Restaurant review: The Culpeper, Auckland CBD

The Asian prawn tacos at The Culpeper restaurant. Photo / Doug Sherring

Address: Shed 22, Princes Wharf, Quay St, Auckland.
Phone: (09) 320 4373
Rating out of 10: Food: 7, Service: 8, Value: 7, Ambience: 8

An incidental pleasure for those who eat out regularly is watching how techniques
and ingredients become fashionable - almost literally the flavour of the month. The reverse is also true. When did you last see duck a l'orange on a menu except in a self-conscious retro treatment?

Apparently independently, Auckland chefs have all discovered the joys of American-style barbecue smoked and slow-cooked meats, usually of cuts that were once at the very bottom of the butcher's price range. So it is no surprise that The Culpeper, which forms part of the Euro enterprise, has a kitchen boasting a formidable smoking and charcoal grill battery. There is skirt, brisket and ribs and the American influence isn't restricted to the smoker, with corn dogs, butter milk, chipotle and hush-puppies appearing - although I wouldn't expect the latter to arrive often in the Deep South with kimchi as part of the description.

This sort of food, with its inclination to the sharing approach, calls for a lively and cheerful setting with appropriate service and The Culpeper delivers. The fit-out is simple and clean, with basket-weave double seats and there is a busy bustle about the place, which put us in a cheerful mood from the start.

We actually began our meal away from the smoked American style, with an excellent kingfish and yellowfin tuna sashimi, distinguished from the usual version by being bathed in a ponzu dressing. The crispy fried duck was also unusual, with a crunchy exterior surrounding meat that was sweet and soft, presumably as a result of buttermilk featuring in its preparation. These dishes were both enjoyed by us all but a charred broccolini, topped with a crumbed textured topping and rather underdone beans went down less well. Our other early dish of Asian minced prawns on baby cos tacos with toasted peanuts and a fresh lime-and-chilli dressing was, however, unanimously declared the standout dish of the evening despite the normal bias of one of our number towards the barbecued and smoked meat section.

The menu section described as "from the fire pit" yielded a skilfully cooked piece of tarakihi on the bone with shredded iceberg considerably enlivened by a Thai nam jim hot-and-sour dressing. We had almost been talked into the Culpeper Board from the "something smoky" listings which comprised lamb ribs, brisket, short rib, pulled pork with buns and fries. But having seen the size of one as it went past, we restricted ourselves to the wagyu beef brisket with a surprisingly bland jalapeno mustard and the glazed lamb ribs with yoghurt and pickled beet. These dishes did indeed display the taste-filled virtues of the slow-cooked smoked method. The consistency of the lamb, in particular, was transformed into an entirely different dish to the customary New Zealand version.

Although we had passed on the full Culpeper Board, none of us felt able to tackle the desserts. These were labelled "something sweet" and they weren't kidding. The roast banana sundae came with a brioche doughnut, chocolate sauce and peanuts. There was smoked maple icecream with the pumpkin tart and the pineapple pudding was graced with milk marmalade. Given the standard of the rest of the food, our table's dessert fancier regretted not being able to find room.

The service was young and enthusiastic, if occasionally a little haphazard, but this rather fitted the feel of this place which, with the more sedate Euro, gives this site a double-barrelled charge.

Our meal: $318.50 for six dishes ranging from $18 to $42, one bottle and three glasses of wine.

Our wine: Plenty of beers and cocktails as you would expect and a more than adequate wine list. The 2014 Martinborough "Manu" riesling and the standard 2015 The Ned pinot gris started us well and the 2011 Vavasour Marlborough pinot noir and the good 2013 St Hallett "Faith" Barossa shiraz brought us comfortably through the meal.

Verdict: Casual and cheerful with robust food given a twist here and there as part of an entertaining evening.