RATING:
In Christchurch, where everything is upside down, dining a la suburbia is now the default – it’s the inner city that’s avoided. But here’s an interesting twist: Tiffanys, a 30-year veteran of the restaurant scene, is pulling many diners back to the city fringes.

The arrival of new head chef Mauro Battaglia has helped. Since he came on board last year, Battaglia has brought a new edge and gloss to Tiffanys’ dishes, as well as plenty of Italian influences.

The restaurant’s interior is quite formal with dim lighting, lots of wood, leather chairs and waitstaff dressed in black and white uniforms. The service, however, is laid-back Kiwi friendly.

On a beautiful summer’s evening, our table was perfect. A glance left or right revealed the gardens and trees leading to the riverbank or the busy service counter and chefs hard at work behind it. No sign of cordons. A glass of cold Moët & Chandon with its lingering intense breadiness helped seal the impression that we were having an “event” meal. Quake, what quake?

Battaglia is from Lombardy and his signature dish is the region’s traditional ravioli. This was a revelation. The ravioli and accompanying sauce were created from an entire orchestra of meat, vegetables, cheese, nuts, fruit, biscuit, pancetta and herbs, with intoxicating results. The overall effect was an intense layered meatiness that was
rich, sweet, earthy and salty all at once. The surrounding pasta was perfectly light and tender.

A black ink risotto was dramatic in presentation, as always, with the murky taste of the squid ink satisfyingly different. Chunks of chorizo livened things up, but there was a technical malfunction with the promised accompanying spicy chocolate sauce. This came as a thin brown smear on the plate, but the plate was served (appropriately) hot, which dried the smear – baked it on rock hard, in fact. The little chilli chocolate I managed to mix with the rice was a startling and successful addition, but sadly most was lost to the cause of style.

The mains offered another chance to see how the basics were handled. The list of seven on the summer menu included pork belly, venison, snapper, salmon and a mushroom risotto.

The razzle-dazzle comes with the tweaked accompaniments: smoked tomato jelly with the salmon; apple and vanilla mousseline cider foam with the venison; lemon balm and chilli sauce with the snapper.

We chose the Canterbury staples of lamb rack and beef fillet, with which a Te Mata Awatea Cabernet Merlot was an excellent match. The lamb and beef were both cooked perfectly, each accompanied by a rich jus.

The beef fillet came wrapped in seared-on sage leaves, which added a welcome note to the flavour profile. It sat in a glossy brown sea of jus, dotted with yellow islands of polenta. A vibrant green pea puree added interest to the lamb, but a spoonful of mashed eggplant (Tiffanys called it caviar) seemed a little lost in the mix.

The mains are complete in themselves, although the ravenous might like to take up the offer of vegetable sides for an extra $7.50.

For dessert, it was time to revisit an old friend, tiramisu. This classic can be variable but Tiffanys’ take – presented in a martini glass – ranks among the best I’ve eaten. A scoop of white chocolate and hazelnut ice-cream on top made a fantastic match for the cream and layers of biscuit below.

A glossy-coated chocolate brownie was dense and intense in all the right ways, served with marshmallow, a berry mousse and a shot of vanilla foam. Unfortunately, this last element seemed to have suffered from another technical glitch – by the time it reached us it had managed to “de-foam” half of itself into a thin vanilla milkshake.

Tiffanys is a survivor and deserves its spot on the list of the city’s top fine-dining destinations. Just one request: offer the ravioli as a main.

TIFFANYS
95 Oxford Terrace,
ph: 03-379 1350, tiffanys.co.nz
7 days lunch and dinner
Mains $38-$45