One Tree Grill, Epsom

By EWAN McDONALD for viva

Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin' for a train ... " Any restaurant with pretensions towards elegance and style that plays Janis Joplin at the cocktail hour has both of them, in spades. Chutzpah, too. And feeling good was easy, Lord, when Janis sang the blues at One Tree Grill. It was only a little later, around Ella and Aretha time, that things went a little off-key.

But we are putting the mains ahead of the entree, so to speak. The story so far: about three years ago, Guy Malyon, who'd worked in restaurants, bars and cafes on and off for 17 years, bought One Tree Grill. It was the first restaurant he'd owned; a year or so back he created Halo, a similarly good-looking and stylishly menued bistro in St Heliers.

To quote Malyon, One Tree Grill "focuses on delivering consistently excellent contemporary New Zealand and Pacific Rim cuisine with a focus on fresh, seasonal produce and innovative but uncomplicated flavours. With the upcoming summer menu we will be introducing a new wine list, many of the wines we have had cellaring for the past five to 10 years coming into their optimum drinking time.

"The service is attentive and professional without being intimidating; warm and friendly minus the cuddle; honest and sincere. Our underlying belief is that to deliver an exceptional restaurant experience we must feed all of the senses."

That sounds high-falutin' but One Tree Grill might claim to have delivered. When he was at the stoves, Simon Moss produced original, quality fusion dishes; our service, from Milo, a serious European waiter, met all of Malyon's criteria; the place was packed with an eclectic aggregation of diners by 7.30 on a Tuesday night. And earlier this year the restaurant was proclaimed Auckland's second-best dining experience, behind Otto's, by a Sydney aficionado brought in for the occasion.

Moss has gone into Orbit and made way for Eiji Ota. The Japanese chef has been at One Tree Grill for two years; before that he was head chef of Turtle Creek in Takapuna. Malyon hails his "natural talent and flair for seafood dishes and a fantastic eye for detail". His summer menu will feature new seafood dishes and Asian sauces and dressings.

Halo and One Tree Grill will move closer together, as the owner is negotiating with a prominent New Zealand chef to oversee both, and hopes to source produce (organic where possible) from farmers and fishers.

Well, now we've got to the point where we'd better tell you about our evening at One Tree Grill, which started well enough with the friendly tussle of flavours that you'd expect when rocket, artichoke, parmesan, poached egg and sun-dried tomato are tossed into a salad bowl and Milo brings a glass of Alpha Domus chardonnay to wash it down.

Ann rather liked the look of duck breast, honey-glazed, on a roasted rhubarb salad, with something called "confit duck potstickers" and tempura plum rice. Well, she liked it on the menu. The dish that was served was an autopsy of duck; several dismembered, unfortunately greasy portions arranged artlessly on a platter.

My main was more pedestrian: cumin-scented lamb rack with a garlic potato pave, onion jam and light tamarind jus. The lamb was a poor, tasteless specimen that could have harmed our national pride if it had been exported; the potato slices were remarkable because they were uncooked in the centre and charred on top, suggesting a recent date with a flash-griller. You may snigger, reader, but it wasn't your $32 for the duck and $28.50 for the lamb. Can't fault the wine choice, though: Chard Farm's intense pinot noir for both.

We needed something to make us feel better and that something was a chocolate tasting plate - titbits of mousse, pan forte, ricotta - and it did.

It wasn't an exceptional restaurant experience but by then, feeling good was good enough for me.

Owner: Guy Malyon

Head chef: Eiji Ota

Open: Mon-Fri 11.30am-late, Sat-Sun 9am-late

Food: Contemporary NZ/Pacific Rim

On the menu: Anchovy studded tuna loin on seaweed slaw with ratatouille and balsamic reduction $18.50; Crisp pork and prawn roulade with apple and pear jelly, spinach and port wine reduction $26.50; Chestnut Kirsch Delight: mousse cake, palmier cookie, apple rosehip coulis, cinnamon kirsch cream $12

Vegetarian: Options on menu

Wine: Excellent cellar, but you'll pay a premium

Noise: Janis, Aretha, Ella ... women with cojones

Smoking: Outside and at well separated tables

Disabled access / toilets: Street entry, separate facilities

Parking: Streets of it

Bottom line: Epicures in Epsom, the folk at One Tree Grill have a stylish restaurant, decent wine collection, interesting ideas on the menu and a loyal following. There was just one thing missing when we visited: good food.

* Read more about what's happening in the world of food, wine, fashion and beauty in viva, part of your Herald print edition every Wednesday.