Herald rating: * * * *
Address: 8 Miami Ave, Surfdale, Waiheke Island
Phone: (09) 372 3400
Open: Tuesday-Saturday, 5.30pm onwards. No bookings.
Cuisine: Plate du jour
Vegetarian: If you ask
Wine: Interesting, if a little pricey
KEY POINTS:
It was an evening to celebrate friendship. With two special friends. One new to my life. One life-long. One male. One female. One dinner. One restaurant. One option... that's how it works at Thymes Tables. But more about that later.
When it comes to eating out in the evening on Waiheke Island, the choices are somewhat limited if you are looking for good quality food but want an alternative to the vineyard restaurant experience (or prices). Fortunately, there's Thymes Tables. Situated on the main road in Surfdale, above the superb Island Thymes delicatessen (where you can buy, among other yummy treats, the most decadent of tiramisus. But that's another story.), it's hardly the most exclusive of addresses on the island with a dairy on one side and Malone's Irish pub on the other. But it's the unpretentiousness of Thymes Tables that is so appealing; its simplicity that has you going back for more.
There's no dim lighting. No loud music. No unnecessary airs or graces. There's no view (of sea or vineyards as one would expect of an island restaurant). No indoor/outdoor flow. There's no extensive wine list. No rambling menu. Indeed, there's no menu at all. Every night Thymes Tables serves just one entree, two mains, one dessert, cheese. (Sometimes they do break out and offer more options. But not many.)
I love it. It avoids all that umming and aahing, that indecisiveness, that menu-envy when the person across the table ends up with the dish you-were-going-to-order-but-changed-your mind-at-the-last-minute-and-now-you-wish-you-had-cos-it-looks-so-much-better!
Thymes Tables is owned by Carl and Delwyn Phiskie. They used to run the kitchen at Te Whau Vineyard so know their stuff when it comes to food and service. We're seated, and the menu is outlined for us by the friendly waitress. The entree tonight (and the three other nights I've been here in the past six months), is duck liver parfait with green apple relish ($13). Which we all put our hands up for and agree later is rich and velvety on the palate and wonderfully scrummy on delicate and crunchy crostini. Roccia Pinot Gris Wairarapa 07 is the only Pinot Gris available by the glass ($11.50) from the menu, and is a little on the sweet side. My non-drinking amigo opts for a Hauraki Gulf Gingerbeer, which is brewed on the island, and as a connoisseur of such things declares it "lovely, just like the old-fashioned stuff".
On to the mains, and this is where one has to make a decision - there are two options. Oh, what to do! Baked blue cod with potato latkes, beetroot, cavolo nero and horseradish cream ($28) or coconut braised duck leg with beetroot and orange mesclun and cavolo nero ($28). My slightly more health-conscious companions go for the fish - which they declare is cooked to perfection - the combination of the cavolo nero, beetroot and horseradish working superbly together. I tuck into the duck which proves to be delicious and beautifully cooked. The subtle flavours of the coconut cream, star anise and tamarind unfold on my tastebuds.
The Michel Briday Chardonnay 06 ($15 per glass) is an excellent accompaniment. So much so, we order another round.
We toast the good things in life, most importantly good friends, and then, being the decadent that I am, I go all out and opt for the lemon meringue pie with yoghurt sorbet ($13). Mmmmm.
This is luxury at every spoonful. And being the good friend I am, I share it across the table... and get mouthfuls of the home-made icecream in return.
At Thymes Tables you can't book. You ring during the day to find out what will be on the menu, and then turn up and hope for the best. It's a Saturday night and as we sit back in our seats - we've been so wonderfully engrossed in our food and conversation, as it should be with a good meal out - it's interesting to note the room is abuzz with a relaxed and lively energy. The food here is best described as what you'd love your meals at home to be like - if you had the time. It's not fine-dining, it's wholesome food that is inspiring and pushes the boundaries a little, while still being comforting and familiar. Good qualities to have - be it in food or friends.
