Review: Regatta Bar and Eatery, Takapuna

Regatta's sous-vide spatchcock poussin with feta gnocchi and tomato with olives and salsa verde. Photo / Jason Dorday

Address: The Strand, Takapuna Beach
Phone: 021 047 9007
Rating out of 10: Food: 7, Service: 7, Value: 7, Ambience: 7

And yet another Auckland eating outlet opens. There are times when it seems the city's whole economy depends on one half of the population working to feed the rest, in ventures from the humblest takeaway to the glitziest temples of haute cuisine.

The question that always has to be asked is: "What does this latest business add to the sum of human happiness in New Zealand?" In the case of Regatta, one in a block of three restaurants facing the beach at Takapuna, one answer is that it provides one of the best views around, particularly if you are lucky enough to score a premium table adjoining the decking. The deck would be even better in the daytime but in the evening on the east coast the sun is obscured by the buildings and it can be decidedly chilly with an onshore wind blowing.

Still, Regatta does afford an unobstructed view back to the boat ramp and we watched a cruise ship glide up the Gulf in a postcard setting as the procession of Lycra-loving cyclists hooned by. It would be a great venue to watch the more energetic tackle the Ocean Beach series.

The restaurant style largely matches the marine ambience with the staff kitted out in striped matelot outfits serving from a menu with a solid seafood bias. I started with that most briny choice, oysters from Clevedon served au naturel, brimming with fresh flavour and one of the sauces being an unusual but well-judged grapefruit offering. I had, as usual, flirted with the scallops but these were the Alaskan variety and although the accompanying cauliflower, black pudding and apple slaw sounded appealing, I cleave to the home-grown scallop as the quintessential ingredient.

Our other first course was a tuna ceviche served with witloof, radish and herbs. This was served in slices like a thickish carpaccio and could have done with a bit more spice to lift it.

We had considered one of the two platters, a seafood and a charcuterie option, and the sous vide salmon, carefully explained by the staff, had its appeal after we had sampled a successful similar dish recently at one of the other establishments in the block. But the straightforward fish of the day offered in a pan-fried, wood-fired or roasted option won out with the advantage of it being that delicious species John Dory. We just squeaked in with that choice as it ran out and was replaced by hapuku immediately after we had ordered. This was fortunate, because the fish was well handled, moist and nicely set off with a fresh little assembly of vegetables.

We had also ordered a side dish of raw sliced fennel with almond which was not only delicious but necessary as the fish serving was not enormous and might have left a hungry male diner feeling a little short-changed.

In the interests of sampling the kitchen's all round capability I looked at the wood-fired steak options before settling on the sous-vide spatchcock poussin. This was competent without being exciting but the good feta gnocchi and tomato with olives and salsa verde lifted it both visually and from a flavour aspect.

The dessert menu is small but the creme catalane with rhubarb and apple was pleasantly textured and with a robust taste. I opted for the petit fours, which consisted of an adequate but unremarkable chocolate brownie, a ginger crunch and a pleasant little blood-orange jelly.

This dish rather summed up the evening's food: decent but not the sort of thing you are likely to rave about to your foodie friends. But the site is lovely, the service is personable and enthusiastic although not convincingly knowledgeable, particularly about the wines.

On our visit the place was bustling, and it is a large restaurant, and the vibe was of middle New Zealand enjoying a cheerful if conventional outing.

Our meal: $193.60 for two entrees, two mains with one side dish and two desserts; three glasses of wine and one beer.

Wine list: An overwhelmingly New Zealand-sourced list, moderately pitched and moderately priced plus the range of beers and cocktails you would expect from a place identifying itself as a bar.

Verdict: Another useful option for Takapuna, likely to remain bustling and popular especially in the better weather.