Herald Rating: * * *
Address: 605 New North Rd, Morningside
Ph: (09) 815 9463
Cuisine: French
From the menu: From the menu: Soupe a l'oignon, $12. House made duck liver pate, $14. Steak frites - prime steer sirloin, blue cheese butter, salad frites, $23. Duck leg confit with gourmet potatoes and green beans, $23.
Vegetarian: You could but please don't. It's just not French.
Wine list: Great. Decent wine by the glass or carafe.
Tonight I'm hoping to immerse myself in the romance of France with a little pre-Bastille Day celebratory dinner at wine bar and restaurant Winehot in Kingsland/Morningside. It's in a neighbourhood familiar to me so I don't bother to look up the address.
My dining companion and I are both sure women. Sure that we know where we are going and sure that addresses, bookings and other such details are for much more fussy people than we are. We both get lost trying to find it. We are late for our designated 7.30pm rendezvous. They don't take bookings so we don't seem disorganised on that front and luck is on our side as we take the last table.
Walking in I am immediately in love with my surroundings - chandeliers dripping from the ceiling, an enormous glittery mirror, much like the ones I always want to buy but can never afford, and the allure of big soft sofas to sink into. Tables are close together which I like as it means I can spy on the menu choices of others and saves me from doing my usual "walk by" to gather such information! Our waitress is delightfully French with an accent that makes me want to ask endless questions just to keep her talking.
To the food. I adore French food and I hoped that all of my favourites would feature on the menu. They did: hearty soups, pates, slow cooked meats, duck confit, puy lentils, bouillabaisse... and nothing over $25. I can be a ditherer when faced with a menu because I don't want "food envy" - wanting what someone else ordered when it arrives - but tonight I'm hungry and sure of what I want.
French onion soup is a true test of authenticity so I go for this and am pleased when my fellow diner doesn't dither either and orders the duck liver pate. My "soupe a l'oignon" arrives and I immediately like the look of it, except that I want it to be bigger. I put this down to having just returned from America so my portion control is all out of whack. I dive in and ooh la la, I am back in France - sweet, richly scented with a gutsy brown stock and topped with the trademark cheesy crouton. My only disappointment was that the chosen cheese was blue instead of the traditional gruyere and I found it detracted from the excellent soup. Of course I wasted no time diving across the table and into my friend's pate which was densely delicious.
For the main deal my dining companion ordered steak frites and, in deference to the recently closed duck shooting season, I chose the duck leg confit. The steak was tender and juicy (I know because my family doesn't call me the flashing fork for nothing!) and the frites crisp, long and plentiful. My duck was delicious but again I was nervous about the portion size. Was it obvious to the chef that I needed to be encouraged to eat less? I wanted more. The duck leg was crispy on the outside, falling apart on the inside, moist and salty. I'm not sure if confit should be salty but I liked it.
The green beans and potatoes that accompanied my petit duck leg were simple and offered a healthy respite from the richness of the duck. But I still wanted more.
A word about the wine offerings. Exceptional. The list caters well for the wine lover with choices from most of the world's wine regions. Most selections are available by the glass or carafe and the pricing for the mid range French wines, from good years, is very attractive. Feeling like a taste of home, though, we chose glasses of the featured special, Te Mata Coleraine (07), and one of Auntsfield Pinot Noir (07), probably both a little too young but that was our choice.
To dessert then. I am a dessert fiend. I've been known to slug back a nip of calvados if I'm feeling too full, purely for its digestive qualities so that I can fit in a dessert! Trust me, it works. Alas, two of the four offerings were "unavailable" ( "unavailable" doesn't sound any better with a French accent) - the creme brulee and chocolate cream renversee, a mousse and cake-like assembly I'm told. These were the only options I was considering. I tried to be gracious. I considered asking the neighbouring table if I could borrow some of their desserts. I considered not asking them and just diving in but the waitress had left me unarmed, no cutlery in sight. I nearly resorted to ordering a cigar from the cigar menu just to get some closure on my meal.
I pouted like my inner eight year old until my dining companion reminded me that being a grown-up has its advantages - I could come back any time. And I will. I'll get there early before dessert supplies get low and I'll order two of each as I transport myself to that enchanting place called France.
