Lapad

On our third day in the Dubrovnik area we went for a wander around the coast of Lapad. 

More hotels should have cave bars and it's a bonus when they have sea views too. The Hotel More cave bar is worth a visit. 

I particularly enjoyed walking around the coastline of Mala Petka and through the trails in the area. 

Lapad has great sunsets too. 

Trinity Oriental Fusion Lounge was our highlight in terms of food. We went there twice! The first night we had a Thai theme and for the second we did Japanese. We didn't reserve a table for our first visit and after a long and very cold wait outside for a table we had an outstanding meal and enjoyed our friendly, informative and fun waiter. We had Tom yum gai, pad thai, green chicken curry and a ginger and carrot soup amuse-bouche. 

For our second visit we had a variety of flavourful and interesting dishes including Cucumber & Japanese seaweed salad, Octopus with crunchy potato salad Japanese style, Marinated mussels Mediterranean style (ok this wasn't with our Japanese theme and it's the one in the video), Steamed dumplings, and a sushi platter which even had jellyfish on it. I accompanied my meal with a very smooth and flavourful Nikka whiskey from the barrel. An excellent meal with an excellent waiter.

Next... Mostar

A full list of all blog posts from this trip can be found here

Bale and Pula

In the morning we drove to the hamlet of Bale and went for a wander before having breakfast of coffee and croissant, of which the chocolate croissant was divine. 

We then continued on to the significantly busier Pula which has an amazing amphitheatre which was built over several decades completing around 80AD.

The oil museum and tasting was our next stop and we got to sample some beautiful extra virgin olive oils from Croatia and better appreciate the characteristics to look for in good extra virgin olive oils (they are not all the same!). 

We then wandered through the old town. 

For dinner we had a magnificent seafood plate for two back in Rovinj at a place right next door to our accommodation, Rovinj Mali Raj. 

Next... Motovun and Poreč

A full list of all blog posts from this trip can be found here

Arriving in Istria, Croatia

We had some time to spare before arriving at our accommodation in Rovinj so decided to head for lunch on the way at a small village in Central Istria. The gps took us through a border crossing in the middle near Buzet where we crossed very quickly before then heading through a very remote narrow stretch of road where we often had to stop to let other vehicles get by coming from the other direction.

We eventually ended up at a fabulous restaurant called Konoba Dolina in Gradinje where I had fresh pasta with truffle which was amazing, followed by a lovely liqueur.

We then headed into Rovinj and met Luka our host at Hey Rovinj which was our lovely accommodation for four nights in a great location in the old city.

After we had settled in we went for a wander around the old city and experienced a beautiful sunset.

Next... Bale and Pula

A full list of all blog posts from this trip can be found here

Elephant Hill Restaurant (Te Awanga, Hawke's Bay) is outstanding

Jane & I had a magnificent meal out at the restaurant at Elephant Hill​ this evening. If you are after a top class fine dining experience with magnificent food and wine and superb service then this is hard to beat. We have eaten at a number of excellent restaurants this year and this comes out at the top of the list for both of us for fine dining.

After a nice amuse bouche of apple with a rosemary foam and a cumin seed roll thereafter we were ready to get started. For entree I had the "Smoked venison tartare, beetroot meringue, horseradish sorbet, walnut" and Jane had the "Cured kingfish, lime pearls, dill, cucumber granita, crème fraîche, wakame dressing". Both were superb dishes that were magnificently presented, packed with flavour and intrigue and flavours that all complemented each other well.

For our mains, I had the "Smoked lamb loin, gremolata, goats curd, eggplant, artichoke heart, puffed black rice" and Jane had the "Glazed duck, soft shell crab, pomegranate, cucumber, coriander, vanilla lime dressing". Both were yet again superb, but my taste of Jane's dish was absolutely divine. We accompanied the mains with a nice "green leaf, walnut, pear, white balsamic" salad. I had the 2013 Elephant Hill Reserve Syrah and this was superb.

By dessert I couldn't fit much in so decided to have the "Petit Fours" which were four different chocolates and delightful. Jane had the "Dark chocolate crema catalana, milk chocolate mousse, jaffa curd, crème fraîche sorbet" and the crema catalana and jaffa curd were particularly good.

The service was outstanding as is the setting (looking out past the reflection pond to the vines and with the sea in the distance). We will very happily return.

Food Truck Garage, Auckland.... Disappointing

I recently went to the Food Truck Garage for dinner in Wellesley Street. I had previously had an excellent meal from the truck so was looking forward to another excellent meal.

The garage itself looks like an upmarket garage and had a nice vibe. I had a Beefroot burger and the baked chips. The burger itself was quite bland and nothing special at all. The chips were okay and included potato, swede, beetroot and some lime.

Maybe I ordered badly, but I won't be rushing back and am hopeful to see some better meals emerging from the truck.

Mt Difficulty Wines & Restaurant

Located about 45mins drive from Queenstown, Mt Difficulty Wines in Bannockburn is one of my favourite vineyards and after sampling some of their wines today we enjoyed a lovely lunch as we looked out over the valley with snow on the hills.

In terms of the wines, I really enjoyed the fresh well-balanced light citrus flavoured Mt Difficulty Dry Riesling 2009. The peach and pear flavoured Mt Difficulty Pinot Gris 2010 was equally good as was their estate Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 2009; this is a medium-bodied Pinot with cherry and plum characteristics and whilst drinking well now should be superb in another year or two. The Mt Difficulty Pipeclay Terrace Pinot Noir 2009 was magnificent, it had more body and was very smooth; although at $89.95 so it should be.

For lunch I had the Duck, slow-roasted in Pinot Noir with raspberry & cassis sauce. This was served with a nicely seasoned lettuce salad, courgettes, pumpkin and pine-nuts. It was a lovely dish with a decent quantity of beautifully tender crispy duck.

My friend, Logan had the Venison rack with scallops which he thoroughly enjoyed, although the quantity of venison did seem a little on the light side.

We would both be very happy to return for both the food and the wine. It is worth noting that we were very lucky to get a table and booking is recommended.

Passage Rock Wines Cafe, Waiheke

In addition to having some superb wines (the Reds and Reserve Syrah in particular), we had an excellent lunch at the Passage Rock Wines cafe today on Waiheke Island.

We arrived without a booking, but the staff were very accommodating and setup a table for us inside (unfortunately none were available out).  The restaurant was busy and there was a good vibe of activity, contributed to by the relaxed but efficient and professional staff.

We ordered a pizza and Salmon Nicoise Salad to share.  Both were nicely presented, packed with flavour and arrived in a very timely manner.  The high quality of the ingredients used was evident and the food tasted like it was prepared with care.  The wood-fired pizza base was very thin but still a nice firmness and a delight to eat.

We will very happily return.

Cardrona Speights Ale House, Mt Eden

We had a very disappointing meal out at Cardrona Speights Ale House in Mt Eden last night.  We have been here in previous years and had good meals, but last night we were there with friends as part of the quiz and it was definitely not flash.

I started with a Porter to drink which I thoroughly enjoyed.  For my main I had the Drunken Steak which I requested to be rare.  The majority of the steak was in fact medium-well and the sauce wasn’t anything special.  Jane had the Pig Hunter, which is a huge pork loin; she enjoyed the dish.  Others at the table had the salmon (described as the most tasteless salmon they had ever had) and a beef salad, that had more kumara than anything.

For dessert I decided to have the Chocolate Mud Cake and Jane had the Cromwell Crumble.  45 minutes after placing our order I went and asked if they were far away and then proceeded to cancel the orders about another 10 minutes later.  We got our refund but they did insist of bringing the desserts anyway and were very apologetic (which was good).  The Mud Cake however came without the fudge sauce but the Crumble was good.

So, all in all not a great night of food and we won’t be back in a hurry.

Coffee, Olives, Cheese, Food & Wine in the Hunter Valley

We started the day with a coffee and loaf at the Bliss Coffee Roasters in the Hunter Valley Gardens.  One thing I continually forget is that skinny lattes (as they’re known here as opposed to trim lattes in NZ) are usually a single shot of coffee and not the double shot I have been accustomed to in Auckland.

The Hunter Olive Centre was packed with people when we arrived, and for good reason, since they have an excellent range of oils, tapenades, vinegars and jams to taste.

Hunter Valley Smelly Cheese (yes, that’s its official name) was our next stop.  This is located in a magnificent complex with Tempus Two and another winery or two.  Here, we enjoyed some more excellent cheeses.

Tempus Two has a very upmarket cellar door presence and some lovely wines to taste.  I particularly enjoyed the Pinot Gris which had a nice passionfruit flavour.  The Chardonnay (50% Hunter Valley Grapes) is big and oaky and whilst it is quite drinkable now I fear it will become too oaky over time for my palate.  Their Shiraz is a very light style that I can imagine being a nice and easy drink on a hot summers day.

We popped into Adina Olives and tasted their small selection on offer.  The Green Olive tapenade was my pick before I was also tempted to taste some of their wines.  Of Adina Vineyard’s wines, I particularly liked their light and crisp Semillon, and found the Verdelho to be nice and dry with lots of flavour.  Jane’s pick was the Dessert Semillon (an ice wine)  that she found was more viscous than a table wine but not as sticky as many dessert wines.

Leaves & Fishes is a beautiful restaurant located nestled back into the trees on Lovedale Road overlooking their pond.  It is a lovely setting, has nice ambience and great service.  I had a beautiful sesame-crusted fish fillet that was done in a Thai style with coriander, fish sauce and a very light chilli, and micro-greens.  Jane had crispy pork belly with a magnificent side salad comprising caper-berries, gherkins, olives, sweet garlic, feta, fennel, pea sprouts, coriander and various lettuces.  We would happily return although the prices are certainly premium.

The Hunter Valley Chocolate Factory was our next stop, and we tasted a number of lovely chocolates and fudges.  Great friendly service.

After a detour via a geocache we had a cheese tasting at Benorrie Dairy.  The Herb & Garlic Fromage Frais is lovely.  I enjoyed the Valencay (white mould goat cheese), although this was too strong for Jane.  The Marinated Fetta Gold Medal was exquisite and very smooth.  The Labna had a nice garlic/rosemary flavour and lots of exciting complexity.  The Brie was a bit mild for me, but the Washed Rind was more to my liking.  The Duetto is a dessert style cheese that they do and I quite enjoyed the sweeter flavour however Jane was not keen on this one (which is not surprising given that it contained gorgonzola).  The Apple & Rosemary paste was also really good.  We were also appreciative of the friendly service of the woman in the store.

In the same complex as the Benorrie Dairy is Arrowfield Estate.  Once I finally got some service I decided to try their Riesling.  This is a citrus-dominated Riesling that is enjoyable.  I also enjoyed their Cabernet Merlot.