This downtown newcomer serves classic bistro fare with quiet confidence.
I had dinner here with my last remaining single friend. That makes it sound like the rest of them were murdered but the truth is more boring than that; when you get married, you’re out of the club. Your old
I remember in our twenties we could try all night at a bar without meeting an actual woman, but later in life you’re much better at making casual, expectation-free chat. My friend said hello to the ladies at the table next to us and asked what they’d chosen for their main.
“The fettuccine!” one of them replied. “It was delicious – I really noticed the tarragon.”
“You know the interesting thing about tarragon,” my friend replied breezily, “is that there are different types: French tarragon, Russian tarragon, Mexican tarragon …”
“That is SO interesting!” she said, and her friend nodded enthusiastically.
“Yeah, it’s important to know which one you’re eating,” I said, getting in on the action. “So that you can work out the tariff.”
Everybody looked at me with confusion. A cool silence settled on the dining room. The group of businessmen next to us suspended their chewing to properly assess the damage. The joke had not gone well.
“Anyway,” my friend said. “Sorry to mansplain tarragon to you.”
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Advertise with NZME.The women burst into appreciative laughter, and somewhere, a staff member put some upbeat music on. The businessmen returned to their dinners.
“Well”, I said, thinking quickly. “‘Tarragon’ IS an anagram of ‘arrogant’!”
The silence returned. Both women studied their cutlery intently. My friend sighed. I have been out of the game too long, readers. God help us if my wife ever leaves me.
Bistro Saine is a cosy and happy room, on the ground floor of the new Hotel Indigo in St Patrick’s Square (i.e next to The Grove). It’s furnished like a hotel restaurant, but they’ve done something tricky with the lighting so that it all feels very vibey. Each table has one of those small standing lamps (“the lamp that’s taking over New York”, according to one New York Times headline) that illuminates the food and makes you look pretty, while light walls and sheer curtains stop the dark wooden furniture from dominating.
The staff are wonderful, and have high standards for themselves: they don’t know everything, and seem mildly ashamed of the stuff they’ve yet to learn. Our waitress struggled to translate a couple of ingredients from her native French, ducking away to consult the chef, then returning with the word she wanted. The second time she did this, she came back with a triumphant look on her face – “beurre noisette!” she said proudly. “You use the same words here.”
Saine’s impressive list of chefs is overseen by Yutak Son, who is Korean-born but French-trained. It’s mostly the latter influence here: tartare this, parfait that … the sort of menu you used to see everywhere but is now rare to find delivered to this standard. Everything looks and tastes fantastic – you really can’t go wrong.
We started with the snack menu – a modern bistro innovation which lets you taste a few different things without committing to a whole plate. All are priced under $10, which seems very democratic (I love Onslow but the fancy snacks there are more in the $15-30 range, so you’re less inclined to go large on them), and we ordered two of each to toss back with a glass of white wine.
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Advertise with NZME.Aubergine with a smidge of Italian tomato sauce gives that classic pasta “Norma” hit in one mouthful; a croquette, the dish I’m usually least excited about, was a great reprieve from the usual cheesy explosion – just tenderly braised pork in a thin and crunchy crumb; a delicious dollop of leek and comte cheese was so complex that I asked for some more detail from the chef and, when I received it, ended up more confused than when I knew nothing.
What sort of food critic orders roast chicken? Honestly, I know Anthony Bourdain forbade it but sometimes you’re in the mood to eat it – and it’s now rarer than any other meat protein on serious Auckland menus so it feels like a treat. At Bistro Saine it is fantastic, served without bones on a bed of chewable barley risotto with cubes of sweet pumpkin. It’s finished with sage and a thin roasty gravy and the meat itself is so browned and crunchy it’s like they seared it with a hot brick.
We shared our dessert, like a couple of lovebirds. Tarte tatin! The king of bistro puddings, it’s a very rare thing to find and once seen on a menu, must be ordered. This one is a cracker, made with pear rather than apple and baked to absolute perfection – the fruit sweet and cooked but still firm to the bite. In fact, this dessert is good enough that even if you eat somewhere else tonight, you should consider stopping in here for your final course.
BISTRO SAINE
Cuisine: Bistro
Phone: (09) 610 8404
Website: Bistrosaine.co.nz
Address: Hotel Indigo, 51 Albert St, CBD
Drinks: Fully licensed
Reservations: Accepted
From the menu: Linseed crackers $6ea; aubergine frites $5ea; anchovy en croute $9ea; braised pork croquette $9ea; pickled mackerel $28; roast chicken $42; steak frites $48; pear tarte tatin $18
Rating: 18/20
Score: 0-7 Steer clear. 8-12 Disappointing, give it a miss. 13-15 Good, give it a go. 16-18 Great, plan a visit. 19-20 Outstanding, don’t delay.
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