The Blue Caspian

Last week we ventured out of our traditional French cuisine and stepped into the realm of Italian/Medditeranean at the Blue Caspian. Here is Madeleine's account of our somewhat comical experience:

"One would generally assume that at a restaurant, knives and forks would be a pre-requisite. Something that inherently goes with the table and chairs, akin to how shoes go with socks or a nose goes with a face. However at The Blue Caspian the seemingly inherent correlation between the serving and consuming of food and the provision of eating utensils has not been drawn. Although the pizzas were tasty and the wait staff pleasant, albeit a little questionable in their English, the failure to provide cutlery until requested after all our food had been served and then the disgruntled dumping of it at one end of the table for us to distribute ourselves, was merely the tip of the iceberg of the hilarious comedy of errors of the night's dinner.

To be fair to The Blue Caspian, all their pizzas were very tasty and extremely well priced; between $10 and $16. They come in one size, about the diameter of a large dinner plate, and the menu covers all of the traditional combinations. The pizzas all had a robust tomato base, tasty fresh toppings and a well-portioned sprinkling of mozzarella cheese.

The main issue with the menu was the main dishes: their size comparative to their price, and the lack of cohesion between the menu's description of each meal and the actual meal itself. The squid pieces of the main size calamari dish were tasty, but that is about all that can be said positively about the meal. The meagre amount and the three lettuce leaves and slice of tomato that made up the accompanying 'salad' were not worth the $17.50 price tag. Not to mention that on initial service the salad was missing altogether, making the few pieces of squid seem swamped by a gigantic white plate.

The main chicken salad was subject to similar issues. The "bed of salad" consisted of lettuce leaves countable on one hand, a single wedge of tomato sliced in half and one olive. Two fingers of chicken were carefully place on the bed, drawing visual similarities to an extremely skinny and slightly awkward couple.

Although we were forced into refusing to pay the full amount for the main dishes the night was still very enjoyable. The quaintness of the restaurant and its relaxed atmosphere meant that the inadequacies of The Blue Caspian were not upsetting, but instead entertaining. With its amazing $1 per glass corkage fee, The Blue Caspian is perfect for a small, light hearted pizza BYO. However as a proper restaurant for a larger group wanting a more diverse menu and more than 1-star service it has a bit of work to do."

La Cantine, Ponsonby - Review

So here it is finally! Enjoy :)

"Often when you go out for a meal there is something else that you need from the evening. This need can stem from a number of things; a terrible day at work, bad news from the family, requiring a rekindling of your faith in the seemingly ever mediocre restaurant business, or simply a treat. On Tuesday night a few of these elements had combined for all of us, resulting in high demands upon the restaurant of the evening. La Cantine de Torchon fulfilled all of them.

Although it did indeed sport the clichéd Moulin Rouge and Chat Noir posters, requisite memorabilia for every French restaurant in a foreign country, La Cantine succeeded in being as authentic as is possible on Ponsonby road, New Zealand, the bottom of the world. On entrance the preplaced, over-priced sparkling water, tea candles, soft jazz music and most importantly, the welcoming, red wine drinking, cigarette smoking waiter (who throughout the night was absolutely lovely) gave the restaurant away as being quietly brilliant.

A Kir Royale each was the perfect drink to relax and wait for our meals, all of which were outstanding. The dishes all managed to achieve the difficult balance of having fresh ingredients but sill incorporating the richness and boldness of flavour typical of French cuisine. The Salade Nicoise was generous, light and fresh. The perfect dinner for a hot and humid summer evening. The tuna was canned, standard in French bars, but dry and flaky, avoiding the pungent and overpowering smell and flavour of some fish of that nature. The salad itself, especially the beans, was fresh, crisp and vibrant. The extremely light balsamic based dressing was present in the perfect quantity; just enough to stop the salad being dry and little enough that it did not dominate the other flavours.

The duck salad was equally well made. Again the greens were extremely fresh and the crumbles of excellent quality blue cheese and walnuts mixed throughout were in perfect quantity. There was just enough to add a rich bite to each mouthful but not so much as to be the only notable taste. The duck itself was in cured strips and was gamey, salty and extremely tasty. The freshness of the other ingredients meant that the duck and its intensity of flavour could be enjoyed a little at a time incorporated into each mouthful.

The crêpe Latine with chicken was light and subtly flavoured, the crepe itself providing the perfect canvas for the filling. The ratatouille filling managed to taste of the essential Provencal flavours whilst still allowing each vegetable to be individually identified and enjoyed if looked for. The chicken was perfectly soft, soaking in and adding a firm texture to the ratatouille.

For dessert was Crêpe Suzette (avec cinq fourchettes!) which was expertly served. The alcohol was poured on after the crêpe was placed on the table and then lit. Apart from being visually exciting this allowed time for the alcohol to burn off to the point of achieving an exquisite slightly caramelised, slightly burnt taste. The oranges inside added a bite which perfectly complimented the sweet warm alcoholic syrup.

Everything at La Cantine; the food, the music, the atmosphere and the staff, meant that it was able to provide what was "needed" to make the evening delightful. The charming garçon who complimented us on our French accents also helped! The restaurant as a whole, and the individual elements that make it what it is are a strong testament to the fact that to make top quality French cuisine, and to create a restaurant with an atmosphere exactly like that of a French corner bar, it sure as hell helps to be French.

- Madeleine Wright

La Cantine, Ponsonby

The review is still to come, but here are some photos in the mean while!

Bouchon, Kingsland

When you go to a French restaurant you never just go for the food. You go for the experience, the "Bonjour, Madame", the cute moustached waiter; the attempt to sell you excessively overpriced sparkling water when tap would be more than sufficient. Half of the enjoyment is the life that the French inject into the experience. The French joviality and the love for food and eating with your friends, compliment any meal just as much as a glass of wine.

Bouchon on the whole lacked this element of atmosphere. Although the decor was undeniably quintessentially French with red and white wicker bistro chairs, wooden tables and prints of Paris, the life that can only be provided by the maître de, chef and wait staff was missing. This can potentially be attributed to the fact that the original owners of the restaurant have moved on, and a French restaurant will never be more than an imposter if it is not run by French people, regardless of the quality of food.

The menu itself was relatively comprehensive, covering most of the requisite bases: beouf bourguignon, onion soup, escargots, crêpes and a multiplicity of cheese, however, although the food wasn't bad, it wasn't great. The touch of perfection and pride that marks French cuisine was not there. The confidence that verges on arrogance as to their culinary superiority and elegance was missing. I guess it's not something that can be merely copied. It's not something that gets put into a recipe. It is a way of cooking and dining that is as much part of culture as the language itself.

The crêpe Latine was pleasant but needed more flavour, with the chef not quite pulling out the individual flavours of each vegetable that is the hallmark of a good ratatouille. The blue cheese salad was nicely combined, with a generous balance of greens to cheese, pear and walnut, however using dessert pear in a savoury dish was something of an unforgiveable faux paux. A sprinkling of freshly cut pear slices would have added the requisite twist of freshness to the dish. The presentation of the escargots was quite effective, hidden under a small salad. The flavour of the dish did not draw forth the expected praise, and a like the other dishes simply seemed to lack lustre.

The dessert crêpe with stewed apples and Calvados was served excellently, albeit the waiter looked extremely tense at having to pour flaming liquid onto a plate being served to five girls. Again, although not bad, the crêpe was a disappointment, the alcohol being much to overpowering, dominating the dessert instead of complimenting the crepes apple filling. A touch of sugar in the alcohol might have help to create the paradoxical burnt but slightly sweet flavour aimed for.

I feel as if this review has been somewhat harsh given that the meal was not horrible. In fact it was pleasant, with the food being totally inoffensive to the palate. However I think it is just that, the lack of definition that the dishes exhibited that has made this review so harsh. French food should be bold and rich and the restaurant and the staff serving it should be robust and confident to match. These elements were at Bouchon sadly missing. One thing I cannot fault however was the company. Until next week. Au revoir mes amies.

- Madeleine Wright