• Howick and Botany Times
If it meant spending the day juggling the ‘can haves’ and the ‘can’t haves’ on my food list designed to help me trim a few inches, I was all for it. But in the end I knew I would have to cross boundaries to accommodate an evening at The Café, Hyatt’s oft applauded restaurant.
To be truthful, I threw caution to the wind. Well, just a little although I did ask for very small portions and head chef Nitin Kumar pulled out all stops to ensure I enjoyed a taste of several dishes without being overwhelmed.
And enjoy we did. First up was a selection of The Café’s original home-style breads. I had trouble restricting myself to just a mouthful of each especially the yummy blue cheese variety.
We then ran a gambit of entrees. First up, pan-seared duck livers served on a flaky pastry slice with field mushrooms, shallots and brandy cream sauce. It was my favourite of the night. Absolutely perfectly prepared, and full of flavour but not overly strong as I half expected.
What’s more, hubby, who does not eat chicken livers, wasn’t expecting to enjoy them at all. We both gave this delicious entrée the big thumbs up and also commended the sommelier’s wine match of a 2009 Te Tera Pinot Noir. Yes to the duck livers; yes to the wine!
We then sampled lightly smoked goose with honey-tossed bread, braised rhubarb and a vanilla orange dressing. This was our first taste of goose. It was delicate of flavour and well suited to the sweet accompaniments. Definitely a fowl New Zealand should showcase more.
Our third entree of home made wild rabbit ravioli with shaved asparagus tips, tarragon butter and grape chutney did the kitchen proud. Once again this was faultlessly prepared and a dish we would be happy to order again.
• Wild boar duo with red onion and caramelised apple with pumpkin risotto
• Grilled New Zealand wild hare loin with lentil and kumara stew, spiced plum & juniper scented hare jus
• Grilled wild venison strip loin with braised red cabbage, green beans & morel cream sauce
• Pheasant roulade filled with dates served with garlic mash, Swiss chard & sauce Veronique
In order of personal preference I rated the pheasant tops followed by the venison then the wild hare and finally the wild pork. But there wasn’t any one dish that we didn’t enjoy.
All had delicious flavour characteristics and each dish was beautifully cooked and served with only the wild boar perhaps not quite so tender as other dishes. In particular, I loved the way these dishes were served ‘chef’s plate” style and think this is an option that should be offered on a regular basis.
Often at such events one would love to try a bit of this or a bit of that but the reality is having to order but one dish. Restaurants should plan to do this more.
Prices for the game menu were as I would have expected – entrées ranging from $17-$19 and mains between $32 and $38 and with the option of a complementary wine match.
This particular outing turned out to be a real pleasure. It had been about four years since, quite by chance, I last visited The Café. I recall how much I enjoyed the meal then and asked myself why I hadn’t been back more often.
The food is always of the highest standard and the service impeccable. We really appreciated the attention to small details – linen table napkins, sparkling and appropriate glassware, the offer to take our coats, steak knives where steak knives were needed… the list goes on. These may seem small issues but they are important in achieving a top dining experience and, unfortunately, are so often lacking today.
Indeed, The Café also scored Brownie points for all round professionalism. Both the well-groomed Maitre d’ and our attentive waiter ensured we never once had to beckon or ask. Their whole attitude embraced true hospitality ethics and convinced us that our dining experience at The Café at the Hyatt Regency deserved applause.
