Hail Mary

I was invited out for lunch today by friends who are returning to Scotland after a six month holiday here. We went to The Old Church Restaurant. They use the image on the right on the napkins they use for the plates.

Restaurant: Pacifica Kaimoana

Located on Marine Parade in the heart of Napier, the small (35 seat) Pacifica Kaimoana specializes in slow fine dining in an intimate setting. One can enjoy contemporary French-influenced cuisine year round with their á la carte menu. If one is in the mood for something special, they also offer a five course degustation menu. The menus change daily depending on the local ingredients available.

That's what they say. What is my experience?

I've been a number of times since the new owners opened a few years ago. The setting is simple and unassuming but the over-riding impression at all times is of superb, friendly, attentive and very professional service. The food is fresh and well presented. The menu is interesting and obviously the result of considerable thought. One would have to work hard to be unhappy in this restaurant.

I rather like their 'slogan'

We source the freshest
produce from the
Earth of Papatuanuku
[in Māori legend the Earth Mother]
and the
Sea of Tangaroa
[in Māori legend the God of the sea]
to whom we give thanks
& gratitude.

It is our pleasure to present
their gifts to you.

Rebecca & Jeremy Rameka

Dining Out: The Old Church Revisited

On 12 December last I and some friends visited The Old Church Restaurant in Meanee, a suburb of Napier. It merited a rather mixed review on this Blog.

I have been since and things had improved. Tonight I returned with Mo and her daughter Fiona. Fiona, in particular, is a foodie and both are world travellers well qualified to pass judgement on an eaterie.

The first thing of favourable note was that the lady on reception was not wearing the DECT phone headset that has always greeted guests in the past and about which I've heard more adverse comments than any other single aspect of the Restaurant.

We sat in the main body of the restaurant this time instead of in the conservatory section that I've sat in on previous occasions. The ambiance is different. It is a very interesting building and the decorations are way over the top with lots of different styles and fuss. The interesting thing is that it works. There are a few irritations. For example if you are waiting for friends and want a drink or want coffee after the meal away from the table then the chairs in the separate lounge area are large and spaced so far apart that it involves a fair shout to communicate. There are large settees, however, for couples.

The glasses for the red wine have changed and are now large interestingly shaped balloons which are more suitable for releasing the bouquet and the flavour of the wine and, in my opinion, just so much more comfortable and comforting to hold than the original V shaped glasses. It would be a nice touch if someone poured the wine after the first glass. It would make one feel 'looked after'.

I have had the Flash Fried Baby Prawns with a Sweet Chili Aioli Sauce on three occasions and it has never failed to please although I've discovered that it makes a mess if you drop it down the front of your shirt. The fish was beautifully cooked and presented and the balsamic mixed berries with the crème brulée were wonderful.

The waitress who served us when we started the meal was delightful but disappeared soon after never to be seen again and we felt deserted and, talking of desert, had to ask for service in order to get it.

If The Old Church is trying to compete with the best of the Wineries Restaurants such as The Mission and The Black Barn then, when it comes to service in particular, it has a long way to go.

I will try again in a year and see if it's improved. In the meantime there are too many other wonderful eateries in and around Napier.

Sileni's for Lunch

Anna (one of Wendy and Martin's friend's Mum) returns to Glasgow on Monday and it's also her Birthday today. So June, Anna and I went to Sileni's Winery (half an hour away from the centre of Napier just South of Hastings) for lunch. As with all the prestigous wineries the food and wine were excellent as was the service and the ambience. Sileni is a place where you go for the outside experience. Today was perfect: not too hot.

Impressive drive

Impressive facade

View from one of the seating areas

The return journey

The drive out

Especially for Mark: a corkscrew forest

Experiencing Mongolia

Tonight we ate out at the Mongolian Barbecue in town. I've always avoided it in the past because it represented a bit of the unknown. Actually it's a very simple concept. You go in. You pay. You collect your bowl 0f meat or tofu. You fill the bowl with sauce ingredients, noodles and vegetables. They cook it on a massive hot plate for a few minutes. You collect your bowl. You get your drink. You eat the food and drink the drink. You get your ice cream. You eat it. You leave. You have experienced Mongolia. Well, perhaps not. But it was fun and excellent quality and value for money.

Dining Out: The Old Church

Four of us went to a new restaurant on Monday which is a converted Mission Church. I'll go back and take photos because it was absolutely wonderful. The physical surroundings could hardly have been better for the purpose.

The menu is unusual and very reasonably priced and the food was very good.

However something was not quite right. The service was very lacking in something. It wasn't exactly as though we were not treated well but the front of house was not organised. We decided to go straight to the table rather than have a drink in the bar area first. Our bread and olive oil etc came just as the starter came which was after we'd had time to consume the first bottle of wine. (I was on the wagon because I was the chauffeur for the evening - driving June's car not mine I have to add). The waiter who served the vegetables shovelled them onto the plates. We arrived at 1930 and were waiting for our coffee and dessert at 2315. They haven't quite got that right yet! They were very busy for a Monday night and may not have had the kitchen staff they would normally have had but if it's like that at weekends then they might have problems.

The whole thing is design led. Very attractively designed I have to say. The cutlery was heavy and good to use. It made a big noise when dropped. It was dropped frequently. We put it down to nervous and clumsy staff but eventually realised that it was because the design of the plates made it almost impossible to take a plate away without the cutlery sliding off it. Every dish seemed to have a differently shaped plate. The wine glasses were unusual and not really to my taste but quite different to the norm. The cups at the end were certainly a talking point. The waitress could not put them down on the table easily or elegantly. I didn't have any difficulty holding the cup although it wasn't that easy not to burn your finger because you had to hold the handle in a completely different way to usual. However the left-handed person amongst us had difficulty and had to use two hands.

At the end they brought the account - no plate, no folder just a bill.

And the loos - well I may describe them another time - but if you had a small bum you might just not manage to stay above the plimsoll line.

All in all a medium score. Pluses: very reasonably priced for the quality, wonderful setting and pleasing designs - tremendous potential. Minuses: service, and lack of thought for the end user in some of the design.