If I were a journalist

On Saturday I ventured to Waiheke for the very first time. For those who aren’t familiar with New Zealand geography; Waiheke is an island west of Auckland, about 35 minutes by ferry from the CBD and has a population of around 7,000 people. 

A curious geographical setting creates an interesting vibe. Waiheke is well known for vineyards and so gathers a large tourist market who do wine tours as a day trip, as well as those like me who want to just hop over to see what all the fuss is about. 

On my day trip I discovered stunning quiet beaches, a decidedly rural-but-not-rural feel and a peacefulness that simply can’t be found in the city. Waiheke also plays host to an array of well respected restaurants which serve locals and tourists alike. 

We trawled through reviews (namely on our old friend Trip Advisor) and deliberated hard on where to go for dinner that evening. Finally, we settled upon Casita Miro to finish off our day trip to Waiheke, and I am glad to say we were not disappointed in the least. 

C and I have made it a somewhat personal pilgrimage to at some of the best restaurants in Auckland (French Café, The Grove, etc.), my standards have been set high. But Casita Miro was flawlessly outstanding and doesn’t fail to compete with the best of the best. From the beautiful décor to the absolutely wonderful service (the owner, Cat, is a legend!), the whole experience was superb. 

Most importantly the food was mind blowing. We decided to go with the chef’s choice; we pick the wine, the chef picks the food. A refreshing take on the usual degustation menus, particularly because I’m not a fish/seafood eater and that normally leaves me out of the running for tasting menus. Of course Cat saw that the chef didn’t decide to bring us the Cataplana and we were satisfied with an amazing spread to accompany our chosen bottle of ‘Miro’ - their “baby”. 

Once we’d tried a ‘short’ Madame Rouge - their very own rich syrupy aperitif that didn’t fail to tingle the taste buds, we started with a platter of nibbles; locally grown honey roasted olives, freshly made Foccacia by Cat herself, a pumpkin whip and Miro’s very own olive oil. The freshness of the produce was evident from every single mouthful - such a simple selection was made so incredibly delicious by the richness and intensity of the ingredients. I struggle to find good olives in New Zealand but these Kalamata’s truly raised the bar on a worldwide scale. 

As we were finishing off our nibbles, we were presented with a classic Gazpacho. Balanced, smooth, a little tangy and delightfully refreshing. Next came the fried cheese balls. Never has such a description done such an injustice to what was presented to us. I am sure there is a correct name, though I do not know it; behold the gorgeously gooey balls of cheese, covered in the lightest batter imaginable, fried to perfection. Served alongside a dip that set off all of the flavours beautifully.  

Perfectly timed, a spanish tortilla arrived. I could die happy if I could create something as simple as an omelette as wonderful as this was. The usual suspects were hidden in a light mass of eggy goodness; tomatoes, roasted red peppers, herbs and feta. Plus I believe there was some serrano lurking in the mix - something that resembled a salty ham anyway. 

Just when we thought it was all over, and we’d had all of our courses, the waiter delivered a lamb tagine. Accompanied by figs, sitting on a bed of couscous, this lamb was perfect. It fell off the bone, as I dug in to get my share, and had a flavoursome browned outer whilst being moist and tender within. The flavours came together wonderfully and I was more than a little surprised to find a cardamon pod in the couscous - a clever addition to tie the flavours together. 

We were now nearly fit to burst, after all those courses of decently sized tapas - our stomach were reaching breaking point. But how could we resist trying dessert after such an impressive display? Of course we couldn’t. 

So I ordered the Molten Chocolate Cake (baked to order!) to share, just to finish off with a little bit of sweetness. Served with yet more figs, but this time in a sweet syrup, the cake its self was baked to an unbelievably skilful level - not a minute too long or a minute too less in the oven, which created a light and firm outside, and a gooey chocolate inside. Yum. 

All in all it was a truly brilliant dinner. One thing that never fails to amaze me in New Zealand is the abundance of good food in the most random of places. There is a real sense of quality and pride amongst so many restaurant owners and they set the bar very high. Waiheke was just another one of New Zealand’s pleasant cuisine surprises, and the best thing is you never know where you might find one next.