After a fun and crazy day at the cave/farm/geyser, a nice meal would be the perfect way to end the day. We chose to dine at 'Dine' by Peter Gordon who won Top 50 Restaurant of 2012 in New Zealand.
We had the degustation which was 5 courses with a palette cleanser and petits fours. It is NZD$185pp with matching wines but NZD$115pp (converts to around AUD$90) without it.
*PS: I have to apologise for the inconsistent lightning and sad quality of the photos. The place is filled with dim orange light and there's not much I could do about it. >-<
Dine by Peter Gordon:
Degustation with Matching Wines
The place serves a unique blend of Asian, Pacific and traditional European cuisine. This theme could be seen throughout the dishes served in the degustation.
Seared Yellowfin Tuna
Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, Reims-France NV
First course is a seared yellowfin tuna with yuzu, wakame, sesame and kelp, kumara, tahini miso salad and a deep fried quail's egg. A mainly Japanese inspired dish with a touch of European glamour.
Pyramid Valley, Savagnin Rose, Marlborough '10
Matched with:
Prawn and Panko Crusted Hapuka
Prawn and panko crusted Hapuka with wok fried greens, wood ear fungus, urenika potato with red lentil pandan coconut broth and crisp curry leaves. The dish is filled with Southern Asian elements but tastes really good cooked Western style.
Waitaki Braids Pinot Noir, North Otago '08
Matched with:
5 Spice Roast Cambridge Duck Breast
Five spice Roast Cambridge Duck breast with smoked kumara mash, bok choy, pickled shiitake mushroom spring roll, fig and orange chutney. I really liked this dish as it has a citrusy sweet and juicy meat and crispy skin with a hint of five spice.
Pasquale Limoncello and Feijoa Granita
A really refreshing palette cleanser with my feijoa fruit goodness! I really fell in love with this fruit as it is a more citrusy version of a custard apple and so readily available in NZ - they're everywhere!
Alpha Domus "The Aviator" Cabernet Blend, Hawkes Bay '09
Matched with:
300 Day Grain Finished Wakanui Angus Beef Fillet
300 day Grain Finished Wakanui Angus Beef Fillet soft black olive polenta, buttered spinach, a crisp braised ox tail dumpling and roast capsicum salsa. Look at the pinkness on the inside! A perfect medium rare steak with all the nice frillings on the side.
Rene Mure "Clos St Landelin" Gewurztraminer VT, Alsace-France '07
I love dessert wines. I wish I could swap all of the above wines for 5 servings of sweetness. Gewurztraminer is a more fragrant version of the Savagnin Rose with a pungent lychee note.
Matched with:
Frangelico Panna Cotta
Frangelico panna cotta with white chocolate and hazelnut powder, toffeed feijoa, polenta tuile and maple sherry ice cream.
Selection of Petits Fours
Dine by Peter Gordon
Location: Skycity Grand Hotel, 90 Federal Street, Auckland
Opening Hours: Daily 5.30pm - 10.30pm
Phone: +64 9 363 7030
Website: http://www.skycityauckland.co.nz/Restaurants/dine.html
