Rating: ****1/2
Address: 194 Jervois Rd, Herne Bay
Phone: (09) 378 7811
Cuisine: Modern bistro style
From the menu: Seared scallops with burnt lime dressing $21, Calf liver dumplings served on spicy tomato and caper ragout $18.50, Pork duo - free range pork belly, beetroot balsamic glaze, char grilled pork loin and feta gratin and crackling $33, Market snapper with gnocchi wrapped in pancetta $36, vanilla bean pannacotta $12.50, chocolate mousse, chocolate nougat and vanilla bean icecream $13
Vegetarian: You will be well looked after
Wine List: Award-winning list
We chose Andiamo Restaurant and Bar for our catch-up for two reasons: it boasts an open fire, which is irresistible in winter, and my dining companion, the director, had just returned from filming in New York. She was missing the hipness of NYC while at the same time hankering for some great New Zealand cuisine. Andiamo, with its 15 years of award-winning operation and New York-style long bar would prove to be the perfect solution.
From the outset what you notice is the service. It is smooth but not too smooth, confident yet miles away from being arrogant and of a standard I have rarely experienced in Auckland - or, for that matter, New York! Throughout the evening we had a number of wait staff attend to us at our fireside table and every one of them was knowledgeable about the food and wine, knew exactly where we were up to in the order of things (so no annoying "would you like to order now?" when you have already done so) and they bantered with just the right amount of familiarity. We knew we were in the hands of true professionals.
The menu was one of those that I both dream of and dread. Have you ever experienced that slight panic where everything sounds so good that you get fearful that in making a selection you are missing out on another? You know what I'm talking about then. Every dish sounded so tantalising that we could barely focus. The one of us who had been homesick for New Zealand cuisine decided on the scallops as an entree, having been reassured they were from Coromandel. I decided to jump into winter, boots and all, and order the calf liver dumplings. Both entrees were outstanding in their presentation and flavour - the scallops pretty, sweet and numerous with the burnt lime dressing a highlight.
Liver has never been a favourite of mine but dumplings have, so my entree was a 50/50 gamble. It paid off. The strong liver flavour that I recall from my childhood was tempered by the spicy tomato and caper ragout that the fluffy dumplings floated in.
Great wine is available by the glass and a glass of 06 Hugel Riesling was recommended as a match for the scallops with one of the best descriptions we'd heard - "It will open the door for the scallops and for whatever else you decide to follow it up with". The director agreed that's exactly what it did - congenial and non-competitive, perfect for the gentleness of scallops. I chose a glass of 06 Amisfield Pinot Noir, hoping it'd be able to stand up to my liver and it didn't disappoint.
The director decided to stay in the Pacific Ocean and chose the market fish for a main. What arrived was a generous portion of the freshest snapper, cooked to perfection and served with gnocchi wrapped in pancetta which was a standout. The crispy pancetta was a beautiful textural contrast to the soft, delicate gnocchi and the perfect salty companion for the snapper.
After much indecision and wavering I stayed in the paddock and went for the pork duo, and was happy I did. The pork belly was a deliciously precise rectangle of free-range pork, smeared with a tart beetroot glaze and topped with crispy crackling. The duo part of the dish was a piece of chargrilled pork fillet atop a potato and feta gratin - a slightly strange combination that worked well all the same. Our sides of green beans and lardons and honey glazed baked beetroot grounded us in the perfect winter fireside dinner for two.
The only imperfection in our evening arrived with dessert. Whilst the vanilla bean pannacotta was silken and beautifully wobbly, the chocolate and cardamom mousse served with vanilla icecream was an unexpected disappointment. The mousse was heavy, the icecream rock hard and, worst of all, it had that stale freezer taste that icecream gets when it has been pre-rolled far in advance of anyone ordering it. Had I notified the staff at the time I have no doubt they would have dealt with it most professionally, as they had with everything else, but the crackling fire had lulled me into such a blissful state of harmony that I didn't want to spoil the mood. I'll forgive this small glitch in an otherwise perfect catch up dinner.
Andiamo is Italian for "Let's go!" and after dining there all I have to say is "Let's go again!"
