Post Bank: A night to write home about

Post Bank
82 Maunganui Rd, Tauranga
Ph (07) 575 4782
www.postbank.co.nz

I have discovered my new favourite restaurant. What took me so long? Next to the Astrolabe, the Post Bank shares the same owners but is completely different.

Converted from the former Mount Post Office, the decor is absolutely delightful, with book shelves lining the walls and some of the building's original features retained. Out back is a gorgeous English-type garden where you can eat in warm weather, and it can also be hired out for parties or weddings. There are bench seats and little alcoves where you can enjoy romantic privacy or sit with a group. It has a homely feel, as if you are in someone's front room. Even the bathrooms have a personal touch, with hand cloths and beautiful soaps.

The decor is homely but the service is professional. Our waitress Sandra made sure we wanted for nothing. Water is brought to the table and attentively poured, the menus are typed and placed in individual envelopes, as a nod to the building's origins. Outside, the wind howled _ we went on the night of tropical storm Lusi, but inside we felt warm, cosy, and spoiled.

The menu is contemporary British. I began with the local market scampi tail cocktail with bloody Mary mayo: beautifully presented and succulent. The sauce gave a nice kick. My girlfriend went for the beef carpaccio, a treat for the taste buds with wine barrel-smoked mushrooms, while my partner opted for a salad of fresh mozzarella, 12-hour tomatoes and basil leaves, which looked so appealingly colourful we all wanted a spoonful. The tomatoes had the most wonderfully rich sweet taste, like they were home-grown.

With everyone ordering meat, we selected a Rabbit Ranch Pinot Noir, one of my favourite pinots: rich, classy and a little bit fruity. It was the perfect accompaniment to my Angus dry-aged beef fillet, gratin dauphinois and Cafe de Paris butter _ for which I have one word: divine. The beef was tender, cooked to perfection and the creamy potatoes a decadent accompaniment _ when you cut into the medium-rare meat the blood mixes with the creamy sauce and, if you like your steak and potatoes, this is simply scrumptious.

My partner went for a similar meat fest: roasted lamb rump, eggplant ratatouille and polenta chips, which was also a rich, well-structured dish with the soft texture of aubergine contrasting well with the polenta chips. Like my steak, the lamb was magnificently tender. We are normally not dessert people but we couldn't resist the temptations on offer. Creme brulee has to be my go-to dessert and this one did not disappoint. The contrast of the hard, burned sugar and slightly warm vanilla was presented to perfection. My partner chose the equally classic lemon meringue pie, with its interesting accompaniment of lemon sherbet offering a tangy anecdote to the sweet meringue.

We left feeling satisfied and happy, not just from the food but the whole experience. Full of atmosphere and fantastic food and service, there is everything to love about Post Bank.

We will be back.