Esplanade Hotel

By GRAHAM HEPBURN for viva


We had great plans to take the ferry across to Devonport but the weather wasn't cooperating, so it was a less-romantic drive across the harbour bridge for dinner at the Esplanade Hotel.

As it turned out, the weather would provide the only clouds on our horizon that evening.

The hotel has been refurbished by its new owners and now boasts the services of former Cin Cin chef Keith McPhee.

Open for about a year, the dining room is restored to its Edwardian splendour with rich red walls, chandeliers, polished wooden floors and crisp white table linen. You can also dine towards the front of the hotel or at a large table in the private dining room.

McPhee has introduced a "grazing menu", which features a range of smaller dishes at reasonable prices ($19 is the most expensive) to tempt diners through several courses rather than the standard entree-main affair. And for the indecisive there is a chef's selection taken from the menu: a three-course lunch ($35) and five-course dinner ($65), which the waiters are only too happy to outline. The menu is also posted on the hotel's website.

Our first courses - smoked duck prosciutto with truffled red peach, daikon and rocket salad ($13) and Chatham Island crayfish with crisp potato, pea shoots and celeriac mayonnaise ($15) - were generous and arrived smartly.

Jane's crayfish was crafted to provide an imaginative contrast of textures while my duck was fresh and tangy.
The Esplanade's bucket-like wine glasses cry out to be filled, so before our next course arrived I ordered a glass of Custodian Grenache 1999 ($10).

Seared eye fillet carpaccio with miso mayonnaise ($13) and wild mushroom soup with truffle essence ($8) followed. The intense soup had an inventive cappuccino-style froth with a truffle flavour. My slivers of beef were beautifully complemented by the mayonnaise scrawled on top.

Our mains were another triumph. The venison loin wrapped in smoked bacon with grilled nectarine, wilted rocket and green peppercorn ($19) was strong and smoky and left me lamenting the fact that I had scoffed my bread roll earlier and couldn't mop up the zesty sauce.
Jane's tender rabbit loin ($18) was wrapped in pancetta and served on a large field mushroom with artichoke puree and vanilla oil.

There was no stopping us now so, with a glass of Pegasus Bay Aria Late Pick Riesling 1999 ($8) as accompaniment, we attacked desserts: a summer berry salad with watermelon granita and vanilla syrup ($9) and strawberry trio ($12). Again, the presentation and flavours were inspired; Jane was particularly taken with the single strawberry stuffed with liqueur-flavoured cream cheese.

All our meals were presented and executed with flair and an assured touch. Everything about the dining room, from its decadent wine glasses to its napkins with an embossed E, urges you to indulge. And it is easy to succumb.

The Esplanade manages to be an elegant dining experience but relaxed and unpretentious. It has young and enthusiastic staff who let you dine at a leisurely pace. The only criticism is that some seem a little unfamiliar with the menu, which is something of a drawback if you are trying to encourage diners to let their taste buds loose.

Cynics might say the grazing menu is a clever way of keeping the spend up but if you open your heart (and your wallet) to the concept, you will be rewarded.

Our evening cost us $144, including a couple of pre-dinner drinks, and we will be back - hopefully by ferry next time.

Open: Lunch and dinner seven days a week.

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