Short and sweet

Seared Pacific tuna with fennel, burnt onion and dried olive from the Kitchen restaurant at Hotel DeBrett, Auckland. Photo / Sarah Ivey

KITCHEN Hotel DeBrett, 2 High St, Auckland. Ph (09) 969 1545

Rating out of 10

Food: 8
Service: 8
Value: 7
Ambience: 8
Our meal: $365 for four starters, four mains, two desserts, wine and beer.
Wine list: Like the menu — short but adequate.
Verdict: The staff have settled in to the new restaurant, and their relaxed manner reflects this. The food is excellent, and the surroundings interesting. Worth a visit.

As we carefully negotiate the stairs up to Kitchen, in the recently refurbished Hotel DeBrett, the voice of Caitlin Smith wafts down to greet us. More about the stairs later, but Caitlin is in the atrium under the high glass roof, which creates a perfect soundshell for her style of jazz. The atrium is complemented by Judy Darragh's fantastic chandelier, made from a collection of the hotel's former lightshades.

There's also a corrugated iron sculpture by Jeff Thomson, he of the coveted cows and sheep made from the same material. These two form part of the hotel's recent makeover, from a rundown backpackers' hostel to the current 25-bedroom boutique hotel.

The makeover includes the aforementioned stairs, covered with a stripey carpet that can confuse the unwary and/or the visually challenged. But we're not here to admire the furniture and fittings. On the recommendation of a colleague, who raved about the scallop and black pudding entree, we're here to eat. We choose a table a little removed from the atrium, so that we can talk.

Much to Bill's disappointment, the scallop and black pudding entree has gone. New head chef Dave Verheul, late of The Savoy in London and Martin Bosley's restaurant in Wellington, has revamped the menu, and it's short and sweet. And I mean short — four starters, five mains, and five desserts including a cheese plate.

It takes a little while to get us started, as we're much too interested in the adventures of our friends, recently returned from six months' yachting in the Med. But eventually the men have their Stellas and Merima and I start in on a bottle of Daniel Schuster riesling. The starters, one each — see how simple this is going to be? — are excellent.

George's risotto with scallops, cockles, mussels, fennel and smoked tomato is generous, with fresh fennel, a favourite of his, and a pleasant smoky flavour. Merima's asparagus has been julienned and comes with a cheese custard, olives, lemons and pinenuts. It's light and bright and totally delicious. Bill is not too excited by his kingfish, which strikes the only bum note, but the pickled beetroot and malt that come with my duck parfait add sweet-sour notes that lift what can be a rather heavy starter. Verheul and his team do fish very well.

Merima's main dish of roast hapuka with globe artichoke, celery, mustard and preserved orange is moist and delicious. George raves over his tuna, describing it as "a celebration on a plate." Bill's steak, with oyster and shitake mushrooms, onion confit and garlic bread, disappears with scarcely a murmur.

For a change, I have lamb. Slow cooked, tender and tasty, it comes with chickpeas which are not a favourite of mine, but the pumpkin and yoghurt sort it all out. The men go for dessert, as they are wont, and Bill is delighted with the banana mousse and sesame (both black and white) icecream.

When George swipes a spoonful, the crumbs on the mousse take him back to his childhood in the United States and the memory of Oreo cookies. His own milk parfait comes with pears and pear sorbet and is, like all the meals, beautifully presented. Like the menu, small but perfectly formed.