Vidal Winery Restaurant - Hastings

It is impossible to say whether the confidence and competence we experienced at Hawke’s Bay’s Vidal Winery Restaurant recently are qualities that come from being New Zealand’s oldest winery restaurant, from a clearly capable kitchen team or a combination of both, but they unquestionably mark it out as an easy place to recommend.
I have dined at Vidal often and it has always been very pleasant though unremarkable. This time around, however, things were different. The dining room – the old cellar furnished with winery paraphernalia – was the same, spacious and comfortable with good lighting and an easy flow. The service was, on the whole, attentive and well modulated and the overall atmosphere warm and welcoming. But the easy-to-follow menu presented by head chef Jillene Slui, (assisted for now by the hugely talented David Griffiths, of Vinnies, Huka Lodge and Terrôir fame) was much more exciting than on previous occasions, with an unmistakable sense of confidence. Slui began her career as an apprentice chef at Vidal 24 years ago and returned in 2011, bringing with her experienceof kitchens in Asia, London and the Caribbean, and clearly inspired by the flavours of the Mediterranean,Morocco and Spain.

Our first courses of duck and pork rillette and roasted quail were beautifully presented, generous and completely balanced. My dish of quail with celery, rhubarb and almond saladin particular was an absolute delight– its tangy pomegranate vinaigrette aperfect counterpoint to the rich quail,while a little quinoa cleverly addedtexture. This was a dish of many andvaried ingredients yet on the platethey melded effortlessly.

The expectation generated by thesefirst plates was easily satisfied by thefollowing dishes, one a truly memorableportion of pancetta- and tarragonroastedbaby chicken, bread salad ofpistachio and pear and Madeira jus.It was full of palate highlights – thetarragon contrasting with the Madeira;the succulence of the chicken bouncingoff the firmness of the pistachio; thepancetta and pear contributing savouryand sweet notes.

The second main of First LightDenver leg of venison came with aunique recommendation, having beenrecently awarded top prize in theHawke’s Bay Regional Signature Dishcompetition. Served with the rich andsilky Vidal Reserve Series GimblettGravels Syrah 2009, it was easy tounderstand its success. Perfectlycooked venison, venison sausage,caponata and pine nut gnocchi cametogether seamlessly with the additionof the red wine and chocolate jus.

Our desserts were marginally lesssatisfying – the strawberry trifle wasoverly heavy and one-dimensional,requiring a splash of alcohol or at leastsomething acidic to lighten it up. Theapricot tart was better but still not ofthe same high calibre as earlier courses.

Service during the evening wasefficient rather than expert, requiringa little more depth of knowledge tomake it entirely convincing and perhapsan extra dash of confidence when itcomes to recommending wines. Thesuggestion of the Vidal Reserve SeriesPinot Noir with the quail missed themark; something sweeter was requiredto balance the vinaigrette, which gavethe wine a slightly sour edge.

The wine list is comprehensive witha good mix of wines from Vidal andGiuseppe Malaponti has spentthe past 16 years as a meeterand greeter at three high-profileWellington restaurants (Zino’s, Il Casinoand Hummingbird). It should come asno surprise then, that he has got thingsright with his own restaurant debut.MariLuca is the former Maria Pia’sTrattoria, which grew into a Wellingtoninstitution during the 11 years of itsexistence. Like Maria Pia’s, MariLucahas a family focus: the name is acontraction of Giuseppe’s children’snames, Marina and Gianluca, whileNICOLA EDMONDSother producers. You could argue thata bolder by-the-glass selection wouldmake it easier to find suitable pairings,but the prominence given to Vidaloptions is to be expected.

From our table we could see thekitchen at work and it was clear thatthis is a happy place, with Slui in controlof an enthusiastic team. This comesthrough on the menu – full of lightnessand assured innovation, it makes themost of high-quality local ingredientsand classic flavour combinations.On the whole, our experience providedgreat encouragement for a returnvisit.

913 St Aubyn St East, Hastings,ph: 06-872 7440, vidal.co.nz
Mon-Sun 11.30am to late
Mains $27.90-$38.50