The Maple Room, Remuera

The Maple Room's Twice Cooked Pork on Lemongrass.

Herald rating: * * * * *

In its former guise, this place looked too dark and calm to be any fun. But the new owners have breathed life into the corner site and two weeks into it's apprenticeship in this up-market neighbourhood, joie de vivre is pumping through its veins.

Maitre d' Renee Coulter comes from Rocco in Ponsonby and chefs Glenn Smith and Martin de Haas from Citron in Howick. Their menu reflects how much we want to pay for casual dining. They also have a feel for the type of environment in which we want to eat — well-lit and airy and open-plan but with separate spaces. The Maple Room also offers lunch, so the counter-bar area transforms as our needs change during the day. Tapas are available throughout.

We chose two tapas, an entree and a dozen raw Clevedon oysters to share. Our small dish of moist medjool dates stuffed with almonds, goat's cheese and bacon are first grilled then roasted. (The menu did say wrapped in bacon, and Glenn says they are changing back to that.)

Mum, who finds all things sheepish or goat-like a bit hard to stomach, was cajoled into these sweet and savoury morsels and found them delicious.

I like to trick Jean into trying new flavours, but she really is more adventurous than she lets on. The cauliflower and smoked-cheese fritters disappeared, and despite being meat-free there were no complaints from the men.

The cheese is smoked in-house with a mixture of manuka, tea, star anise and cinnamon. Dad and David swapped fishy tales of seafood feasts as we enjoyed the red-pepper-dusted scallops with asparagus, gnocchi and fennel jam.

A good selection of dishes can be ordered as entree-sized portions rather than mains. This is advantageous if, like me, you want to sample a range of dishes but hate not finishing everything on the plate. The fish of the day, a nicely seared big-eye tuna steak on roasted kumara cake with courgette and broad bean salsa, chosen by Jean, was everyone's envy, although David was pretty chuffed with his twice-cooked pork loin with coconut and lemongrass rice, banana chutney and miso broth, served in a deep bowl. A side of smoky char-grilled asparagus drizzled with preserved lemon oil was also a hit.

A slow-cooked duck risotto with spiced lemon and red witlof was my choice and despite being rather dull to look at it was good flavour-wise.

The lemon pepper wasn't overly obvious, having been used in the duck marinade. Tender confit duck meat and witlof are a workable and edgy combination of rich gamey meat and bitter biting vegetable.

Dad's lamb rump came with a spoonful of Moroccan marinade, spreadable in consistency and with hints of cumin, fresh mint, coriander, parsley, basil, paprika and fennel. These flavours were well foiled by a bed of red lentils and split peas, perked up with spiced almonds.

We tossed up between a wedge of baked passionfruit cheesecake and chocolate tart. The fat-bum cheesecake won. Our remino caramel, which is more like a panna cotta in texture than creme caramel, came with a thin poppy-seed biscuit and swirls of dried mango and burnt-sugar orange vincotto sauce. Wines: Glasses of Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2002, S. A. Rosemount G. S. M. 2001 and Voss Estate Late Harvest Riesling 2004.

Service: Staff young, enthusiastic and friendly.

Toilets: Clean.

WHERE: The Maple Room, 93-95 Upland Rd, Remuera. Ph (09) 522 1672
OUR MEAL: $203 for 4; tapas $7, entrees $8-14.80; mains $18-$27; desserts and cheeses $6.50-$11.
OUR WINES: by the glass $5.50-$12.50; by the bottle, $25.50-$65; bubbles, $36-$135.