Bubbles on the balcony
Denise Irvine returns to Harbourside, an old haunt in Tauranga.
Iwas at Harbourside in Tauranga on a balmy Thursday night, eating fish on the balcony, and was reminded of the pleasures of being at an owneroperated restaurant that deftly delivers good food and friendly service.
Anita and Peter Ward are at the helm of this waterfront eatery in the historic former premises of the Tauranga Yacht Club. They’ve run Harbourside for 11 years and owned it for six. Their son Cameron is head chef. So with him sending the food across the pass and his parents out front, the family’s attention to detail is evident throughout.
There have been other dedicated owners of this place and I’ve enjoyed holiday dinners at Harbourside for more than two decades. This latest one was a birthday celebration for a son who we first took there when he was a teenager, to eat fish and chips while his mum and dad had something a bit more upmarket.
You can still enjoy the comfort of fish and chips at Harbourside, or a juicy sirloin, or complex dishes such as miso-glazed salmon, or seared venison short-loin with creamed vanilla puree, date labneh and blackberry sauce.
Harbourside’s food is contemporary yet unfussy. For dinner, there are starters and light meals, grilled meats, seven mains, and a handful of vegetable and salad sides. The meat or fish are the heroes on the plate, with seasonal accompaniments and flavours from East and West. It’s a reliable recipe.
Our waiter for this dinner was Vijay, and he worked our table with a neatly pitched mix of charm and expertise. He settled us on the over-water balcony, two of us kicked off with a glass of rose bubbly, the birthday boy had a craft beer, and we pondered the food.
Vijay said their deep-fryer had unexpectedly died so fish and chips weren’t actually a goer; fortunately the birthday boy had not planned on revisiting his old fave.
The standout of the night was in fact our shared starter of Peking duck, although the other dishes were pretty fine too. The duck platter was generous, deliciously rich and sticky. It came with a basket of steamed pancakes to wrap individual parcels of meat and accompaniments of pickled cucumber, spring onions, hoisin sauce and spiky “mouth-numbing” salt.
It was a beautifully judged mix of sharp, sweet, meaty, hot and salty. Not a scrap went back to the kitchen.
Our mains were grilled Wakanui sirloin, lamb rack and fish. The lamb had a nutty, spicy Italian agresto crust and was neatly plated with pea puree, roasted potatoes, gorgeous whipped goat cheese and beetroot relish. The sirloin also came with roasted potatoes, and horseradish cream for punchy heat. Top job on the meat and supporting cast, said the recipients.
I’d gone for the fish; it seemed right and proper in this location. Tonight it was pan-fried hāpuku with acqua pazza sauce, chargrilled broccolini and a crispy caper mayo dressing. Italian acqua pazza sauce translates literally as “crazy water” and Harbourside’s rendition is a herby, tomato-y sauce with a spicy hit to bring out the best in the moist, fleshy hāpuka.
For dessert, we shared a creamy, subtly flavoured liquorice brulee and a perfectly oozy molten chocolate fondant, the latter delivered with a birthday candle. It was a nice touch and a happy ending to this meal.