Restaurant Critic #4 – Flavours of India - Browns Bay

Well what an eye opener this was when we first came here. We'd been used to having Indian food take-away and Dine-in from Chand in Mairangi Bay , where the service was always prompt, the price was always cheap and the food was passable.

Then we, on whim, went to Flavours of India in Browns Bay .

It's not swanky, flash, or opulent and in no way is it a fine dining experience. It's small, stark and functional modern. It's more cafe than restaurant. They claim to be able to seat 50. That'd be a busy night.

Then there is the food.

The kitchen is in eye and ear shot of everyone, with the obligatory glass window over the Tandoor oven so that you can see chef in action.

And what he produces is top quality.  It's not an extensive menu by comparison with other establishments, the standard items are there, and a couple of specials and unique dishes.

To be fair they don't need to have an extensive menu as the quality and taste you get from your choice should make it your favourite.

5 of us. We had a vegetarian and a meat version of the entrée platter.

There was the obligatory butter chicken. and the Saag Goshst (Lamb in Spinach), and a Shajahani chicken (Chicken in Cashew, saffron and coriander) and two of the special items,  a Lamb Stir fry, and a real Goat Curry, which was an off-menu item.

The Lamb and the Goat were amazing, succulent, juicy, tender, but somewhat spicy.

Oh and Garlic and Plain Naan.

It was too much, way too much food, and a doggy bag accompanies us home.

This isn't a chain or franchise menu, it's a small operation, and they're happy if you're a first time or return customer, and they remind you that word of mouth is their best advertising. 

I'd suggest - Get in!

 

Restaurant Critic #1

A Special day out in Paeroa, Gateway to the Coromandel, at one end described as "Positive Paeroa - we still have the street races (Motorcycles) and at the other as "Antique Town" I guess due to the number of Antique Shoppes that occupy the main street (the only street really).

The Ohinimui Winery Restaurant then, just out of town in the Karangahake Gorge, for a birthday lunch

This must have been the day that the chef discovered Garlic. Lime, Lemon, Dill, and Mustard because that was the over-riding taste sensation from each of the main courses in various amounts

Or it could have been the chef had a cold and their taste-buds were shot, who knows

Lets skip the bread and dips - can't really go wrong there you get what you get, it is what it is and move to

Salmon and Dill Roesti $16.50
Swiss styled potato pancakes topped with smoked salmon and poached eggs, finished with dill aioli

It says "finished" it should read "Swimming in a tart almost inedible" dill aioli

Salmon was sandwiched between the pancakes which saved it somewhat from the flavour explosion/disaster

Now to my mind, a finish or a sauce should be a whisper not a SHOUT! But that's  just me.

Or lets look at

Corn Beef Hash Cakes $17.00
Potato, caramelised onion and corn beef hash cakes topped with eggs and mustard hollandaise

This time fried eggs between hash-cakes with a totally OTT Mustard/Garlic Sauce. Who knows that the hash tasted like.

Bad day in the office?

Scallop and Prawn Ravioli $20.00
Our kitchen made pasta pockets, filled with chopped scallops and prawns.Accompanied by a seafood broth.

This however came out as "tasteless" except for the broth which should keep vampires away for a while.

Seafood Chowder $17.00
A delicate creamed based chowder filled with scallops, mussels, prawns and shrimp

For "delicate" read "watery"

And the other two people each had the same
Winery Pot Pie $19.00
A twist on the traditional homemade pie. Hot stew on mash with a hot pastry topping. Beef and Bacon.

An overflowing ramekin of stew with a dainty pastry dropped on top, cocked in some spiffy kind of way.
The stew was on top of a hidden bed of mash, which by consensus may well have been straight garlic.

We Skipped the desert and brought magnum bars at the dairy

Added with a $40 bottle of Over-cold Sav, and two soft drinks all up around $160.00

That's the food and cost what about the restaurant?

Dainty little nooks and crannies type of place, seemingly pretending to be both a fine-dining  and rustic gastro-pub affair at the same time, I think. Entertainment provided by each and every waiter dropping at least one knife/fork/spoon onto the wooden floor. Loud and jarring.

Other entertainment

Waitress woman who asked if everything was ok and had we finished? It wasn't we had, just walked away as if that was a courtesy question, and and the bit where the head waiter took some of our plates and then wandered off to talk to someone else leaving half of the plates on the table for someone else to deal with.

http://www.ohinemuri.co.nz/restaurant.html

Go again? Perhaps after a walk around the gorge and the derelict mine workings for a wine and beer in the garden but it would be a push to think that anything else on the menu would not some with the surprsing and unwelcome taste disaster.

Paeroa to dining what the H is the Wanganui. Irrelevant.