Splash Around The World

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that Zibibbo is the most under-rated restaurant in Wellington. Every time I go there, I have great food.

Last night was no exception. A Wellington On A Plate event, Splash Around The World was a dégustation menu based on seafood from seven continents, accompanied by wines from the same continent. This follows the event we went to last year, Quack Around The World, which was duck dishes from around the globe.

We started in Australasia with a whitebait fritter slider. This was possibly the least successful dish of the evening. Whitebait fritters are a staple of New Zealand café fare, but wrapping it in a doughy bun didn’t really add anything to the experience, in my opinion. The 2008 Marlborough bubbly was very nice, though.

South America was next, and a bluenose ceviche – very fresh fish cured in lime juice, with baby herbs to accompany, and served with a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc.

Third course was my favourite overall, I think – Tuna Niçoise, served with a French Vouvray. The seared tuna was really tender, and the acompaniments included all the elements you normally associate with a Niçoise salad – beans, olives, potatoes, eggs – included in one form or another.

Asia provided Tempura tiger prawns, and an Asian wine…sake.

North America gave us a roast scallop chowder. Unfortunately I scoffed this down before I remembered to take a picture of it. It was delicious. Accompanied by a substantial Californian Chardonnay, this was my second favourite dish of the evening, and I could have handled it if there’d been more than just the one scallop in it.

The final “main” course was from Africa – a spiced South African seafood potjeikos. This was eerily similar to Bouillabaise, but with a stronger, spicier flavour. This was served with the only red wine of the evening, which was needed to counter the spiciness of the soup – a South African Pinotage from Kleine Zalze in the Stellenbosch region.

 That may seem like a lot, but the courses were all perfectly sized so we didn’t feel stuffed, unlike  last year when we went to the seafood dégustation at Shed 5.

But wait…isn’t there a continent missing? Yes there is: Antarctica. This provided the inspiration for the dessert – a “baked Antarctica” consisting of ice cream in meringue on a sponge base, served with a home-made chocolate fish and accompanied by a New Zealand Te Mania koha ice Reisling from Nelson. There being a shortage of vineyards in Antarctica at the moment, but with global warning, who knows…

So that was Zibibbo for this year. We’ll definitely be back there sometime during the coming months, and I’m already looking forward to what they decide to put on for next year’s dégustation.