Our July function was designated the official observance of the Society’s 80th birthday so it had to be something special – and it was. We were very fortunate to settle on Vinnies restaurant, not long back in operation after an extensive refit, and found Chef/Owner Geoff Scott a most helpful and generous host. He offered us the use of the whole restaurant for the function and really entered into the spirit of the occasion, helping us to create a truly memorable event.
The kingfish salami was served with three variations of lemon ( purée of lemon zest, lemon/soy dressing and lemon infused oil) perfectly controlled to produce a very subtle and elegant dish. Most chose the Felton Road or the Semillon to accompany. The young chardonnay more mineral and somewhat closed at this stage, the semillon fuller and more complex. The scallops were served roe-less American style with a sprinkle of black pudding crumbs for a bit of spice, and accompanied with delicate fronds of steamed broccolini and cauliflower florets in a light, spicy batter. The Ata Rangi chardonnay is at its peak, complex and elegant, and was a populay match. Our boar was all about raw material- no hoary old tusker from high on the mountain ridges but tender, river flat, grass-feeding young boar. It was delicately flavoured and meltingly tender from slow cooking in cider and served with a purée of milk infused with celeriac and lightly smoked. Elston chardonnay, still very young, and the outstanding Bell Hill pinot noir were the popular choices with this dish and made excellent matches.
Beef cheek, slow-cooked to melting tenderness, richly flavoured introduced the main courses. It had simple accompaniments of potato fondant and puree of spinach to set off the main attraction. Clean-tasting, brilliant green watercress custard added a valuable contrast. The Coleraine and the Le Sol both complemented the dish well with, perhaps surprisingly, the Le Sol having the edge on the day. The duck breast was tender and moist, served with cognac jus, the confit was encased in a savoy cabbage roll and accompaniments were truffle croquette and cucumber radish. A delicious dish raised to greater heights with the Le Sol and the Bell Hill pinot noir. We’ve had a couple of misses with the quality of duck dishes lately but not here. Snapper, caught on Tuesday night for Wednesday lunch, was served with split pea risotto, ham hock and beurre rouge. Although all the components were irreproachable the total effect was a little too bland for most palates.
Dessert provided more agonizing decisions. The sticky apple and the quince pudding came with sour cream ice cream and toffee gel; the unctuous crème brulée with a pavlova and cream filled cannelloni tube of thin rhubarb gel together with a refreshing rhubarb sorbet. The cheese board offered Roquefort, Jurassic d’été, Puhoi aged cheddar and Puhoi washed rind brie cheeses served with house-baked walnut bread, quince paste and meyric walnuts from Canterbury.
An exceptional meal delivered with skill and enthusiasm by everyone at Vinnies. Thank you all.
Please view the menu here.
POSTSCRIPT
Members were delighted to find at their place settings, courtesy of Ken Sheldrick’s archive, copies of the autographed menu for the André Simon dinner held in Auckland in February 1964. Please view the menu here. It stirred many memories and the wine list evoked expressions of disbelief. After all, it wasn’t that many years before that the first select group of restaurants had been licensed to serve wine. Prior to this the wine entered in paper bags and may have been served in teacups – sort of American Prohibition without the guns.
The sharp contrast of the homely food and the very sophisticated wines is noteworthy. It’s good to think that today we could offer a locally sourced wine list without having to make too many apologies, even if we don’t reach those heights.