Windross

By GRAHAM REID for Viva

Some years ago an acquaintance used to adopt the demeanour of cosmopolitan worldliness. It was very impressive until I discovered she had travelled no further than Sydney, and once contemptuously noted she would never go to the North Shore or eastern suburbs.

Her world view stretched from one end of Ponsonby Rd all the way down to the other. Frankly I can't stand such suburbanism (``Is Waterview more fashionable than Northcote?''). It betrays a smallness of spirit and lack of adventure, and usually comes from people desperately seeking to create some social elitism. I quite like the expanse of our city and exploring its diversity.

Certainly out there in the far-flung suburbs are excellent restaurants the territorialists of the central city miss out on - and so it was last Tuesday we took a leisurely 45-minute drive to Cockle Bay, just past Howick, because we'd heard good things about the well-established Windross, a historic two-storey kauri homestead which formerly housed the Howick Borough Council.

Relocated across the road from the beach - and on our night under a romantic full moon - Windross offered tastefully prepared New Zealand cuisine in an atmosphere of unpretentious, slightly old world charm. And it did so to a quiet soundtrack, with excellent and attentive service.

We figured the fact the front room of the spacious downstairs was full with a revolving door of patrons on a Tuesday, attested to its established reputation and credentials.

We took our own bottle so I can't comment on its wine list - nice ports available with the standard cheeseboard, however - but if it even approached the mouth-watering menu, we'd have been well pleased. Windross welcomes BYO and charges a relatively small price for corkage, $4.95.

Descriptions on menus have become increasingly pretentious - baccolloa is potato cake, right? - but while Windross' is elegantly clear, the dishes all sounded so good the four of us took our time and seemed spoiled for choice.

Two of our party required gluten-free food and our waitress was so familiar with the menu she could immediately discount some dishes and offer intelligent advice on others. What she didn't know, she asked the chef about and was back within seconds. No trouble at all for her, and her attentiveness was much appreciated.

Our entrees were excellent: my partner's crab and mussel fritters on risotto with garlic and ginger king prawns will be my choice next time, although my rare roast venison wrapped in honey-cured bacon and with a cognac and mushroom sauce was as delicious as it sounds.

Of the mains - priced from my partner's very tasty and different vegetarian crepe horn at $22.95 to the grilled venison at $29.95 - the salmon served with peach, cucumber and green chilli salsa was superb. It was so generous - the biggest salmon fillet I've seen in a restaurant - that my partner's mother couldn't finish it. My baked pork medallions (with crackling, yes!) were also on the large and tasty side, and the eye fillet was pronounced excellent too.

The side order of vegetables was presented to under-cooked perfection, although our green salad went embarrassingly untouched, because of the surfeit of food we had unwittingly ordered.

With a superb and photogenic sorbet and berry dessert, a couple of flat whites, plus port and cheese, the four of us walked out thoroughly sated and very impressed, for about $220.

And that was well worth getting out of the city for on a Tuesday night, we decided on the drive home through deserted suburban streets and along quiet, neon-speckled motorways under a shilling-moon.

Open: Dinners Tuesday to Sunday from 6pm; Sunday brunch 10am-2pm

Owner: Graham Watson, who two months ago also took over The Hunting Lodge

Chef : Jared Bratton
Food: Fine New Zealand cuisine

Smoking: Outdoors on the balcony and garden tables, no smoking inside.

Vegetarian: Two entrees which can be served as mains, the crepe horn filled with asparagus, peppers, eggplant and mushroom. Other dishes on request.

Wine: Good selection by the bottle and glass, ports and dessert wines. BYO also, $4.95 corkage a bottle.

Noise: Quiet, lowkey with pleasantly unobtrusive current music.

Cost (mains for two): A touch over $50

Bottom line: Enjoyable dining experience with a contemporary menu in a restful, traditional ambience. Knowledgeable, helpful, discreet and friendly staff. A mature, relaxing, pleasant restaurant quietly doing the right things right.

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