Contemporary Cuisine of New Zealand Is Hot

There was a time when getting anything more interesting to eat in New Zealand than roast leg of lamb was chancy at best.

This year, with the country celebrating its 150th anniversary, diners will find that things have changed dramatically. In cities as well as in small hotels and lodges in the countryside, restaurants are bringing contemporary cuisine to New Zealand and making use of the country’s extraordinary ingredients.

From kiwi fruit and Granny Smith apples to fish such as orange roughy, New Zealand’s bounty is familiar on U.S. tables. We found that eating the real thing in the country of its origin is often a different experience.

Orange roughy, a firm white fish with mild flavor--nice enough, as served in the States--reveals a sublety of previously undiscovered texture and flavor when eaten only hours from the sea.

“We have better and fresher raw ingredients in New Zealand than almost any country in the world,” said Annabel Langbein, director of a company specializing in developing new markets for New Zealand produce around the world. She also writes extensively for several food magazines in Australia and New Zealand.

“The country is small and getting food to market is easy, but it’s only been recently that chefs have begun to realize what is here. Things are changing rapidly.

“Besides,” she said, “bluff oysters are in season.”

Never turning down an invitation for oysters, we set out on a whirlwind tour of Auckland restaurants. Anticipation replaced our jet lag as we settled into a table at Antoine’s.

A small restaurant in an old house, it’s an oasis of quiet on a busy street with lots of nighttime activity. Antoine’s is one of the top restaurants in Auckland, but nothing quite prepared us for the prices. Appetizers were about $18 New Zealand, main courses about $30 (about $12 and $20 U.S.). We had heard that New Zealand was a bargain.

This was only our first stop, so we chose a selection of starters. A soupe de poisson ($15 New Zealand), as flavorful as any in France, came with strong garlic mayonnaise. Chunks of fresh local fish had been steamed and then tossed in a lemon cream sauce and served on a tender and crisp pastry shell ($18 New Zealand). Our favorite, a hot blue vein cheese souffle ($18), was served with cream on a bed of spinach.

When we opened the souffle we found a perfectly poached egg in the center. The flavors of cream, blue cheese and poached egg were irresistible. We often read about dishes like this but seldom see them on menus.

Main courses at Antoine’s include a different version of cassoulet, a rich stew with lamb and venison ($30 New Zealand) and a chicken breast filled with a New Zealand Bourguignon cheese--similar to a Brie--and coated with sesame seeds, baked and served with a light tomato and fresh basil sauce ($30 New Zealand).

Then we headed across town to The French Cafe. Next to the post office, The Cafe was casual and packed with diners. White walls, an open kitchen and a rear courtyard for dining gave the place a contemporary feeling.

Its prices are reasonable. The menu is eclectic--with Cajun, Oriental, French and Italian dishes. We tried stir-fried vegetables ($5 New Zealand), richly flavorful French fries ($2.80) and char-grilled pork fillets ($10.90), which were served with a Chinese plum sauce, and a watercress and pear salad.

We didn’t try the baked lamb with sweet potatoes, but did sample the sweet potatoes, a variety raised by the Maori. They were out of oysters.

We ended our evening with a stop at the Verandah Bar & Grill, near where we began and just down the street from Antoine’s. The restaurant is upstairs in an area of shops and boutiques, and it’s always crowded. It’s open seven days, noon to midnight.

Again they were out of oysters. Everyone, it seems, eats bluff oysters in season, and we were beginning to despair of ever having them. Instead, we chose dessert and coffee. Tarte tatin arrived slightly warm with a rich caramelized taste and tender crust.

Growing apples, according to Langbein, is a major New Zealand industry. They are grown for flavor, not for appearance, so when on sale they usually are not shiny and waxed. The chocolate cake was suitably dark and heavy.

We also tried the poached pears with a lemon chocolate sauce and heavy cream. The combination of chocolate and lemon in the sauce was surprisingly good. Desserts are all $7.90 New Zealand. Large cups of good cappuccino ($2.50) made a perfect ending.

The next day we headed for Victoria Park Market, which has stalls selling everything from T-shirts to local crafts. After the night’s feasting we thought a visit to the Victoria food halls and a little light grazing might be in order.

Although very casual, the fast-food stalls turn out surprisingly good fare, from chicken wings to hand-cut French fries. The candy market sells all-natural butterscotch candies, which make a nice dessert.

Dinner in the Longchamp, the dining room at The Regent of Auckland hotel, was everything Langbein had promised. Chef Serafin Bueno Sanz combines Spanish influences with the exceptional produce of New Zealand.

We ordered bluff oysters as a first course. Small and plump, they had a slightly crunchy texture and must rank with the best in the world. These oysters are never exported.

After the oysters we had a tartare of marinated salmon and crayfish with avocado, a dish that could have been a disaster had not the ingredients been totally fresh and full of flavor. A rich chicken consomme followed. It was accompanied by a deep-fried chicken wing.

Rather than a sorbet , Sanz served us a cold soup of fejoias and lime. The perfume of the fejoias, a local fruit, created just the right antipication for a main course of a medallion of veal accompanied by deep-fried crayfish.

Finally, there was a hot lemon souffle filled with marinated apricots. The dish arrived quivering and slowly began to fall--the sign of greatness in a souffle. A small dish of cold caramel parfait, topped with three raspberries, came with the souffle. This was as Langbein described it: “A very serious restaurant.” The prix fixe dinner came to $78 New Zealand each.

Whenever we asked for restaurant recommendations in Auckland, people invariably mentioned Moose Lodge in the country near Rotorua. So with only a couple of days to spare we decided it might be worth the 2 1/2-hour pilgrimage by car south of Auckland.

Aside from the view it commands out over Lake Rotoiti, Moose Lodge has the cooking of Noeline Officer to recommend it. She and her husband Errol own Moose Lodge, and Noeline shops each day to gather the ingredients for her exceptional dinners that include such specialties as carrot and ginger soup, freshly caught fish and desserts such as an apricot dacquoise that is worth traveling any distance for.

Noeline willingly shares her recipes, and we took several home. We have seldom eaten such food. Everyone gathers for drinks and conversation in the living room, then sits at a long table with the Officers in the formal dining room. It’s like being invited to a great country house for the weekend.

Guests at Moose Lodge have breakfast and dinner included in the daily rates, which are $500 New Zealand a day for two.

But all dining discoveries in New Zealand don’t have to be grand. Waiting for a bus in Rotorua we decided to get a quick lunch in a McDonald’s--something we never do in a foreign country. What we found was surprising--real shakes with ice cream and milk and no additives, French fries that really tasted like potatoes, even hamburgers that tasted of grilled beef and fresh lettuce.

New Zealand has given us some lasting memories of great meals.

Recommended: Antoine’s restaurant, 333 Parnell Road. The French Cafe, 210b Symonds St. Longchamp, The Regent Hotel, Albert Street. Moose Lodge, R.D. 4, Rotorua.

Also Recommended: Bluewater Brasserie, 5-7 Victoria Road. Delmonico’s, corner of High and Shortland streets (upstairs in the Hotel DeBrett). Harbourside Seafood Bar & Grill, Ferry Building, Quay Street. Hoffman’s restaurant, 70 Jervois Road. Union Fish Company, 16 Quay St. Verandah Bar & Grill, 279 Parnell Road.