The Asian prawn tacos at The Culpeper restaurant. Photo / Doug Sherring
Address: Shed 22, Princes Wharf, Quay St, Auckland.
Phone: (09) 320 4373
Rating out of 10: Food: 7, Service: 8, Value: 7, Ambience: 8
An incidental pleasure for those who eat out regularly is watching how techniques
and ingredients become fashionable - almost literally the flavour of the month. The reverse is also true. When did you last see duck a l'orange on a menu except in a self-conscious retro treatment?
Apparently independently, Auckland
chefs have all discovered the joys of American-style barbecue smoked and slow-cooked meats, usually of cuts that were once at the very bottom of the butcher's price range. So it is no surprise that The Culpeper, which forms part of the Euro enterprise, has a kitchen boasting a formidable smoking and charcoal grill battery. There is skirt, brisket and ribs and the American influence isn't restricted to the smoker, with corn dogs, butter milk, chipotle and hush-puppies appearing - although I wouldn't expect the latter to arrive often in the Deep South with kimchi as part of the description.
This sort of food, with its inclination to the sharing approach, calls for a lively and cheerful setting with appropriate service and The Culpeper delivers. The fit-out is simple and clean, with basket-weave double seats and there is a busy bustle about the place, which put us in a cheerful mood from the start.
We actually began our meal away from the smoked American style, with an excellent kingfish and yellowfin tuna sashimi, distinguished from the usual version by being bathed in a ponzu dressing. The crispy fried duck was also unusual, with a crunchy exterior surrounding meat that was sweet and soft, presumably as a result of buttermilk featuring in its preparation. These dishes were both enjoyed by us all but a charred broccolini, topped with a crumbed textured topping and rather underdone beans went down less well. Our other early dish of Asian minced prawns on baby cos tacos with toasted peanuts and a fresh lime-and-chilli dressing was, however, unanimously declared the standout dish of the evening despite the normal bias of one of our number towards the barbecued and smoked meat section.
