Antoine's, Parnell

Long-standing French restaurant Antoines in Parnell. Photo / Babiche Martens

Address: 333 Parnell Rd, Parnell
Phone: (09) 379 8756
Cuisine: Fine dining

There was a time when it didn't get more fashionable than dining at Antoine's, and I had always dreamed of doing so but had never found an occasion quite special enough. Owner and chef Tony Astle is an icon of our restaurant industry and, since opening in the 70s, this Parnell restaurant has become an institution. This evening I was joined by a foodie friend and we were excited and filled with expectations of what one of Auckland's best had to offer.

Antoine's offers two menus, the Nostalgia Menu and the Table Menu. The Nostalgia Menu was brought back by popular demand a while ago when many of the loyal customers resisted changes being made to update the menu. As we perused both, I commented, "The thing is, everything here will be great, it's Antoine's."

My dinner friend is a chowder fiend so she had no hesitation in selecting this as a starter. I selected one of the specials - a twice-baked crab souffle with a Thai sauce. It sounded an unlikely combination but given that French and Thai cuisines are two of my favourites, I decided if anyone could pull it off, surely the esteemed Antoine's could.

I was wrong. It was rich and cheesy with a strong whiff of crab but the Thai sauce was confusing and not particularly reminiscent of Thai-style flavours.

The chowder from the Nostalgia Menu was a much better effort - thick, creamy, smooth as velvet, with white and red fish, small, sweet mussels and plenty of scallops. Outstanding.

It was beginning to dawn on us that this was a place of two halves. The Nostalgia Menu was quite possibly doing a great job but the other menu seemed homeless and not at the same level. But we are optimistic types, so reassured ourselves that our mains would impress us and restore our flagging faith.

I selected the roasted quail with wild mushroom and truffle risotto as I adore quail and, unlike some, relish picking my way through the tiny, crunchy bones to extract the tender meat. However, this bird was slightly underdone, so eating it was a battle of trying to tear the meat from the bones. The risotto tucked under the bird was fine but the perfumed flavour of the truffle was wasted as it was overpowered by the competing fungi and herbs in the risotto.

My friend ordered the crumbed chilli tofu, layered with fresh mozzarella and vegetables and served with hot gazpacho.

It looked toweringly spectacular, but lacked cohesion. It was just brightly coloured vegetables, prepared in various ways with little overriding theme in terms of flavour. Normally the golden and crisp star of the show, the tofu got lost at the bottom of the stack where it had become soggy.

In selecting desserts we were scared of being disappointed again but took deep breaths and ordered the pastis icecream with yellow beetroot and mint pannacotta to share. Our faces lit up on its arrival - it looked exquisite.

What makes pannacotta such a special dessert is the silken texture and the brilliance that cooked cream can stand up on its own accord. This version contained minute grains of diced beet, which served only to interrupt the texture and added little to the flavour.

The mound was crowned with a disc of yellow beetroot which looked pretty but on trying to slice through, collapsed the beautiful form. It didn't make sense, even on an avant-garde level.

By the end of the evening we were bewildered. The service and ambience was representative of fine dining but we had expected near-perfection when it came to the food. Antoine's claims to offer the "best of New Zealand cuisine presented with international flair". Our experience was of food that was far from what our top New Zealand chefs are offering and the flair kept missing the mark.

Perhaps we should have stuck to the Nostalgia Menu as this is what keeps loyal followers coming back.

A restaurant that is not shy to charge some of Auckland's highest prices, Antoine's need to review whether first-time hopefuls are getting what they hope for and dream of, sometimes for years.

From the menu: Seafood Chowder $31.50; Crab and Spinach Souffle $36; Chilli Tofu $42.75; Roasted Quail $50.60; Pastis Icecream with Yellow Beetroot and Mint Pannacotta $24.75.
Drinks: Fully licensed, Tattinger $33.75 per glass; Desert Heart Chardonnay $15.75