Restaurant Month 1: Odettes

It is currently Restaurant Month in Auckland and a number of restaurants have special menus just for August.
The best part is, the participating restaurants are the 'classier' more upmarket restaurants and menus start at $25 for two courses. An excuse to go to places I wouldn't normally think of going. Mexico, Orotolana, Food Truck Garage, The Crab Shack, Daikoku... You can view the full range here.

I took my food critic friend to Odettes for a four course dinner. For $40 a head, we thought it was well worth it. The full menu can be found here. Truth be told we didn't know what half the words there were but we were adventurous and keen to try everything. Even I ate the lamb, and I don't eat meat named after cute furry animals.

First course Beetroot & Rhubarb Jam; goat curd, candied walnut and lavosh.
Lavosh is the thin crispy flat bread, it's like the Middle Eastern poppadom.
This cracker-and-dip entree was a mix of textures and contrasting flavors. The beetroot and rhubarb jam was sweet and matched the tartness of the goat curd well. The walnuts added a crunch as with the lavosh. The only thing was that the beetroot should have been cut into smaller cubes, to balance the mouthful ratio of beetroot/ goat curd and it also would have been easier to pick up with the lavosh.

Second course Butternut Arancini; silverbeet, chermoula and labneh
Delicious dish. I love risotto crumbed balls;  these were crunchy and full of flavor with butternut and silverbeet inside. The labneh is the whipped feta garlic.

Second course Beef Cheek Bun; sweet & sour cherry, shiitake mushroom and kale

The best dish out of them all.
The bun is a steamed bao, soft, slightly sweet and not dry. The beef cheek was cooked to perfection; tasty not at all tough and complimented well with the sauce. It was the main flavor along with the kale crisps. Absolutely amazing.
(Okay so I thought the "cheek" in the "beef cheek bun" was describing to the plumpness of the bun... But before my last bite, feihae told me that it's the cheek of a cow. I was like wow ok vegan.)

Third course  Hawke’s Bay Lamb Leg; gingered yoghurt and nuts
For someone who doesn't eat lamb, this dish was actually delicious! I was dreading it cause I imagined a huge chunk of meat with a bit of sauce on the side. Usually I am put off by that smell of cooked lamb but nothing like that here. It was tender, and the right balance of sour and salty from the yoghurt.

Third course  Baby cos with toasted farro, sesame preserved lemon dressing and Kalamata olives
Not a favorite dish. The taste of olives and lemon was too strong. However it was quite nice when eaten combined with the lamb. You get less of the yoghurt and olive flavor when combined, which I preferred because I found them to be overpowering.

At this stage we were pretty full that we couldn't finish this course! Ready for dessert though...

Fourth course Nut Caramel; dark chocolate crème fraîche, chocolate crumble
I've never had anything like this, it's not chocolate mousse nor is it ganache. The nut caramel is very crunchy with a sticky consistency. Reminded me of crunchy peanut butter and nutella.
And creme fraiche is less airy and less chocolat-y than mousse.

Least favorite dish. I always look forward to desserts but this one was disappointing. It was far too sweet and the creme fraiche tasted strongly of cocoa powder rather than a real chocolate taste that I was expecting.

Overall, the entire experience was well worth the price! The beef cheek bun was a winner. Although the dessert was disappointing, everything else was fantastically delicious.

It was my first time at Odettes after hearing many good things about it, and I was impressed. The whole vibe and atmosphere won my heart more than the meals did.
It's situated in City Works Depot, on the Ponsonby side of Wellesley Street, well away from the busyness and rush of the city.
With an outdoor courtyard and grassy square, I'd come back in the summer with Ray-Bans, sangria and white cotton dress.

Classy, modern, slightly industrial decor with glass front wall and plantation to make you feel you're in a beachy conservatory.

It's one of those restaurants with soft jazz music (I appreciate it; not Rihanna blasting and drowning conversations) and low ambient lighting. The sofas are cosy and the corner seating makes an intimate setting. I was like, "Wow this is a great place to have a first date."

I think we were the youngest people there that night, everyone else had the work-dinner vibe and classy wine drinkers. I liked it a lot, somewhere to catch up with friends over quality food and not be disturbed by children or hip hop music. Ladies, if you're at all like me and contemplate if it's worth wearing heels; YES it's worth dressing up for! And parking right outside, so no hiking in heels required.

Odettes, I'll be back.

Where to next? Invite me! ;)

Signed,

Elisa.

Available between 5pm and 6.30pm from Tuesday to Saturday. Guests must be seated and order placed by 6.30pm. Minimum 2 persons. All items included, no substitutions or alterations can be made to the menu. Walk ins only for groups less than 6 people.