White, Auckland City

By JENNIFER YEE for canvas

Whereas most hotel restaurant menus scare me, White seduces. An elegant, understated dining room at the bow of the Hilton hotel complex on Princes Wharf, it exudes Cool. The modern monochromatic interior allows you to take in water views while not distracting you from the food. If you have time, chill out downstairs at Bellini bar before dinner.

White has been our choice of dining room for entertaining overseas guests, host to the famous Boy's Lunch and, on this night, David's birthday dinner. Our boy ordered romance, so White provided the perfect backdrop for deja vu "first date" headiness.

Since celebration calls for libation I suggested he go for the Degustation menu of five courses matched with wines. The degustation promised delicious tastes: warm sweet pea & pistachio soup with Waikanae crab, served as a wee pile of crabmeat in the centre of a soup plate, with a jug of hot emerald green pea soup and one of creamy pistachio poured around it. It was exquisite visually and tasted of baby peas just out of the pod. This was deliciously matched with Millton Viognier, Briants Vineyard 2003.

Next, kaffir lime & lemon grass cured salmon, potato blini and feijoa creme fraiche, the citrus and floral flavours marrying well with the richness of the salmon, and matched with a glass of Seresin Sauvignon Blanc '03.

Our third taste was a warm rabbit and fig tart with smoked bacon and pickled beetroot. The tart, an interpretation of the vol-au-vent, was filled with intensely flavoured, pulled rabbit meat and dried fig. We would like the name of White's smoked-bacon supplier — it's fantastic. This tasting was matched with Wishart Reserve Merlot '01.

A seared and poached beef fillet, braised oxtail and blue cheese ravioli and red beet relish came after. Although superbly tender and a well-composed dish, it was, declared my companion, "too rich for a man of his age". The wine for this was Craggy Range's Gimblett Gravels Merlot '02.

I chose the manuka-smoked koura (freshwater crayfish) and the evening's special of anise-scented duck breast with baby Earth Gem root vegetables. The koura tails were sweet mouthfuls, delicately smoked so as to not destroy their natural flavour. They came with chargrilled artichokes and winter vegetables, including baby "bull's blood" leaves — like a cross between mustard and beetroot, deep green tinged and flecked with red. The red and white Earth Gems, barely larger than a thumbnail, waxy and sweet, got me really excited. The anise was used subtly and the duck was served rosy pink but with some resistance to chewing.

We eye-balled the piko-piko (fern shoots) garnish at a neighbouring table of United States visitors and were offered some to try. These hinted of asparagus and bitter greens and were refreshing and an art form in themselves.

The degustation finale, an apple souffle with nutmeg creme anglaise, was served with ceremony and baby toffee apple. It would be ideal shared with your lover in a suite upstairs. It came in a ramekin of light puffy hot souffle with a hole in the centre to receive the cool creme anglaise. The calvados-steeped tiny crab apple with stem was shared with restraint. We greedily asked for more.

Our waiter, Brett, performed impeccably. The international team of wait staff who served alternate courses were articulate and informed, and blurred into the background.

One of White's many qualities is that it is one of a handful of establishments offering excellent examples of New Zealand cuisine.

OUR MEAL: $252 for 2; Degustation menu: food $95pp, food & wine $160pp; soup $16; entree $20; mains $35; sides $8; desserts $16; Cheese $18 (choice of 3)

OUR WINES: $13-$19 by the glass; $55-$890 (for an '85 grand cru) by the bottle

* Read more about what's happening in the world of food, wine, party places and entertainment in canvas magazine, part of your Weekend Herald print edition.