very crisp and airy, not too dense at all. I tasted pistachio and marzipan, with a hint of lemon.

Attention to detail runs at a very high standard in this class act restaurant. The waiter's were attentive, if not snappy, all evening, and the presentation was beautiful. To be completely honest, if I was picking a restaurant for an occassion, it wouldn't be here again, though I would most definitely rate it worth a try. It was not that the experience as a whole wasn't special fine dining, it was just not unforgettable. The exquisite opening dishes, executed with flair and precision, were muddled by the mains, and I was sorely let down by the trifle.

Rating:

Food: 7.5/10

Service: 8/10

Value for Money: 8/10

Ambience: 8.5/10


O'Connell St Bistro
3 O'Connell St
CBD
Auckland
+64 9 377 1884
www.oconnellstbistro.com 

Burgerfuel's Wagyu Burger

Almost as soon as I returned from Sydney fresh with the disappointment of not having eaten Plan B's Famous $10 Wagyu Burger while I was there, I was surprised by a full colour page ad of Burgerfuel's new Wagyu burger!

Burgerfuel is a New Zealand originated slightly upmarket burger chain. Motorhead themed, they feature burgers with such names as Bacon Backfire and Studnut Stilton. While pricey (the burgers range from $7.90 for the plain burger up to $11.90 for the Bastard - a phenomenal creation including beetroot, mango, avocado and bacon. Burgerfuel really took off when it hit, as  people were starting to look for tastier alternatives to McDonalds and Burger King, and many had the money to afford it.

The mention of Wagyu beef in a burger brought back memories of the Plan B special on a previous occassion - the coarse-ground 500 day grain fed beef melting in the mouth and luxurious on the palate. I wanted that experience again.

The Burgerfuel Serving Counter.

Tasty Refreshments - L&P and Lemon Lime Bitters.

Doofers!

Doofers are a Burgerfuel trademark creation - a small piece of card that can be folded in to the ultimate burger eating utensil - eat a burger with your hands, but without getting mess and sauces everywhere! Perfect!

Folded Doofer.

Folded Doofer - Side View.

Three MASSIVE Burgers mmm...

Yes, yes, I know it seems a little opulent, but I ordered a standard cheeseburger to go with C and I's Wagyu burgers, just for comparison. As we shall see, my foresight is unfathomable..

Wagyu Burger Autopsy Shot.

The 1/3 pound ground wagyu beef patty is supplemented by melted swiss cheese, caramelised onion, horseradish sour cream, salad and relish, all served on a smaller-than-standard bun.

The beef patty - griddle-cooked to well done and with a noticeable though not crunchy char on the outside has a clean beef taste at first. Though somewhat obscured by the condiments, I can make out tiny traces of the famed Wagyu intramuscular fat, though there is barely any. The grind is uniform, and very fine, though thankfully not too densely packed, leaving a coarse and chewable texture in the mouth. Though the flavour is very slightly reminiscent of the signature nutty Wagyu taste, and the fat imparts a oily mouth coating, I don't get a beef experience that differs from the norm - the flavour, though tasty, is still too much clean chuck beef, and could easily be confused for this were it not for the 'Special 1' stamp on the burger bag.

The horseradish sour cream dressing is a wasabi-tinged creamy dressing and combines well with the sweet and sticky caramelised onions to form a great foil for the grunty beef. I had at first worried that the combined might of the 3 sauces might have overpowered the delicate Wagyu taste - though as there was none of that taste to begin with, and they seem to have left out the relish, the balance was just about right.

Salad, in Burgerful terms, consists of iceberg lettuce, tomato and red onion rings - all are fresh and crispy as always, and impart a little juiciness to the burger.

I love the fact that this burger is served on a 'Lightweight' bun, as the regular Burgerfuel buns are large and much too bready - always offputting the beef/bun ratio that is critical for a good burger. However, it being lightweight does not serve to alleviate it from the usual Burgerfuel bun misery - it is tasteless and vaguely wholemealy, and with a regular medium whole structure that makes it just average for holding the thing together.

1/3 Pounder with Cheese Burger Autopsy Shot.

The 1/3 Pounder with Cheese consists of the 1/3 pound beef patty, melted cheddar, bread & butter pickles, dijon mustard, relish and aioli on the standard sized bun.

I was glad that I bought this, so I could compare the taste of the beef from each. When eaten side-by-side there was a noticeable difference firstly in the texture of the patty. The standard patty was very mealy and uniform, and a mellow grey-brown colour - the hallmarks of a pre-formed, machine-made, and possibly pre-frozen patty (though I'm sure I read somewhere that Burgerfuel patties are always fresh, not frozen). Asides from this textural wasteland, the beef flavour itself was muted, and somewhat underwhelming. This as opposed to the Wagyu patty, which had a coarser grind, was less uniform, a little fattier, and generally more 'fresh' tasting. Though it wouldn't be easy to pick if you blind-tasted the patties on separate occassions, tasting side-by-side made the Wagyu flavour stand out just the tiniest bit.

The Doofer in Action!

Yes, as expected, the Burgerfuel Wagyu burger was a big disappointment. Burgerfuel CEO Josef Roberts was quoted in the NZ Herald as saying he didn't know what grade of beef it was, but it was definitely "100% Wagyu".

And this really brings us to the debate on what can really be considered Wagyu. The meat for Burgerfuel's Wagyu patty is souurced from Australian growers (of which there are only a handful). I suspect they are taking the offcuts and low grade beef ends, as the flavour is not outstanding at all. Firstlight Wagyu growers in New Zealand considers anything below a marble grade of 4 as not making the grade - this is probably the type of meat that goes into these burgers.

Japan is considering getting G1 status for its purebred Wagyu beef, to protect not only the growers and the cattle's sanctity, but also unsuspecting consumers from eating below-the-grade beef that is flamboyantly named as 'Wagyu'. You can read more about the Wagyu trend in this outstanding editorial from The Age here.

Burgerfuel Parnell
187 Parnell Rd
Parnell
Auckland
+64 9 377 3345
http://www.burgerfuel.co.nz/ 

Mid-Autumn Festival Family Dinner

Mmmm.. Mid-Autumn Festival. Yet another date on the Chinese Calendar that forms an excuse for awkward family gatherings and extended gorging sessions. With a group of the usual family members and friends we met up for pot-luck dinner at an Aunty's house. Being highly efficient and organised, everyone was delegated a dish to ensure no doubling up and the like. Drinks flowed and merriment ensued.

I knew there was a reason I still went to these things! This is it, photo-essay style:

Chinese Style Roast Duck.

Assorted Mushrooms and Fungus on Baby Bok Choy.

Malaysian Fish Cake Roll with Water Chestnut.

Seafood Fried Noodles.

Assam Chicken.

Chinese Style Roast Pork.

Baked Salmon with Dill.

Curried Cauliflower.

Beef Mie Goreng.

Thai Beef Salad.

Curry Puff in Homemade Short Pastry.

Sure, we were full up to HERE afterwards, but who doesn't have room for dessert right? We had sago pudding with brown sugar sauce and coconut milk. OH this is SO GOOD! Sweet, calorific and heart-attack-inducing, sure, but worth every sticky, creamy bite. (I should have got a photo but I was too greedy and couldn't wait).

What I also didn't manage to snap was the mooncakes! This year we had an unusual offering: Green Pandan Mooncakes! Crazy! From the outside they looked like normal mooncakes, but inside was a bright green coloured pandan and lotus paste. They taste a little like the regular white lotus mooncakes, but less sweet and with a hint of that beautiful leafy pandan taste. So gutted I didn't get a pic but they were gobbled up so fast! Next time I hope I can show you my friend's mother's pandan sponge cake! Bright green and delicious!

Japa Deli, CBD, Auckland

The redevelopment of the corner block down at the bottom of Anzac Avenue has tidied up what used to be one of the less pleasant parts of the CBD. A widened footpath, new palm trees and a building redevelopment has poshed up the street side and the area seems to have been given a new lease on life, the little eateries there - including a curry takeaway and raamen bar - see more traffic than before. We were here to try Japa Deli, one of the new entrants to the block, which had been recommended by a friend.

The shopfront and indeed the interior is stylishly decorated with warm woods, soft lights and brick walls contrasting the shiny espresso machine and cafe counter. The restaurant interior was much the same, with polished floors and dark wood tables with beautiful flowers and candles. Though it was 8 o'clock on a Thursday evening, the place was still half full - mostly couples. Soft jazz, pop and cafe beats played in the background. It seems Momo Interior Design company did a great job laying this place out for an inviting and casual atmosphere.

The Cake Cabinet.

Though it's pretty late and near the end of the day, there are still sweets left in the glass display at the front. I spy coffee jelly (!!!), baked cheesecake, strawberry cream sponge cake and cream puffs. The cakes are looking a little sad from sitting in the cabinet all day. I hope they nom these overnight and don't leave them there for tomorrow's customers, but I'm sure with their 'A' grade hygiene rating they wouldn't even contemplate such a thing! I'd love to come back and try some of these during the day time - there are special combo deals for coffee + cake or even coffee + hotdog displayed on the cafe menu.

Salmon Hand Roll.

I was pleasantly surprised to see hand rolls on the menu (here called "corn rolls" what?) as you don't often see these in sushi shops in Auckland. I chose the salmon roll ($4), which was quite plain, consisting of a baton of salmon and one slice of avocado, that tried and true combination. The salmon was passable, and the avocado in prime condition - ripe, creamy and flavoursome. The rice, though, was a little stodgy, and the seaweed soft, as opposed to crispy as fresh nori should be, making the whole ensemble clumpy and sticky in the mouth.

Tempura Prawn Roll.

The prawn in this roll was actually panko crumbed as opposed to tempura battered, and reminiscent of the frozen type. However, it was large, and with the lettuce and mayo to complement, was not half bad. Unfortunately, the same story with the rice and nori was repeated here, letting it down.

Yakisoba.

These fried buckwheat noodles were served steaming and sizzling on a hot plate. The smells wafting from it were so tempting! Pieces of glistening fried pork belly lent a richness that was offset by the tiny sour pieces of pickled ginger.  I can't really say much more about this dish - it was so simple yet deeply satisfying and really brought back memories of streetside stalls in Japan.

Prawn and Pork Okonomiyaki.

Again, I was surprised to see this on the menu as its not something I've eaten in Auckland before. Okonomiyaki is a traditional Osaka dish somewhat like a savoury pancake. Okonomi means "what you like" and "yaki" means grilled or fried, but traditional fillings include cabbage, octopus, prawns and pork. The pancake is then topped with mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce (like a sweet thick worcestershire sauce)  seaweed bonito flakes. This one was filled with small prawns and slices of fried belly pork mmm!! The flavours and textures here were deemed delicious by all. I thought it could have been crispier and the batter was a bit floury in places, but as it's the only place I can get this right now, I can't complain too much.

Karaage Chicken.

I'm a sucker for anything deepfried and so order the karaage chicken set meal which comes with a dish of perfectly golden fried chicken pieces, a small salad, rice and miso soup. The chicken was tender and juicy, it could have been a little crunchier. The relatively tasteless batter was helped by two sauces - natto (fermented soybean paste) and sweet soya sauce. Overall, not bad though.

Teriyaki Chicken.

J had the teriyaki chicken set and again the chicken pieces were very juicy. There seems to be a myriad of ways to cook  teriyaki chicken - this one was simply wok-fried bite-sized pieces of chicken doused in sauce. The sauce was great - sweet but with enough of a salty kick to make it very moreish. A sprinkling of sesame seeds and spring onions added great texture, along with the dollop of creamy mayonnaise for dipping.

Katsu Curry.

This thick, rich curry was delicately sweet in the Japanese style - but also with a deep complex taste of tumeric and cumin. A pleasant surprise was that, in addition to the standard potatoes and onions, the curry was also chock full of soft stewed pork, falling apart from extended simmering. I didn't try the katsu but it looked great - very crispy and golden! Highly recommend this curry!

Tsuya-Meku-Jelly-Sparkling.

This small placard on the table enticed us with its Engrishy declaration: "Moisturize your stressed heart as well!" And really, who isn't in need of a good heart-moisturizing?!

We were instructed to shake the tiny can ($10) thoroughly before opening, which we did with caution - it looked like a soda! Instead, what came out was a fizzy, peach-flavoured sake jelly! The texture is hard to describe - its something like a not-quite-set jelly, or one that has been made with a higher water ratio - neither solid nor liquid and perfect for drinking! The fizz made it taste like champagne, and the peach flavours rounded off to a light summery finish on the tongue!

Though the menu was not long, I will definitely be back here to try what we missed. Pleasant service, a range of authentic Japanese dishes - and not to mention the great company - made for a relaxing evening out.


Rating:

Food: 5.5/10
Service: 6.5/10
Value for Money: 7/10
Ambience: 7.5/10


Japa Deli
1-5 Anzac Ave
CBD
Auckland
+64 9 303 3924

Soto - New Style Japanese Cuisine, Ponsonby, Auckland

So here it is. The Inaugural Restaurant Review.

Let me preface this by saying that I love to eat. I will pretty much eat anything and everything that is set in front of me (some call me the rubbish bin), and though this sometimes infers a lack of taste or persuasion, I like to think my rounded palate leaves me open to experiencing as wide a variety of flavours as the world can give me. My dream is to eat my way around the world. I want to eat bat in Nepal, seal in Greenland, insects in Egypt and everything in between. Burgers in America, pizza in Italy, mutton chops in England, sausage in Germany. The world really is your oyster, delicious, fresh, slimy, and to be taken as you like.

On that rather rambling note, here goes :D

Soto was named Best Japanese Restaurant in the 2008 Metro/Audi Restaurant of the Year Awards. Though I usually don't place much stock in the outcome of restaurant reviews in the New Zealand press, I guess one has to take notice of such laudments ocassionally (Metro placed my favourite restaurant The French Cafe as Best Fine Dining last year i think)..

The restaurant is buzzing and warm at 7 on a rainy Friday night, welcome respite from Auckland's wind and cold. The place looks to be almost full from the front of house. We are seated in a modified tatami room, the style that many of the more upper-class Japanese restaurants reserve for larger groups - no shoes, cushions on the floor, a low table with a space underneath to place your feet. The room is minimally decorated with some light box bamboo displays on the walls, paper lantern-style lights and corner tables. A column oil heater somewhat distracts from this elegance - it kept the room warm, but perhaps they could try something less.. in the way... hmm.

Settings on unadorned wooden table are sparse - chopsticks with holder, napkin and two wine glasses.

We are presented with menus and the drinks menu.

There are a variety of Japanese and local beers, a well-chosen wine-list encompassing classics and a few boutique wines, and a selection of sakes and cocktails. I go for a tap Sapporo nom nom.

After a little hmm and haa we settle on the Soto Share Selections - one of four Tenshin Japanese Style Set Menus. Though the menu says this is for 8 people to share, chef says no problem to us sharing it between 6 people ^.^

I'll now run through the menu dish by dish.

Left to right: Edamame Beans, Japanese Omelette, Spinach Ohitashi.

These were the first 3 of 6 'Japanese Tapas' selections.

The beans were slightly too warm for my taste, though the texture was just right, and extra points for using flaked sea salt to add flavour.

The omelette was sweet and puffy, well done but not particularly special.

The spinach was small condensed blocks of baby spinach covered in a sesame sauce. The sauce, nutty and gritty, and spotted with sesame seeds, added a nice contrast to the crunchy spinach, and was slightly warm to the spinach's fridge cold.

Left to right: Tempura Calamari Nanban, Karaage Beef, Fish Panko Crumb Katsu.

The next three starters were hot.

The calamari rings were tender all the way through, but the tempura batter had become a little soggy because of the saucethat coated them. I could taste garlic, ginger, chives, cayenne pepper, ponzu sauce and Japanese mayonnaise, a heady mix almost like a thousand island - very moreish and complimented the calamari perfectly.

Karaage is a deep-fried snack, usually of chicken. This beef was amazing, very tender, and coated with a crunchy batter. The sauce was a thickened ponzu, tangy and flavoursome though there was a little too much of it.

The fish bites were a little dense for my liking, a white fish in this style should be flaky and light. The panko coating provided a nice crisp and was perfectly fried, the accompanying katsu sauce was also good.

Yellow Fin Tuna, Snapper & Aoraki Salmon 'New Style' Sashimi. Dressed with a citrus soy sauce and spicy sesame finish. Accompanied with a julienne of Japanese vegetables & baby fresh salad leaves.

This dish epitomised the 'New Style' cuisine Soto so boldy purveys. It was presented more as a carpaccio than as sashimi is traditionally, and without the regular soy/wasabi/ginger accompaniment. Instead, a ring of cucmber slices in citrus soy dressing framed thick slices of fish which centred on a tower of radish and micro-cress.

The fish was so fresh it might have just been caught, firm and tender and fleshy. The soy sauce was reminiscent of a citrus reduction, though without the stickiness. Topping each piece of fish was a spicy, oily, ginger and sesame finish. This dab really made the dish. The combination of flavours was sublime, the oiliness of the finish balanced against the acidic soy sauce and met by the fatty fish. Overall, my favourite dish of the night! Really impressive.

Seared Crusted Tuna Tataki Sashimi. Crusted with southern ocean giant kelp pepper then seared. Garnished with momiji-oroshi, miniature salad leaves & a ponzu dipping sauce.

There was a LOT of tuna in this dish. Huge ass chunky pieces of seared fresh tuna. Topping each piece was a small dab of grated daikon radish with chilli, and a flake of fried garlic. As the tuna was in such thick slices, it was a bit hard to get enough of the ponzu sauce to adequately coat. This allowed the pepper crust flavour to dominate. If you managed to mix the sauces on top of the slice together with a bit of manoeuvring, they balanced better, though it was a bit hard with the tuna being in such large pieces. Nevertheless, I'm a sucker for big portions, and this was BIG!

Crispy Juicy Teriyaki Chicken. Infused with manuka honey. Served with Tawara rice rolls sprinkled with a wasabi furikake seasoning.

I would not hesitate to say that this is one of THE best teriyaki chicken I have ever eaten. Usually teriyaki chicken doesn't really appeal to me; its over-commercialised, boring and more often than not the sauce is just out of a bottle and the chicken is cooked by someone who doesn't care about chicken. This chef obviously cared about his chicken.

It was incredibly tender and soft - thigh cutlets (skin on!!) browned both sides with plenty of fat keeping it moist. The skin wasn't as juicy as it could have been because of the sauce, but the sauce was divine. You could really taste the honey, and it wasn't too sweet or too thick or salty, just right!! The taste was heightened further by strings of fried shallots mmm shallots....

Teppanyaki Angus Beef Fillet Steak - Premium, grain fed, grilled beef, accompanied by sesame marinated mung beans. Served with poached shiitake mushroom, snow peas & a citrus garlic jus.

A good-sized piece of fillet steak, but it was cooked a bit past the medium-rare I usually prefer. I guess you could ask the chef to cook it to your liking, but you might get a stony stare back T_T.. Though tasty, this dish was unremarkable. The beef had a really tasty beefy flavour, as one would expect from this premium cut, and it was enhanced by the earthy garlicky sauce. The vegetables on the dish were merely decoration and added nothing to the flavour.

Paradise Prawn Filo Tempura - Spun in shredded filo topped with tartare & wasabi caviar and a Japanese Worcestershire styled sauce.

Visually, this was a particularly interesting dish. The technique involved in spinning the prawns in the shredded filo pastry would have been intensely difficult!!

The prawns themselves were huge and tender, and the coating fried til crispy - perfect execution. Two things prevented this dish from being outstanding. The pastry layer was too thick. This reduced the ratio of prawn in every bite and was a little dry in the middle. Secondly, the prawns were shell on. I don't mind this, cos I'll eat anything, and I'm usually too lazy to shell prawns anyway so I'll eat the shell - and I did, tail, head, everything. However, this might make it a bit tricky to eat for some who want to avoid those crunchy sharp bits.

The tartare / wasabi combination worked well but the Worcestershire sauce was a little too much clash in flavours. It would have been better without it. The abundance of sauce helped prevent it from being tooo dry.

Chef's Dessert tasting plate, Left to Right - Vodka poached mixed berry 'ima shochu' with coconut Kanten jelly; Black Sesame Ice-cream, Ginger and white miso Creme Brulee.

The dessert menu at Soto actually consists of a whole lot of different and interesting 'themed' classics. Things like pannacotta and millefeuille with a twist. Also interesting is that when dining a-la-carte, you choose any three desserts to create your own tasting plate - for $14! Bargain!!!

The poached berries were tender and saucy, though not much of a hint of shochu flavour was left. The little cubes of kanten jelly were a little strange, like cubes of Jello, but with a slightly creamy, coconuty flavour to them.

The ice-cream was DREAMY!!! God, I can't really say how much I love the flavour of black sesame ice-cream. I've never eaten a bad one! Ever!! Perfectly sweet, smooth and moreish with a delicious slightly burnt sesame flavour. I could go on about this for ages. I licked that little box clean.

The brulee, too, was excellent. A really strong hit of ginger in the burnt sugar top, with a silky smooth brulee underneath. I didn't actually realise that this was 'white miso' brulee.. though I've only ever had white miso in soups and have no idea how it would taste sweet. Regardless, while I didn't catch any of that flavour, this was a top notch brulee with a lovely ginger finish.

We left Soto feeling fuuuuullll after this heavenly dinner. Portions were perfect size for sharing, and the price ($58 pp) was absolutely reasonable considering the quality produce and thoughtful preparation. This is far from your average in Auckland, each dish has had time and effort, as well as some creativity put into it. The service, as with Japanese restaurants of this high a standard, is attentive and always obliging, the waitresses always hovering at just the right distance to refill your drink, bring you another menu, or even crush your lime into your drink for you (as we found)!! Soto has to be one of the leading Japanese dining experiences in Auckland. Trendy, sophisticated, and creative, the food really does highlight a 'new style' of Japanese cuisine.


Rating:

Food: 7.5/10
Service: 8/10
Value for Money: 8.5/10
Ambience: 6.5/10


Soto
13 St Mary's Rd
Ponsonby
Auckland
+64 9 360 0021
www.soto.co.nz