Restaurant review: Laneway/The Local, Remuera

The pork belly and squid entree from the Laneway in Remuera. Photo / Dean Purcell

Address: 371 Remuera Rd, Remuera
Phone: Ph (09) 520 2900
Rating out of 10: Food: 6, Service: 5, Value: 6, Ambience: 7

The hardest part about dining at Laneway is finding it. When we called to make a booking I was kindly informed that Laneway was just a small bar and we'd be much more comfortable eating upstairs at its sister restaurant, The Local.

Despite that, and after making a booking in the rather dull-feeling Local as suggested, we wanted to at least have a look at Laneway and were pointed to a staircase that took us past the kitchen and into the loos, before we finally found it, tucked away to the left.

True, the bar is tiny, yet that's part of Laneway's charm, especially since its back wall is glass and opens on to a service lane, which makes it feel fresher and more spacious. Incidentally, it is also the way regulars enter and exit. And enter they did, in a steady stream.

Why the attraction? We can only surmise that, in a suburb so genteel it's almost asleep, Laneway offers a little grunge. While most other Remuera restaurants are relatively quiet and well-mannered, Laneway is just that little bit exciting: an atmosphere exacerbated by a barman who rarely smiles and was definitely unamused when I didn't immediately go for the pinot gris he recommended.

The fact that Laneway is more of a bar also means people move on relatively quickly. We had to wait for just 10 minutes for a table for four. But, after that, things slowed to a crawl. Our entrees arrived 45 minutes after we ordered them, main courses at 9pm; this, after a 7pm start. There was a mumbled apology no one actually heard and the desserts came more quickly, but considering we were the only people dining, it was a shambles.

Could there be tension between Upstairs and Downstairs?

The food itself was average. The two operations share a kitchen and the menu is the same that was offered upstairs at The Local, with the addition of a small bites, bar food-style section that we tried, too.

Star of our entrees was the crispy squid. It was a generous portion, the coating fried to crunchiness, the squid within tender and accompanied by a medley of salad and fruit that pepped up the taste. The duck risotto was tasty but underwhelming. Meanwhile, my small bites salmon carpaccio was sliced paper thin, scattered with a delicious olive oil and capers and served with toasted croutons. It wasn't substantial but tasted great, while the lamb bites arrived, cooked perfectly on a skewer, but just two small chunks, which weren't nearly enough considering we then had to wait another 45 minutes for our main courses.

I really can't tell you much about the eye fillet main course, except to say it was polished off in 10 minutes and declared perfectly medium rare and altogether excellent.

The pork belly was a large and outstanding example of what's almost a genre these days, and my venison pappardelle was okay, too.

The pasta had that creamy texture and taste you get only with homemade versions, while the venison, and accompanying dark gamey sauce was tender and tasty without being a knockout.

But, sadly, the bouillabaisse, which started out wonderful with that first scented sip, was ruined by tasteless, overcooked mussels that couldn't be prised from their shells.

By then it was after 9.30pm so we ordered dessert. Most offerings were much the same: sweet, foamy and served in glasses. We had a passable chocolate mousse, a rather watery tiramisu, a very nice eton mess, but the best of the bunch was definitely the creme brulee du jour served warm, with a thick caramelised topping and a delectable custard underneath.

Oh, and that first Squealing Pig pinot gris turned out to be so good we all drank it - and it wasn't because we were scared of the barman.

Our meal: $308.90 for two entrees and two small bites, four main courses and desserts, plus a bottle and two glasses of Squealing Pig pinot gris.

Wine list: Shortish and rather quirky, with a barman who likes to twirl the bottles as he brings them out of the fridge.

Verdict: Laneway is an interesting concept, especially for Remuera. It had only been open five weeks when we visited, and possibly the decor wasn't quite finished: it had that slightly secret feel of the underground fort we had as kids, but s full of interesting-looking people who were obviously grown-ups and enjoying themselves enormously.