I had last seen one of them when she was showing me round Galicia, the top left corner of Spain where the seafood (try gooseneck barnacles and razor clams) is sensational. I had to concede that, whatever McMillan's skill, our mussels were not as densely flavoursome as theirs but when both women told me they had not tried Bluff oysters, I took it on myself to introduce them.
This was the cue for giggling inquiries about whether they might be endangered by sitting with a man who was ingesting these substantial "afrodisiacos" but they became very quiet and thoughtful when the oysters arrived: six plain, with a chardonnay vinegar; three barely warmed by being fried in a delicate tempura batter with a lime aioli; and three steamed, with shallots and chives, soon put a smile on their faces.
Those oysters aside, McMillan's approach is certainly full of artifice - indeed the plating elevates the dishes into small works of art. Yet the ingredients emphasise staples: a delicate amuse-bouche was a tiny crostini topped with a translucent paring of golden beetroot and goats cheese; the side of vegetables was a big bowl of cavolo nero, that dark and bitter kale that belongs in hearty peasant soups.
My main dish displayed the same trait: a piece of lamb shoulder - an unglamorous but reliably juicy cut - had been cooked "sous vide" (a technique of slow poaching in a plastic bag) before being finished in the oven, which made it sensationally moist inside but still agreeably crisp outside. Its "mint sauce" was actually a gel made with agar (which is made from algae). Smeared across the plate, it made a striking green bed on which the thickly sliced meat was fanned.
The same principle underlay the fish dish which both of my companions ordered. It included urenika potatoes, the red ones playfully known as "tutae kuri" (ask a Maori speaker or look it up), whose virtues I had extolled to my amigas. Before I had time to tell them of their duty as reviewer's assistants to order different dishes, they had both put their hands up.
The potatoes, confited in olive oil, were sublime and the fish, also cooked sous vide and served with pipis in a saffron broth, was to match.
I'll forbear to enthuse at length about the desserts because I didn't have one - instead enjoying a piece of French Basque ewe's cheese - but I heard good reports of them.
This was memorable occasion dining - not cheap, certainly, but at barely $100 a head (without entrées) a lot better value than many a $75-a-head meals I have endured.
Need to know
Value: $$$
$ = $20-$40; $$ = 40-60; $$$ = $60+.
(Price guide reflects three courses for one person without drinks.)
Also try
TriBeCa is one of Auckland's very best eateries so not a lot of places belong in the same company. But within a few minutes drive in one direction is:
The French Cafe
Value: $$$
Address: 210 Symonds St
Ph: (09) 377 1911
Website: thefrenchcafe.co.nz
and in the other:
Cibo
Value: $$$
Address: 91 St Georges Bay Rd, Parnell
Ph: (09) 303 9660
Website: cibo.co.nz
