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Home / Bay of Plenty Times / Lifestyle

Bravo: Service earns cheers for Bravo

Bay of Plenty Times
24 Aug, 2012 12:00 PM3 mins to read

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Bravo customers enjoy the indoor-outdoor nature of the cafe-restaurant.

Bravo customers enjoy the indoor-outdoor nature of the cafe-restaurant.

Bravo Red Square
Tauranga

Prices: Entrees $16.50-$21; Pizzas, pasta & breads $8-$20; Mains $23-$35.50; Desserts $14-$19; Sides $7.50-$11.50

On the menu: A varied menu offers something to suit most tastes _ from chicken and fish to pork, lamb shanks and Scotch fillet. There is also a great range of pizzas and light meals if you're after something a little less substantial.

To share: On recommendation we opted to share the herb and garlic bread as a starter. With plenty of melted butter, garlic and herbs, it was just as good as our attentive waitress said it would be. I imagine it would be a perfect snack to accompany after-work drinks.

I'll have: Pork cutlet served on a blue cheese and onion jam galette, with kumara mash and a spiced apple chutney ($28.50). The contrast between the sweet kumara and onion, the spiced apple, the blue cheese and the pork was perfection. For dessert I had winter chocolate pudding with warmed mocha sauce and chocolate icecream ($14). The pudding was dense and moist, as it should be, and the mocha sauce had a caffeine kick that satisfied even this fussy coffee drinker.

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He'll have: Wild rabbit casserole with a puff pastry top, jerusalem artichoke puree, baby carrots and quinoa ($29). The presentation was superb, from the baby carrots with stalks intact, to the puff pastry rabbit and its matchy bunny salt and pepper shakers. While the presence of small bones in the casserole meant each bite required dedication and focus, its intense, smoky flavour was just reward. The slower pace of consumption meant every mouthful was fully savoured.

For dessert: a selection of icecreams and sorbets with raspberry sauce ($14). It was a nice simple finish after the complex rabbit casserole.

For the adventurous: If wild rabbit isn't your game, try the duck breast on parsnip cake with a sour cherry and cracked black pepper sauce and parsnip crisps ($33).

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Value for money: The light meals and pizzas are still easily large enough to satisfy most appetites, and range in price from $17 to $24.

The buzz: Bravo is a longstanding institution in Red Square and has recently been renovated. We particularly loved the cutting edge Kartell light shades and stools.

Overall, the interior is slick and bold with a hint of luxury.

The verdict: The folks at Bravo have mastered a balance of attentive service with food that more than satisfies even the hungriest belly. The staff were aware of their customers' every need and took initiative, taking photos of group tables and presenting birthday cupcakes. Bravo, Bravo.

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