Herald rating: * * *
Address: 106 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby
Phone: (09) 376 8663
Open: Seven days, from midday to 3am weekdays and 11am to 3am on Saturday and Sunday
Cuisine: New Zealand-Asian fusion
On the menu: Pork belly with peanut and coriander salad, $14; Twice-roasted duck with celeriac mash and green bean wrapped bacon with hot cherry sauce, $30; Organic chocolate tasting plate, $16
Vegetarian: All sorts of options
Wine: A huge list as there is also a wine club operating at The Grange
There are two sorts of movie-goers in this world. The first group are the review readers - these people like to swot up on the film they're going to see, checking how many stars it has and combing through the plot lines before they so much as set
foot in the Death Star - the SkyCity cinema complex on Queen St. The others may best be described as the deliberately ignorant - the folks who deliberately shun reviews or commentary before hunkering down screenside.
Sometimes, not knowing what to expect from your entertainment option of an evening can be invigorating and exciting. On the other hand, knowing what to expect means there will be no nasty surprises.
And so it is with eateries. If you're going to a razzy restaurant, you'll be expecting fancy cuisine. If you're off to the chipper, you'll be wanting fish and deep fried potatoes, plain and simple.
The problem with The Grange on Ponsonby Rd - formerly The Living Room - is that you're not quite sure what to expect. From the outside it looks like a trendy Ponsonby bar. Often you'll catch a crowd in there watching the rugby, a house music DJ or some singer-songwriter.
But walking in on a rainy Monday evening, it feels a lot more like a restaurant. Candlelit tables cluster seductively in the chocolate and cabernet-coloured surrounds. And a recent press release suggests it is not just our imagination. Apparently this is a fusion-organic eaterie.
For an entree, the resident veggie decides on an adventurous-sounding Thai coconut and tomato soup. The first mouthful seems overly spicy _ no delicate layering of Asian flavours here, folks - and the tomato and chilli will eventually have their way with your flushed face. On the other side of the table, we have what will eventually win the prize for best dish of the night: wild salmon roulade with a horseradish and parmesan crust.
"It's perfectly done, like butter melting in the mouth," the former kitchenhand waxes poetic.
The kitchenhand won again with the main course. His organic eye fillet on a bed of slightly dry potato rosti - "I asked for it rare because that's a test," - was well prepared. But the rest of the meal had us questioning its origins. The spring vegetable risotto was heavy, more winter than spring in its thick, gluggy texture. "Tastes like it came out of a packet," remarked the former kitchenhand.
Desserts raised similar questions. The citron tart with guava sorbet and the rich chocolate tart with fruit coulis were decent enough bits of cake, but they tasted like they'd come from a cake shop.
All of which brings us back to the original quandary: when you know what sort of establishment you're coming to for dinner, you know how to appraise the meals fairly - or even what to order. Had we known this was pub grub, even gastropub grub at a stretch, and therefore an excellent way to stave off tomorrow's hangover, we would have stuck to the steak and chips.
* Ewan McDonald is on holiday.
