A taste of the Med
Bold, fresh flavours from Europe get a Raglan twist at new eatery Wallis. Denise Irvine takes a seat in the shade.
Lunch at Wallis Bistro, Raglan, on a meltingly hot January day: three of us, an outdoor table under an umbrella, a view to Whāingaroa Harbour, and a top result on the plates in front of us.
My goal now is to return there for the dinner menu and try the goat leg with polenta and pecorino, or maybe kumara and date waffle with baba ganoush and labne. Something a little out of the ordinary, as is clearly intended at Wallis.
The bistro opened in late November, the latest hospitality venture of Raglan couple Justin and Alix Thomson, owners of The Shack, a well-known eatery on Bow St which delivers generous, honest cafe food and packs out through the summer.
At Wallis, the Thomsons have gone for a different style, melding seasonally inspired ideas gleaned by Justin in Europe with Raglan influences and locally found produce. The kitchen team is headed by Tom Lusty, with Justin still mostly cooking at The Shack but doing some shifts at the new place.
Wallis’ food is bright with flavour and freshness, and the fit-out is in the best understated and relaxed tradition of bistros. The rustic building – home to an earlier cafe – has had a careful makeover with lots of white paint and cool white tiles, some bench seating, decks and outdoor tables front and back, and an open kitchen. Everything is squeaky clean and glassware, cutlery and plates have been chosen with care.
There’s thoughtful service to match. We were warmly welcomed, shown to a shady table on the back deck, offered complimentary sparkling water, and issued with menus and wine list.
We ordered wine from a smart selection – from home and away – that reaches beyond the more familiar wineries. And so to food: the all-day menu has a dozen or so dishes covering brunch and lunch options. The descriptions are minimalist, more a list of ingredients than complex details. If in doubt, just ask the staff.
There are sardines, an omelette, smoked salmon, beetroot, chicken, a bistro salad, and more – all with a supporting cast of ingredients. I wanted extra info on the beetroot: our waitress said it’s done two ways, in roasted chunks and wafer-thin pickled slices, in a salad of green leaves, cranberries and capers, topped with smoked yoghurt and walnut dukkah ($18).
Sold. And it was a sound choice: a colourful, delicious bowl that worked neatly with a side of black pudding – a nuggety little treat that I couldn’t go past. Ditto a glass of Wild Earth rosé from Central Otago.
The other dishes at our table were sardines ($12) and chicken ($17). The sardines (canned) were of excellent quality, served in a peeled-back tin alongside pickled red onion, ciabatta, herby butter and parsley. The chicken was a generous quarter portion, neatly plated with watercress (perhaps a bit light on greens), poached egg, parmesan, and an Italian tonnato mayo boldly flavoured with anchovies and tuna.
There was some shared tasting among us, and I think we each thought we’d got the best deal on flavours and freshness. We finished with well-made Rocket coffee and house-baked oat and cranberry biscuits topped with white chocolate.
They were suitably crispy and chewy, a sweet end to lunch on Wallis St.