Gault at George, Parnell

By JOHN GARDNER for canvas

Aucklanders are spoiled when it comes to eating out. These days it is rare to find a really bad meal. Amateur service, yes, horrible music, decor and acoustics that reduce an evening to an endurance contest, yes. Ludicrous mark-ups on standard wines, certainly.

Dreadful food is, mercifully, rare.

But the truly outstanding, with dishes that lift themselves above the competent, remains the province of a few. When it opened Gault@george obliged reviewers to scour their vocabularies for superlatives and our recent visit showed no falling-off in standard.

This is not a surprise. One of the first restaurant columns I wrote for this newspaper was back in 1991 when Simon Gault was at Bell House. It was an impressive act then with few chefs at the time having the nerve to serve venison with a creme de cassis, spinach and green peppercorn tart.

Auckland standards have risen but there are still not many places with the wit, for instance, to top prawn gnocchi ($17.50) in Waikanae crab creme fraiche sauce with tuna wafers which wave to you, a phenomenon which caused slightly disconcerted amusement wherever it arrived.

Not that Gault's style consists entirely of the elaborate. One of our first courses was a simple
caprese salad ($16.50) — tomatoes, basil and cheese, but lifted by the quality of the buffalo
mozzarella, a distant relative of the supermarket variety.

Our third first course, for the vegetarian, was another simple but enhanced dish, a lagoon of chilled green pea and truffle soup surrounding a little island of carrot pannacotta ($13.50).

The vegetarian's next course was another pretty treat, tempura zucchini flower ($20.50) on top of a revisit of the caprese which was handy, for even as the soup was going down covetous eyes had been directed at the mozzarella across the table. We added a plain little dressed rocket salad ($6).

The carnivore option was exercised in my rotisserie loin of pork on roasted apple, fennel and Parmesan gratin ($28.50). Having had, for no good reason, a hamless holiday this year, I was
disappointed to see that the roasted ham hock with ham and potato puree wrapped in a cabbage leaf had disappeared in the new menu, but the pork was superb.

Our third main course was another stunner, a solid chunk of waikanae crab with tuna ($28.50).

The dessert menu is another display of creativity. Butterscotch pudding is likely to turn up on
several Auckland listings but not with salted caramel icecream on sweet potato with pepper
chocolate sauce. This was deemed a little too unusual and the low calorie mousse duet (all desserts $16.50) earned a place. Although this looked fine, the slightly grainy texture was not judged pleasing but the chocolate 2004 — contrasting chocolate and orange mousse, icecream and something described as nut brittle but probably not what you imagine — received two thumbs up.

For my less sweet teeth the cheeseboard looked spectacular but I turned in favour of the Gorgonzola crepe, an inspired move in providing a taste high end to an exceptional meal.

The wine list provides a brow-furrowing exercise in choice but we were content with our Te Kairanga Martinborough chardonnay and the Domaine de la Pigeade Muscat de Beaumes de Venises.

Tearing myself reluctantly from memories of the table I must record that the impeccable service matched the menu and that the premises are spacious, airy and comfortable. Our visit was in that dead period after Christmas but there was a decent turnout of clients of a surprising range of ages and styles. If any left disappointed they must be very hard to please.

Ambience: Casual or dressy. Your choice.

Cost: Three courses for three, bottle of wine and two glasses of dessert wine. $254.

* Read more about what's happening in the world of food, wine, party places and entertainment in canvas magazine, part of your Weekend Herald print edition.