Yum Yum, Happy Happy

Just back to my room from my wonderful dinner at Pacifica.

The chef's complimentary taster was a chilled watermelon soup with a touch of chili. Very nice palate cleanser and I really liked the hit of spice with the chili.

I started with the John Dory sashimi with New Zealand wasabi and pineapple wasabi foam and soy dipping sauce. It was very nice and light -- the fish was just gorgeous and fresh (which you, of course, want in raw fish!!) and the texture was very nice. (My other choice for a starter was the duck and bacon terrine but I am glad I went for the sashimi.) The wine I had with this was an Esk Valley Chenin Blanc (a Hawke's Bay region wine).

My main was the venison loin, grilled very rare, on polenta with venison jus and goat tortellini (bits of goat shank used to stuff the tortellini). I like game meat and this venison was very nice and tender and grilled just the way I like meat -- very rare. The polenta was very creamy and only reinforced my wish that I could cook polenta so lovely (whenever I try to make it, it is thick and lumpy). My side veggie dish was fresh organic corn on the cob with a light hollandaise sauce. Fresh corn - how wonderful, how summery! The wine with the venison was an Esk Valley Merlot Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon blend. (I had to give up my savs for tonight's meal asking the waiter to pick something regional to match the dish -- also, Hawke's Bay is not really prime savvie territory.)

For dessert I had the lemon bavarois coated with praline and accompanied by apple chips with cream and a bit of mixed berry sauce. I had to ask what a bavarois was but once the waiter described it as like a panna cotta (Italian for 'cooked cream') but much lighter, I knew I was in. Lemon desserts are a big favourite with me (as are cream desserts to be perfectly honest!) The light praline coating added a nice texture. The dessert wine to accompany it was a late harvest riesling from Cloudy Bay Vineyards in the Marlborough region.

Just a fantastic meal. The restaurant was very casual despite its fine menu and wine list. In fact, some reviews I read of it had complaints about the decor and its blue indoor/outdoor carpeting and moulded plastic chairs. It does have the feel of a beach shack (being in an old bungalow right on the Marine Parade) but that casualness is so appropriate here in New Zealand and helps to take away from any pretentiousness of a top restaurant. I am a good solo traveller and don't mind eating alone but sometimes pulling out a book in a good restaurant is a bit uncomfortable so I usually seek out more casual spots. Pacifica, to me, was the perfect mix of fine food and welcoming staff. There were people there who were clearly foodies and wine lovers but everyone got the same attention and warmth of service.

And I should also report that on my way to dinner I had a little meeting with a sweet little grey kitten. Most of the Marine Parade is made up of motels, B&Bs, backpacker hostels or restaurants but there are a few wooden bungalows that are lived in and one of them had its front window open and the little one popped out on to the window sill to say hello when I went by. The window is right along the sidewalk so easily got a little pet in and will be sure to walk by there again during my stay in the hopes of seeing little 'Pacific Smokey' again.

Now it is time to settle in for the night. I have my window open so I can lie in bed and listen to the ocean waves rolling up on to the beach. How perfect.