RATING:
Like Mission Estate to its west, the district around The Old Church was brought to life in the 1800s when missionaries arrived in the area. The first church was built on this site in 1863, serving as a gathering place for locals, so it seems fitting that today it is again a meeting place for friends and family to catch up over food and wine.

The refurbishment of the original church and the sympathetic addition of some service buildings have resulted in an impressive dining room with high vaulted ceilings, dark wooden floors, leadlight glass and other trappings
of its ecclesiastical past.

The Old Church is owned and managed by Melanie Alderton and Richard Highnam. Prior to moving to Hawke’s Bay in 2011, Richard was cooking at Kermadec in Auckland. The couple clearly have a passion for the business and are hands on, with Melanie out front and Richard in the kitchen on the night we visited. Judging by the comments of Hawke’s Bay locals, the pair have made significant improvements to both the menu and service and are now attracting visitors to The Old Church from far and wide.

Our dining experience, however, was a little mixed. It began well, with beautiful bread (made off-site at Grains of Europe) paired with delicious Matapiro olive oil. But the sweetbreads that followed, described on the menu as caramelised, showed no sign of the sweetness we expected and lacked seasoning. The black pudding had little flavour and we noted no burnt butter, as had been promised in the menu description. The second entree – described as butter-poached chicken terrine, wild mushrooms and walnut salad – was in fact a rather ordinary chicken and mushroom terrine, served with a date and walnut salad.

The main courses were, on the whole, much more satisfying. My roast hapuku was moist but under-seasoned, accompanied by a superb prawn tortellini and a bisque which lacked depth. The wild shot venison, however, was truly outstanding. A generous portion of succulent, richly flavoured venison was served with poached figs and artichoke. This was a well-conceived and well-executed dish that convinced us that the kitchen certainly knows its stuff.

Desserts again brought elements of the superb and the not entirely successful. The pear tarte Tatin with caramel sauce was lovely, while the espresso and cardamom ice-cream that I ordered to accompany it was also delicious. The vanilla cheesecake, on the other hand, was very ordinary.

Our waiter was young and eager to please, but her knowledge of the menu was scant. To her credit, she admitted to knowing little about wine and sought help from elsewhere. The suggested matches subsequently came from a more senior waiter who visited nearby tables armed with useful information but found no time to assist us.

Our experience suggests there are many things to recommend The Old Church, including its attractive setting. But I feel we need to see improvements in service knowledge, a reworking of menu descriptions and greater consistency from the kitchen before we are blessed with a truly divine experience.

The Old Church Restaurant & Bar
199 Meeanee Rd, Napier,
ph: 06-844 8866, theoldchurch.co.nz
Lunch Wed-Sun 12pm-3pm,
dinner Tues-Sat 6pm to late
Mains $28-$38