WHERE: 597 Mt Eden Rd, Mt Eden. Ph 638-9676
OUR MEAL: $320.50 for five glasses of wine, four entrees and main courses, three desserts a tea and a coffee.
WINE LIST: Again, smallish and carefully chosen, with wines from $45 for a respectable bottle of a Central Otago Saddleback pinot noir to $410 for a palme d'or vintage epernay.
VERDICT: Bowmans takes neighbourhood dining to the highest level. Don't miss it.
OUT OF 10
FOOD: 9
SERVICE: 7 (for the wait only)
VALUE: 10
AMBIENCE: 9
KEY POINTS:
It was half an hour before we noticed that no one in the restaurant had any food. And a whole hour before our entrees arrived. But that didn't matter. Here we were, in this lovely, gracious room, like a big double-fronted villa with the inner walls knocked out, large front windows and pale, painted walls, sipping our honey-smooth gewurztraminer in that happy frame of mind you acquire when you know you're going to be fed.
If we'd known what was coming we would have been even happier. The menu at Bowmans is quite short and not especially exciting. There was, however, the Tasting Plate - a selection of four small entrees to be shared by two. They arrived in a stack of four black-lacquered bowls.
There was a tiny lamb sausage with scallops on top, the seared tiger prawns next, followed by two little prosciutto-wrapped bocconcini cheeses and, finally, a tiny salad of crisp-yet-tender asparagus, rocket, walnuts and gorgonzola cheese. Admittedly we ate through them quite swiftly but they hit the mark.
Highlights included the lamb and macadamia sausage which was an absolute knockout. It was bursting with meat and herbs, had a nutty texture and was topped with a swirl of delicious foam. It was quite salty, which I like and the other non-salt freaks must have too. They certainly didn't remark on it.
Then came seared chilli tiger prawns, again cooked to precisely the right point (which is the mark of true genius) and served with a sweet, roasted tomato I think, followed by bocconcini. I love those little white balls of bocconcini, but the taste is so subtle it can be bland.
Not so when it is wrapped and baked in a hot oven for a few minutes. With this treatment the cheese, which can have a tendency to stringiness, became more creamy while the prosciutto gave the whole thing serious zing. For me the salad was the least exciting, though it was the nicest rocket I've tasted.
Our main courses came swiftly. My lamb ($34) was a standout: two perfectly-cooked, macadamia-crusted chops from the rack served with sliced, chorizo-stuffed saddle of lamb and another sausage. Plus kumara puree and sliced mushrooms. It was a dream meal. Brian was particularly jealous of the sausage. He had to make do with the maple glazed pork loin with roasted pork belly, pumpkin puree, apple and red beet relish ($32). This, too, was beautifully cooked with the meat both echoing and complementing its accompaniments.
The pumpkin puree was a surprise, velvety smooth and lightly spiced. At risk of being boring, perfection was the song of the night.
Suzanne's snapper with artichoke ($32) was outstanding, as was Eugene's duck breast ($32) and no, it wasn't raw or dry but again, superbly cooked and quite delectable. In fact the only grizzle we had with the meal was my trifle ($15) but I should have known. Whatever was I doing with anything remotely connected with date puree? And I was way past hungry. The others loved their chocolate mousse and sensible rhubarb sorbet.
In all, Bowmans is hard to fault. The dining room is lovely, the loos are perfumed and elegant with fluffy cloth towels rather than paper ones. There are three private dining rooms out back which, on reflection, had a lot to do with our meals taking so long to arrive. (We found out later the waitress had placed 10 orders by mistake, putting the kitchen behind.)
And so we departed, back to the West where such food is unheard of, deciding to call Bowmans, which is after all just on the city side of Greenlane Rd, our local.
