Restaurant Critic #5 – One3One Bar Kitchen Cafe - Paeroa

We had dinner at one3one in Paeroa.

131 refers to it's street number

It was on the site of  a pub called "The Fathers Tavern" and let me tell you that used to be an experience. The last time we went their with some friends we walked in, and in the wild west cowboy style the bar went quiet as strangers walked in, true story, we ordered a couple 'jugs' of beer, brought the barman a drink and everything became sweet-as. True Story.

Wind the dial on a few years, there is now a Maccas in town, but there isn't a roundabout and nor is there traffic lights. Something shouldn't change.

One3One. A modern establishment. Central island bar set up, to the left high tables, the right 4 top tables, a couple of booths. Wallpaper like wooden fence paling, menu's kept in beer crates.

Let down by the industrial quality carpet on the floor to be honest when wood or polished concrete might have been better.

In a major change the one beer garden has been sacrificed for more floor area, and the smokers and other outside dwellers get a concrete corridor. I don't smoke so no loss to me.

Dinner:

Two people chose the  CHICKEN BREAST 
Oven roasted chicken breast stuffed with basil & wrapped in streaky bacon, served with herb roasted potatoes and topped with a tomato & herb sauce

I had  LAMB SHANKS
Slow cooked tender lamb shank on creamy mashed potatoes with a rich gravy & kumara wafers

And one of us had  LAMB AND FETA SALAD 
Sliced marinated lamb rump with feta, cherry tomatoes, caramelised pumpkin & salad greens, dressed with minted yoghurt

Lets cut to the chase and critique this.

The biggest biggest problem by far was that the main meals had no seasonable vegetables on the plate.  OK if you  colour me me stupid that the menu description din't call this out, but you know that the whole experience would have been magnified to great if the plate had a carrot or a floret of broccoli on it.

Sides are called out on the menu, but these weren't offered up by the wait staff.

Specifically calling out the lamb shanks that I had, these weren't browed before cooking. One of them stringy and tough, the other soft and fell off the bone. The gravy was watery and insipid.

Calling out the lamb salad as looking awesome!

One3One has a couple of things going for it, and in no particle order:

• The RailTrail Cycleway that passes by


• It's very new, clean and tidy, and will have broad appeal to the locals


• The pricing isn't outrageous


• The menu has something for everyone


• It'll do a cracking trade on the battle of the streets motorcycle racing weekend

They could improve things here and there of course, to suit me, but this sets a new standard in Paeora and the others need to take note.