Herald rating: * * * *
Address: 575 VIctoria St, Hamilton
Ph: (07) 8392100
Wine list: Good selection and a separate cellar list
Vegetarians: A dedicated menu - and a gluten free one too
Watch out for: The world not going by
Bottom line: A class act
A few years back, Hamilton came up with a slogan designed to capture the imagination of those giving the city a wide berth on their way south by taking the routes across the plains to the east. "Hamilton," it said, and they plastered it on a sign on the outskirts so we wouldn't miss it, "More than you'd expect."
As attempts at self-promotion go, it was the equivalent of mumbling while staring at your feet during a job interview. It was impossible particularly for those who, like me, had grown up there not to read it as saying 'Hamilton: not as bad as you think', but since the previous town motto had been the plainly mendacious "Hamilton: Where it's happening", it had to be adjudged an improvement.
Making fun of Hamilton is cheap sport, really, like asking Belgians to name famous compatriots. But it's also unfair for two reasons: first, I live in a city where an advertising guru seriously suggested we go around making triangular A-shapes with our hands and saying "Auckland, eh" and we did not lock this person in secure unit; and second, Auckland easily outstrips Hamilton in terms of lousy restaurants.
Some local advice pointed us to this place, at the northern part of Victoria St, not far from what was once the State Cinema, where I spent much of my childhood throwing Jaffas at my mates as we watched serials like Congo Bill and Tarzan.
The interior is a trifle murky for my taste; a line of banquettes along the wall disappears into the gloom, but we were offered a more cheerful seat by the window where we could "watch the world go by", even though not much of the world was doing so.
Still, the restaurant was doing a brisk trade and we were about to find out why. Domaine's service maybe a little uncertain the waitresses ask so often and in such an anxious tone whether you're enjoying your meal that you feel under something of an obligation to reassure them but the food is excellent.
Typical was my entree a goat's cheese "tart", which was actually a small, crisp case of cumin-studded pastry filled with salad greens, on which was laid a spoonful of superbly creamy cheese and, a nice touch, a medium-boiled egg, rolled in crumbs and, I think, lightly grilled.
It was an assortment of familiar flavours cleverly and apparently casually assembled into something quite novel. The Blonde's gravlax (cured salmon) arrived tinged with the red of the beetroot used in its curing and she was most impressed by it.
We forgave the use of shredded rather than cos lettuce in the Caesar salad that the Blonde chose for a light main because the dressing was so damn good. I was less sure about a seafood risotto served in place of the advertised paella (although charged at the same price); the fish and shellfish were fresh and tasty but the rice well beyond al dente.
But these are quibbles. With a menu that offers four substantial salads three for vegos as well as more standard main selections, Domaine tries hard to do things in a smart and inventive way. If that was more than we expected, we know better now.
- DETOURS, HoS
