This is by way of saying that Odettes, which opened its doors at the beginning of the month, is entering a crowded market; but for my money it is the best of the depot's bunch and one of the most impressive new arrivals of the year.
The couple behind it are Clare and Joost van den Berg who started and later sold Zus and Zo in Jervois Rd and still run another daytime place, Zomer Cafe in Takapuna. Odettes, by contrast, does breakfast, dinner and everything in between.
It was only the fifth day of operation when the Professor and I dropped in for dinner, but we found an establishment in such assured full swing that it might have been going for months. The place oozed cool professionalism and there was an excited buzz among the diners.
The room design, which Clare worked on with guidance from Nat Cheshire (the depot's main planner) is sublime; duck-egg tiles, Simon James chairs, an enormous print of a Slim Aarons photograph.
Word had obviously got around and shortly after our early arrival it was packed. On a Tuesday evening. And if anything it was even busier when I dropped in with a workmate on a Friday lunchtime to check that it really was as good as I had thought. It was.
Chef Josh Kucharick, a Quebec native who has worked in the Caribbean and the Gulf, has a pleasingly light touch but is full of original and inventive ideas. Buffalo mozzarella is served with a faintly smoky puree of eggplant, with pomegranate seeds providing an astringent and crunchy contrast; the seared scallops escape being bored to death by black pudding, instead getting paired with a lean, fall-apart piece of braised pork hock; a carpaccio of kingfish doesn't go down a salsa/ceviche route but comes with puffed rice and slivers of coconut.
I could go on: beef cheek fritters are little balls of wicked fattiness, spinach empanadas are filled with kidney beans (although the pastry is a bit thick and the filling a bit thin). In larger plates, the asparagus slaw is a spring salad to die for and the sauce on the saffron tortellini is lent an agreeably vinegary tang by the use of yoghurt rather than cream.
My single grumble was that the wagyu rump (rarer than asked for) lacked flavour and imagination in the plating (on tiny roast veges).
All this without touching dessert, which must wait for a return visit. That will be soon.
• Bites $7-$9; share plates $16-$19; mains $23-$39; share mains $40-$69; sides $8-$10; sweets $14-$16.
Verdict: Impressive debut in hot spot.
Cheers
Keeping it in the family
The Vintner's Table, by Aaron McLean and Adrienne Rewi
Ivan Donaldson is the first to 'fess up to being addicted to buying wine, but in this new hard-cover biography and recipe book, he doesn't put an exact number on how many bottles he has amassed over the past five decades or so. He does divulge a few trade secrets, though. This is the Donaldson clan's not-quite-rags-to-riches tale of taking winemaking from the family garage to a successful business today at Pegasus Bay Winery. The Vintner's Table, $65, is published by Random House New Zealand. Photography is by Aaron McLean with some writing by Adrienne Rewi. It's a great read.
Top buy
2012 Chalk Hill Barbera, $30
Every now and then you stumble upon a wine so good that you have to share it. Meet barbera; a red originally from Piemonte in Italy's great north west. This one is made in Australia, and it ticks all the tasty classic barbera boxes; savoury flavour, medium body and refreshing dry finish. Buy at Bottle-O Northcote in Auckland, or from Steve at Co Pilot Distributors, phone (027) 297 0137, copilotdistributors.co.nz
- By Joelle Thomson, joellethomson.com
