HERALD ON SUNDAY RATING: * * * * *
Address: Hilton Auckland, Princes Wharf
Phone: (09) 978 2000
Website: www.whiterestaurant.co.nz
Open: Lunch noon to 3pm; Dinner 6pm-10pm
KEY POINTS:
I got a Valentine's Day card once. I had only recently made the Blonde's acquaintance and I was delighted that she had decided to signal her dishonourable intentions this way.
"Guess who?" the card said, and I forbore to mention the redundant question mark when I thanked her for the charming gesture. The only problem was that it wasn't from the Blonde.
Now, a jealous woman is a wondrous sight to behold and I should have smiled secretively and nodded knowingly to extract maximum advantage from the misunderstanding. But I genuinely had no idea who the card was from and I remain in the dark. Still, the Blonde has a message - well, two actually - for my secret admirer: 1. You missed out. 2. "Guess who" is not a question.
I suggested to the Blonde that I could mark Valentine's Day by inviting a woman I had long secretly admired to take her place at dinner. She responded by setting fire to the woman's letterbox and saying, "Next time, it's her car."
So I asked the Blonde to join me and she said yes, which was very much in the loving spirit of the occasion, I thought.
Trying to add a sense of devil-may-care romance to proceedings, I went for the Hilton's valet-parking option. It didn't exactly set the Blonde's love lights burning, because she recalled - in a slightly injured tone - how I usually make her drive around for hours looking for a free parking spot. But she calmed down after we got her seated and a glass of wine into her.
At the seaward end of the ship-shaped Hilton on Princes Wharf, White has a seriously excellent view. It's also very ... well, white is the only word for it, really. The clean decor makes it an airy and cheerful space, and you can pretend you're on a cruise ship without running the risk of getting seasick or playing deck quoits.
Our white-shirted, white-tied and very jolly young waiter was so well-informed about food and wine that the Blonde, a vegetarian by inclination, saved for my ears only her observation that the vegetarian menu had the same prices as the main one.
I admit it seemed odd: seared scallops, Israeli couscous, fennel risotto, baby rocket and sauce vierge at $20 should probably not be the same price once the scallops are omitted.
But with the scallops included, the dish was quite marvellous. The sauce, fragrant with fresh herbs rather than the garlic-heavy classic recipe, played off the dense and nutty scallops well, and the big-grained couscous bound together the whole perfectly.
If that was good, better was to come in the form of a trio of lamb: small, dense sweetbreads, a juicy cutlet and a braised noisette, the last topped with slivers of pear and swimming in a thick carrot puree.
In concept and execution, it was as good a dish as I have ever eaten, a tantalising mix of flavours and textures.
Across the table, the Blonde was happily buried in a dish of fish which she had preceded with a delicate mussel-and-crab cannelloni. We shared a berry and meringue concoction to finish. By now, she had forgotten my secret admirer so I have decided to send myself a Valentine's Day card next year. Just for a laugh.
Wine list: Comprehensive
Vegetarians: Their own menu
Watch out for: Anonymous correspondence. Play dumb
Sound check: Conversation-friendly
Bottom line: Sensational
- Detours, HoS
