Ridiculously sublime
Maureen Marriner discovers true happiness at
The Grove
Oh, the disappointment – but more of
that later. Canvas has not been to The Grove
for some time, not since Michele Hewitson’s
feature live from the kitchen when Michael
Meredith was chef. He’s now moved on
and the man in charge is Sid Sahrawat, the
2006 Innovative Chef of the Year.
It’s busy early on and quickly becomes
full and it’s a relaxed, lively crowd.
Although there is a comfortable-looking bar
area, we opt for drinks at the table. Sir orders
a G&T and on the spur of the moment I ask
for a Dubonnet, over ice, no lemon. Unfortunately
it is not stocked.
Our waitress has great diction. That sounds
old-fashioned but the painted brick walls,
although being very “loft” are
also a bit of an acoustic problem and as the
surrounding buzz builds, it’s a welcome
relief not to have to ask for menu details
to be repeated.
We start with the sumac-spiced ostrich, pear
parsnip puree, dates, haloumi and dukkah ($19)
and the Chard Farm River Run pinot noir ($12)
and, for me, the yellow fin tuna with vietnamese
mint sorbet, crab and ginger salad with a soy
and pomegranate dressing and wasabi caviar
($21) and Burnt Spur pinot noir ($14). I had
toyed with the idea of agnolotti of beef and
burnt butter ice cream, red wine gelee and
enoki – how’s that for innovation?
I’ve never had ostrich and imagine it
being gamey but Sir says it is more like fine
steak. My medallions of tuna are sublime, on
a pillow of crab and ginger. The tiny piles
of wasabi caviar are delicious.
The wine list has 150 varieties and although
the selection by the glass is not extensive,
staff will open different wines from the list
and sell them by the half bottle. Customers
are advised to “speak with our sommelier
so that we might pair the perfect wine with
your meal”.
Service is a well-oiled machine. The immaculate
waiters are right there when needed. There
is no lengthy wait between orders – all
is as it should be. The only hiccup is when
a waiter, carrying three plates, slides between
potted greenery and a full table. A customer’s
head is clipped by one of the plates. It could
be a debacle but after apologies, the food
is whisked back to the kitchen to be replated
and the waitress looking after the table calms
the offended diner. It is so charmingly done
that by the time the other waiter has safely
delivered his food and apologises again, the “victim” looks
as if it had been his own fault.
My next course is lamb loin and cannelloni
of neck fillet with baby onions, sesame oil
with braised leeks and a tempura zucchini flower
($35). Sir has the market fish, which is John
Dory fillets, scampi, clams dressed with chermoula,
and a potato pave ($34). I switch to the Ata
Rangi Celebre cabernet sauvignon ($15) and
Sir stays with his pinot.
The presentation is superb: the colours, the
textures, the variety. It is cliché to
talk about taste explosions but how about taste
discoveries. Even the mixed salad – so
often just a bowl of greens – has tangs
and flavours.
The portions are not huge; they’re just
right – you are ready to move on to the
next dish. For dessert I have the creme brulee
sauternes gelee with rhubarb melon soup and
Vietnamese mint ($14.50) and a glass of Villefranche
Sauternes ($15). Bliss on both counts. The
soup is so delicious I wish I were alone in
the room so I could wipe the remnants with
my finger.
Sir chooses his cheese ($10) and gets a long
dish with a small wedge of soft truffle brie,
a cube of comb honey and wafer crackers. I
am allowed a smidge and it is so “squirty” we
ask for the name of the supplier.
What with “sublime”, “bliss”,
and “squirty”, it’s easy
to see I am almost delirious with joy, practically
dribbling. So where does the disappointment
come in?
We finish. The meal ends. It’s all over.
Someone please push the replay button.
The wine: Glasses $8.50-$100, bottles $35-$1650,
Champagne $120-$1250
Our meal: $233 for two entrees, two mains,
one dessert, one cheese, one G&T, six glasses
of wine and two coffees.
Verdict: A first-class evening.
Out of 10: Food: 10, Service: 8.5, Value: 9,
Ambience: 8.
