Indochine, Christchurch

By JENNIFER YEE

Disposable chopsticks lend some casual chic to this place, which has a decor that lies somewhere between Suzy Wong and funky. Red lacquer walls, flock wallpaper, stylised oriental wooden screens, Perspex bar stools and dining chairs somehow work for this moody space overlooking the Avon.

The menu offers Cantonese, Thai and Japanese tastes. But don't come looking for any Vietnamese influence, as you won't find it.

We hit the bar first — the place to be if your weakness is for cocktails. Terry my wine-pro date, went for the chilli and guava margarita which kicked in with both heat and alcohol. I'm a creature of habit — Dubonnet on ice.

I liked the glossary on the flip-side of the menu, although it is not entirely accurate. Sung Choi Bao, for instance, is Cantonese for a lettuce bun, wrap or purse, not a "moist gingery pork mince, mushrooms and Chinese sausage" — that is the filling.

With our drinks we nibbled freshly made sesame seed and sour milk flatbreads served with a peanut sauce. More like a spread, the sauce had ample flavour from chilli, dried shrimp and toasted sesame seeds.

We liked the sound of the five-spice chicken livers with lemon sauce and the red amaranth leaves with smoked salmon from the Dim Sum menu. The livers came simply topped with crispy fried shallots and coriander. Aromatic, dark amber and gutsy on the exterior, pink and creamy textured within. Lip-smackingly good.

The moist salmon, also with shallots and coriander was delectable. However, our waiter failed to tell us that the amaranth leaves were not in season and were being substituted with baby spinach leaves. "Same, same but

different" and annoying not to be told until asked.

Terry's tamarind oxtail braised with dates and lychees came with Southland swede. I pinched some before it

disappeared and this was the dish we enjoyed the most, bones and all. My pineapple curry of grilled seafood and Thai basil included prawns, scallops, mussels, squid and mouthfuls of salmon. A nice combo of well-prepared ingredients, although I prefer my sauces to be lighter in consistency. Both mains without the jasmine rice would be too salty, but this tends to appeal to the palates of Australians, smokers and older adults.

Our order of "fresh green vegetables with oyster sauce" comprised French beans, bok choy, and mustard sprouts, sprinkled with sesame seeds. It was one of the tastiest

vegetable side dishes I've come across in any restaurant — we especially loved the peppery hit of the micro mustard leaves.

For pudding there was the difficult choice of dessert cocktails or pan-Asian flavoured sweets. The rather pricey raspberry tart cocktail, a blend of raspberries, icecream, and wild raspberry liqueur with fresh lime juice was sweet, tart and dangerous. I made my date try the coconut

tapioca with palm sugar, lychees and a scoop of ginger and lemongrass icecream. This was worth getting just for the icecream, which came topped with Thai golden strands (foi tong) — traditionally made with duck egg yolks and pandan, or jasmine-flavoured sugar syrup.

Indochine boasts a comprehensive wine list split between affordable, everyday wines and harder-to-source and older vintages. The wine we chose was Walnut Ridge Pinot Noir 2002. This Martinborough classic, with up-front ripe berries, a slightly acidic middle but fine tannin bones matched the diverse flavours and didn't overpower.

The bar and wine service was somewhat aloof and uninterested, and our waiter managed to serve a reasonable wine as if it were plonk. The food service was polite and low-key.

OUR MEAL: $169.50 for two; dim sum $10-$11.50; entree $14.50-$19; mains $19.50-$26.50; desserts $8-$9.50

OUR WINES: by the glass $6-9; by the bottle $25+; bubbles $25-98 by the bottle.