I hasten to head off accusations of old-fogeyism by saying first that I like loud music (as distinct from computer-generated pap), but I don't consider that it should be the most noticeable part of a dining experience; and second, that the noise in restaurants is the single most common gripe of readers who write to me. Too often, staff use the sound system to create a workplace they can enjoy; to hell with what customers want. Just saying.
This place describes itself as serving Vietnamese tapas, which is a way of saying that the plates are pretty small: four or five would be needed to satisfy the appetites of a couple looking for a meal.
I've remarked before that the recent proliferation of Vietnamese restaurants in Auckland reminds me of the old joke about buses: you wait ages for one and then a whole bunch arrive at once. But profusion provides a sound basis for comparison, and the underachievers will soon stand out.
There's nothing much wrong with the food at Indochine Kitchen, but the second of the two words in its name rather overstates its devotion to cuisine. The food is perfectly adequate for grazing on while having a few drinks " which is, I suspect, the extent of the kitchen's ambitions. But although I tried to order widely, every dish was much the same in conception and execution: charcoal-grilled something on salad greens and/or noodles, a bowl of dipping sauce (nuoc cham, fresh chilli).
In some cases, the charcoal-grilled something was bloody nice: thick, juicy duck breasts, commendably tender pineapple-sliced squid. But corn cob, neatly split lengthwise for easy handling, needs something more inspired than butter and salt if it's going to have an Indochinese flavour.
As a footnote, the summer rolls were the worst I've had in Auckland " the filling of charcoal-grilled something (tofu in this case) was almost undiscoverable amid piles of coarse and bitter lettuce. There's a failure of imagination here, and a sense of a place hitching a ride on a trend rather than doing anything with it.
Plates $7-$24
Verdict: An underachiever in a growing market
Cheers
By Joelle Thomson, joellethomson.com
Hawke's Bay hotties The great red hope of winemakers in the 1980s and 90s is barely a blip on the radar today. Cabernet sauvignon has declined to a humble 297ha, less than half that of five years ago. But if you have noticed that local versions of this black-as-night "red" taste better than ever, well done. Cabernet is hot, especially from 2013, a sexy year for reds. Back in its 1980s heyday, cabernet was the vino rosso every self respecting winemaker wanted to make but it became obvious that cabernet suited some places better others. The best place is clearly Hawke's Bay's Gimblett Gravels; stony ground that emulates Bordeaux.Cabernet fans can now say and mean "eat you heart out, pinot noir."
A short list of hot reds:
• 2013 Trinity Hill The Gimblett
• 2013 Esk Valley Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec
• 2013 Sacred Hill Helmsman
• 2013 Sacred Hill Brokenstone (merlot, cabernets sauvignon and franc) too)
• 2013 Te Awa Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2013 Villa Maria Reserve Cabernet Merlot
• 2013 Craggy Range Merlot
• 2013 Esk Valley Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec
