In culinary terms, Woodpecker Hill is their boldest undertaking yet: a marriage of southern (specifically Kansas City-style) barbecue with Asian (predominantly Vietnamese) flavours - think tamarind, lemongrass, green papaya and stuff you may not have even heard of.
Perilla was a new one on me. A herb of the mint family, it is used, in one variety or other, from Korea to Laos and west to India, but the one Barrington serves is the Vietnamese kind. Purple on the underside of the leaf, it has a bold, faintly anise flavour and we had it with a prawn cocktail reinvented into a sweet-sour prawn salad with beans and witloof. You spoon some into the leaf, roll it up and crunch in. The dish was supposed to feature betel leaf, but for some reason we had both, and the perilla was definitely the better. Elsewhere on the menu, more familiar ingredients come in striking combinations: raw kingfish with segments of pomelo (a pink grapefruit); roasted cauliflower with green peppercorns and watercress.
I was alarmed to find that one of my mates had given up meat (the other's Australian, so he eats anything if someone else is paying), since the menu is meat-heavy.
A note at the bottom offers "vegetable substitutions" and there are three meat-free small plates, but the absence of a purpose-built vegetarian main course is regrettable: replacing the pork with tofu in a red curry just doesn't cut it.
Fortunately, he eats fish and seafood so was happy with a sensational dish of soft-shell crab, stir-fried with mild yellow chilli. But I don't mind saying that I had come with meat-eating in mind.
Saving the duck and pork (oddly, both are red curries) for another visit, we concentrated on the beef: the crisp burned ends (Google it) of the smoked brisket, and rib, braised to fall-apart perfection. In entirely different ways both were sensational, tender and moist, and highlighting how perfectly the vinegary, herb-rich Asian styles cut through the greasiness of the meat. This is barbecue, but not as you know it.
I strongly recommend the two puddings, particularly the mango, piled with great rasped slices of fresh coconut. They exemplify what's great about the food here - an improbable blend of boldness and subtlety. Your tastebuds will never be the same.
Plates: $6 to $32; desserts $15
Verdict: Cross-cultural marriage made in heaven
Cheers
- By Joelle Thomson, joellethomson.com
Stoneleigh savvy rocks
It's bigger than oil in Texas and easy to take for granted in New Zealand, but sauvignon blanc is hitting new highs, and not only because Kiwi wine exports climbed from ninth to seventh biggest export earner over the past year. I'm talking about variety. Real variety. It is what we have come to expect from boundary pushers like Dog Point, Greywacke and Pegasus Bay, but it is tougher to achieve under $20. Enter 2014 Stoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, which cruises in at a cool, calm and usually even cheaper than its recommended $17.29. This wine stands out from the rest with its pronounced savoury flavours, its creamy body and its long, juicy finish. It was my pick in every one of four blind wine tastings this year, proving that winemaker Jamie Marfell is on to the next big thing; a complex sauvignon at a low price.
Happy birthday Chard Farm
Central Otago winery Chard Farm turned 25 this year and raised more than $5000 for local primary schools when winemaker Rob Hay and his wife Gerdi celebrated the anniversary with family, friends and the local community.
