Restaurant review: Gold Mela

On the menu: This restaurant has a strong southern-European signature and on the menu you'll find a range of French and Italian dishes. Hosts Valerie Raux and Jean-Pierre Gerace are from Menton in France, close to the Italian border. They serve fantastic pastas and pizzas, plus steak, chicken and lamb dishes. Vegetarians can choose from a few different pizzas and pastas and there's plenty of seafood on the menu, including king prawns.
We'll share: We chose the Fromage Provencal ($18) as an entree to share; baked goat cheese with herbs and olive oil on bread with fresh salad and olives. I am a huge fan of goat cheese and this certainly didn't disappoint.
For the adventurous: Escargot ($16). If you haven't tried these delectable snails drenched in garlic before, give them a try at Gold Mela.
Value for money: With the price of lamb nowadays, I'd pick the Penne Jean-Pierre as the value meal. Lamb baked in an oven with sauce and cheese for $21.
I'll have: For the main course, Filet de Boeuf (eye fillet) au Fromage on the menu for $33. The sauce was great and the steak cooked perfectly. It can be ordered with mushrooms (champignons) or green pepper (poivre) but I decided on blue cheese.
For dessert, I had the home-made Tiramisu ($13). It's a wonderful Italian dessert made from sponge finger biscuits, espresso coffee, cocoa, liqueur and mascarpone. Apparently it's easy to make but I've never had one that tasted this good.
She'll have: Gigot d'Angeau ($29): Lamb leg roasted with mixed herbs and garlic which she thoroughly enjoyed. We both had roast potatoes and vegetables with our meal but you can choose fries, ratatouille or salad if you prefer.
As a dessert she chose Crepe Suzette ($15) prepared the traditional way. Two huge fresh cr�s drizzled with liqueur, topped with sugar and vanilla ice cream. It was flambeed at our table by Valerie, and tasted divine.
To drink: Water was brought to the table as soon as we sat down, and we were impressed with the wine list. There was plenty of great wine to choose from with French, Italian, New Zealand and Australian options. We decided on a small bottle of French chardonnay from J. Mourat Pere & Fils, which went very well with our meal.
Gold Mela is both BYO and fully licensed. Traditional digestives like lemoncello and grappa are available, and you'll find French champagne and Italian bubbles on the list too. The non-alcoholic options include Orangina. Tres European.
The buzz: You just have to see the decor of this lovely little restaurant. It's unique and yet so familiar. The walls and ceiling of Gold Mela are covered in prints, artefacts, kitchen utensils, plants and more. The eclectic look only adds to the cosy atmosphere. There is so much on the walls, I'm glad I don't have to do the dusting there.
The verdict: Gold Mela is one of Tauranga's true treasures. The food is cooked to perfection and beautifully presented. If you love dining in an authentic French/Italian atmosphere, or if you'd like to make an impression on that special person, there's no better place to book a table. I've spent a good bit of time travelling through France and Italy when I lived in Europe so for me, it felt a bit like coming home.
The details:
Gold Mela
350 Cameron Rd/Corner of 4th Avenue
Ph: 578 1197
Monday to Saturday: 5.30pm until late
Prices: Entrees $9 - $19 mains $19 - $33; desserts $8 - $15