Mount Bistro Restaurant: Barry's bistro still ruling the roost

Stephen Barry at his famed restaurant, Mount Bistro.

Mount Bistro Restaurant
6 Adams Ave, Mount Maunganui.
ph (07) 575 3872
Open for dinner from 5.30pm Tuesday to Sunday

Award-winning chef Stephen Barry has been delivering some of the best food in the Bay for more than eight years and his Mount Bistro Restaurant continues to lead the way with taste, innovation and attention to detail.

Stephen, a Beef and Lamb ambassador, is always setting himself new challenges and is waiting to hear whether his latest salmon dish is an award-winner - while his lamb medallion offering is also in the running for a national award.

Visiting Mount Bistro with my wife we found a wonderful ambience that showed attention to detail at every turn.

The classy decor, subtle music, friendly staff and spectacular outlook prepared us for the meal ahead.

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The vegetarian wife began her culinary journey with the Blue Cheese Cheesecake ($19), which came with savoury cheese macaron, poached pear and caramelised onion.

My reservations about combining blue cheese with cheesecake were totally unfounded in this quite stunning dish, which my wife found rich and delicious.

I went with the scallops, which came with tempura onion, spiced pumpkin and mango foam ($19).

These scallops were large and juicy yet at the same time light and incredibly tasty. Sitting in a bed of mango foam didn't do them any harm either.

For a main, my wife went with a combination of side dishes - rocket and pear salad, and tempura vegetables ($8 each). These dishes complemented each other very well and offered a beautiful combination of tastes.

I went with Stephen's Silver Fern Farms Premier Selection Awards entry - Silere Merino Lamb Medallions ($36) with mustard glazed rib, earth gems, grilled baby leek, watercress and pea panna cotta, and grapes with peppered pinot noir.

What a delightful mix of sights, tastes and textures. The tender and mouth-watering lamb worked beautifully with the watercress and pea panna cotta. To top it off, the mustard glazed rib offered a somewhat sweet and tender extra.

Fortunately, we had a little room left to sample desserts.

I went with Banana Mousse Cake ($16) with date and macadamia base and salted macadamia caramel.

Having a sweet tooth, I had no trouble enjoying every last morsel. It was like Stephen had created this one just for me.

My wife went with a reborn Kiwi favourite - Jelly Tip ($16).

The deconstructed offering featured a layered wafer of raspberry jelly and white chocolate cremeux with a jelly tip cone.

It was remarkable how much like the real jelly tip this was but done in such a classy way.
Though the food on offer was faultless, the menu also offered an extensive range of wines of all varieties, Champagne, dessert wines, spirits, shots, cocktails, creamy offerings, coffees and cheeses.

Mount Bistro is a true dining experience and one that should be considered if food is your passion or if there is a special occasion to be celebrated.