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Christchurch
Reviewed by Diana
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Date/Time:
1.15 pm Friday 7th September 07
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Restaurant:
The Curator's House
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Where
to Find:
7 Rolleston Avenue, in the Botanic Gardens just down from
the museum, Christchurch
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Parking:
On the street, or in the Arts Centre carpark
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Service:
Generally very good: attentive, professional, unobtrusive and pleasant.
They passed the "bubbles and champagne with breads immediately
on arrival/no capsicums in the food" test from my booking 'phone
call, but only just with our drinks and bread ... the wine was served
eventually, and I thought they'd forgotten about the bread. To be
fair when it arrived it was hot out of the oven, but if it was still
in the preparation stages I would have liked to know. Interesting
the way that restaurant staff still assume that the male of the
party is the one who knows what's what with the wine - what year
is this again? Our mains were brought far too quickly, leaving little
time for us to enjoy our aperitifs and I felt that we were being
rushed. Sensibly things slowed down when we asked to take our time.
Presentation:
Perfectly, artfully presented meals - the best I've seen in Christchurch
in some time.
Wine List:
Great range of mainly NZ wines, not huge markups and an impressive
selection by the glass. We particularly enjoyed the Alan McCorkindale
2002 Blanc de Noirs, and the luscious Church Road sticky with the
Crema Catalana. Unfortunate our waitress at that stage couldn't
provide any recommendations for a match, as I would have expected.
Value for
Money:
excellent. I'm happy to pay for food
of this calibre. A man of few words, my companion enjoyed the roasted
duck leg but I can't tell you more than that. My fresh fish with
the salsa verde was a happy choice, and I heartily recommend it.
The salsa verde, which was overwhelm a delicate fish, was delightfully
subtle. The Crema Catalana was magnificent, but we were understandably
tempted by the tasting plate and may yet have to return ...
Ambience:
Wonderful setting, and they
were closing for a week or so for redecoration just after our visit
so it will be interesting to see the developments.
The feel
good factor:
Generally,
a great place for a special dinner - and the best place in Christchurch
for a long, relaxed lunch
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In our opinion
very good
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