Hataitai is one of those places that we always seem to drive through, or
past, without stopping. This is logical, as it’s between where we live in
Miramar and the CBD. Until recently, there hasn’t been anything there that
would have made us stop.
Last
weekend, the washing machine broke down. It would appear that our nearest
laundromat is in Hataitai so, until the engineer can come and fix the machine,
we need to do some laundry the old-fashioned way…not beating it on rocks, but
by putting money into a machine.
Serendipitously,
a new restaurant has also opened in Hataitai, a suburb mostly known for its
takeaways. The new place is called Bambuchi, and it got a rave review form
David Burton recently. What better way to while away the time whilst the
laundry washes? We booked a table for 6:30.
Bambuchi does food in the modern style, of shared plates of various sizes and cuisines. Whilst there are hints of Asian flavours to some of the dishes, most of them are updated versions of kiwi classics. We started with brussels sprouts and torched salmon from the entree menu, then continued with beef cheeks and the game fish of the day, which was marlin, cooked with a laksa sauce and pickled vegetables. Although we didn't order it, we had spotted that one of the dishes on the "raw" section included wild fennel pollen. This was an ingredient we had previously encountered at The Press Club in Melbourne, and we were anxious to find out where the chef had got it, as I'd been unsuccessful in my forays into Moore Wilson's and Bel Mondo in Lyall Bay. The chef came out and discussed his wild foraging with us, and told us that he'd personally shaken it locally from a fennel plant.
Bambuchi does food in the modern style, of shared plates of various sizes and cuisines. Whilst there are hints of Asian flavours to some of the dishes, most of them are updated versions of kiwi classics. We started with brussels sprouts and torched salmon from the entree menu, then continued with beef cheeks and the game fish of the day, which was marlin, cooked with a laksa sauce and pickled vegetables. Although we didn't order it, we had spotted that one of the dishes on the "raw" section included wild fennel pollen. This was an ingredient we had previously encountered at The Press Club in Melbourne, and we were anxious to find out where the chef had got it, as I'd been unsuccessful in my forays into Moore Wilson's and Bel Mondo in Lyall Bay. The chef came out and discussed his wild foraging with us, and told us that he'd personally shaken it locally from a fennel plant.
All the food was delicious, and we followed the mains with a couple of puddings - poached tamarillos and baked camembert with saffron pear. All washed down with the inevitable sauvignon blanc for Nicola, whilst I tried their 2012 Nelson riesling. Nice to see a reasonably aged wine on a wine list.
So Bambuchi gets a thumbs up from us, and we'll definitely make it our business to return and try some more of the menu.
No comments:
Post a Comment