Molten, Mt Eden

Molten’s stuffed confit lamb shoulder is a melt-in-the-mouth delight. Picture / Martin Sykes

Herald rating: * * * * 1/2


The Television Critic, swollen with rare bonhomie and an even rarer, very good three-course meal, said: "I could come back every night and eat my way through the menu."

Of course, he couldn't. For one thing we'd be broke and, for another, I wouldn't want to be responsible for turning the acerbic one into some rotund, jolly fellow.

But I knew what he meant. Molten has one of those menus that are difficult because there are so many things you would like to eat. We did our best.

We also took our time ordering and, on a Friday night, we had no sense of being rushed. Instead, we had a sense of being pampered without any silly, pretentious nonsense. Well, just one tiny service niggle common to many places and which, to my ears, sounds plain daft: they do "Sir" and "Madam" you here. I wish they wouldn't and really, they shouldn't.

I had arrived early, looking like a bag lady, fresh (or not so fresh) from exercise hell which I took up on April Fool's Day and which is entirely the fault of places like Molten. That's my excuse, anyway.

They were still setting our table and didn't mind at all that I ducked in, dumped my bags, used their bathroom, then went shopping.

I was still early after popping in to the lovely Time Out bookshop, patting Oscar the cat, and buying a book, and they didn't mind at all that I sat and had a read and a glass of wine while waiting for the TC to arrive.

This is a pleasant room without being spectacular or particularly interesting. But it is a calming sort of room because it doesn't encourage show-offing by the ghastly honking dining-out crowd. You don't feel the need to dress up too much, which is a nice thing in a neighbourhood restaurant.

The showing-off is saved for the food, although it is quietly sophisticated rather then silly, faddish stuff. It's good. For the TC's entree, some buffalo mozzarella, some pancetta, peppers and tomatoes. I've said before that this is not about cooking - it is about caring for your ingredients.

I had crab with spinach and linguine, which came with a Pernod sauce and some crunchy shallots, which are fried onions by another name.

All of this was good. The only component that was not was the horrid stalks of river cress stuck all over my plate. I can't wait for stalks to go out of fashion. In the meantime I simply ignore them and hope they will go away.

Never mind, the John Dory was two large fillets cooked nicely and simply, which came on some roasted parsnips which could have been more evenly cut and hence more evenly cooked.

This came with some lovely truffled cauli and some mushroom pate, which got into a scrap with the otherwise perfectly balanced, soothingly warm flavours.

The TC had a tiny chook, done with the bone out, and it was great: garlicky and sticky-skinned.

The marscapone polenta it came with was a bit of a stolid slab and it served him right because he pinched the pud I wanted: a glorious choc tart with a whiskey and tobacco sauce. How delightfully Willie Wonkerish: usually we have to go home for our afters. "What sort of fags are the sauce made from?" he asked. "Park Drive Mild," said our charming, very quick waiter.

My ginger beer pannacotta (sigh, get 'em off the menus of the city) was perfectly fine but it was dull next to his shining chocolate concoction.

And I really wasn't sure about the plum terrine. I liked its tartness but its texture reminded me of those awful lumpy things in aspic people served at dinner parties in the 70s.

But this, and the sticks and a few Sirs and Madams, are small quibbles - the pud one driven by pud envy.

It is very good here at Molten, and I will be back to get my own back when it comes to ordering the pudding. 


Address: 422 Mt Eden Rd
Ph: (09) 638 7236
Owners: Michael Van de Elzen and Belinda Kaspar
Head chef: Michael Van de Elzen
Open: Tue-Sat, lunch; dinner Mon-Sat
From the menu: Black fig tarte tatin with sliced parma ham, wild rocket, elderly Parmigiano reggiano and a balsamic reduction; stuffed confit lamb shoulder. Creamy potato croquettes and beetroot chard; espresso creme brulee with Turkish pane forte
Vegetarian: Risotto, of course, and one entree - a woodroasted salad with fried haloumi.
Wine list: Small and interesting
Bottom line: A good, friendly neighbourhood restaurant many cuts above what the term implies but without any airs.


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