Herald rating: * * * *1/2
Address:279 Parnell Rd
Ph: 309 6289
Web: www.vbg.co.nz
Open: Tues-Sun
Cuisine: Bistro
From the menu: Pan-fried chicken livers, herb-crumbed field mushroom, pancetta and shallot jus $18.50; Twice-cooked duck, white bean cassoulet, baby spinach $33; Passionfruit curd trifle, peaches, sherry jam, pavlova straws $15
Vegetarian: Dishes on menu
Wine: Left of centre goodies
KEY POINTS:
"This is the best meal I've eaten in a long, long time," asserted Jude, noshing her gnocchi. She's spent the past six weeks noodling in Hong Kong, hiking in the Scottish Highlands and driving a tiny Fiat across Italy to road test la cucina: that's praise.
The vote of confidence in Kiwi cuisine was good; not just that she'd enjoyed her evening but that this restaurant had enthused, excited. It is a place with something to prove.
VBG was born in and of the early 80s, haven of the brokers and thrusters, many of whom became the broken and busted of October '87.
For almost 25 years it has thrived, dived, revived and survived. Several times.
Walking the dogs down Parnell Rd recently, some action at the place caught my eye - action of the painting, hammering, plumbing kind.
"It's our first night," said the nice man who took our coats and gave us the menu last week.
That painting, hammering and plumbing has moved one of Auckland's nicer dining rooms into 2008 while preserving its heritage. Other developers might take note.
The man returned. He looked familiar, because he was: Hans Hoeflich has graced and favoured Auckland entertainment for a couple of decades, notably the early days of Cibo. His wine list for VBG owes a little to familiar names (Mt Difficulty pinot noir) and a little more to off-kilter discoveries like subtle, discreetly unfolding Crater Rim pinot noir from Central Otago.
Sal Grant, who began at the lamented, once wonderful Otto's, continues VBG's long-running theme of stylish, witty and upmarket comfort food. A tight menu, just six entrees (one vego) and six mains (ditto).
I began with grunty beef-cheek pappardelle, close relation to the wild boar pasta lapped up in Italy lately, with some vege notes that extended and rounded the dish: broccolini florets, wedges of baked ricotta, slivers of artichoke.
Other pleasures beckoned. Bangers 'n' mash. What better on a freezing night? Grant sources corpulent, succulent pork sausages from Pokeno, on creamed potato. Wasn't quite so sure about the silverbeet and onion confit; it tasted a tad caramelised. Jude disagreed.
Her salad - a pear, poached in white wine, red onions sprinkled with balsamic, gorgonzola, caramelised walnuts - was a cameo. Each taste and texture contributed; each knew its place.
We are back where we came in. Jude's main, "Maori gnocchi with charred beetroot, toasted macadamias, three-cheese veloute". You've gotta love the concept: a modern Kiwi rendering of Milan's gnocchi, walnut, four-cheese sauce. Each crosses the equator to become purple heritage potatoes, Downunder nuts, and Aotearoan cheeses rather than gorgonzola, mozzarella (beetroot? Well, we put that on our burgers).
Extracting the proverbial from a culinary classic is one thing: creating a new dish from the bones - or rather carbs - of the original, one that stands in its own right, is quite another.
These are sizeable meals. There was room to share a sweet, thick crème brulee.
IN THIS reincarnation of VBG, service is friendly, well paced and every question answered. Food was intelligent, familiar yet interesting, carefully and boldly executed. We made a new friend from the wine list and weren't affronted when the bill arrived.
Thought, care, professionalism. There is a clever restaurateur behind the scenes of VBG, and if you look at the staff's training grounds, those early days of Cibo and Otto's, you can join the dots and find the answer: Philip Sturm.
