Fine as far as it goes
A new restaurant saves locals a drive into town
Iordered chicken schnitzel and potato salad. Chicken schnitzel and potato salad was duly delivered. In my mind’s eye, my $ 28 investment had involved more than a breaded breast and a dab of spud. Sometimes, a dish is more than the sum of its parts. But this was, as already stated, chicken schnitzel and potato salad. For $ 28.
At least the chicken was properly cooked. I could tell, because a small square had been cut from the corner of the schnitzel which, in itself, was inexplicably square. The small square had been popped back inside the big square. It was a poultry puzzle served with potatoes and caper- sharp mayonnaise that would have been outstanding had the potato been cooked five more minutes. Probably, I should have ordered the steak — at least it came with onion rings.
The Corner was just a week old when we visited. It was packed with a clientele who didn’t appear to fit into any one demographic, except, perhaps, the demographic that will pay $ 36 for grilled snapper and peas ( oh all right, and confit lemon, mint, wasabi and pistachio butter).
This is the price of dining in your own neighbourhood. By comparison the snapper at say, Soul Bar ( where the seafood is consistently excellent and the view is actually of the sea) will set you back $ 36.50. But you do have to drive to the city.
Was the food worth its downtown price point? Megan really liked her salt- baked beetroot with broccoli, almonds and a goat’s curd dressing ($ 28). Lucky, because she’s vegetarian and it was the sole vegetarian offering across both the starter and mains menu. She didn’t even seem to mind that she’d had beetroot and goat’s curd at two other restaurants in the past week — at least, she said, chefs have moved on from aubergine stacks.
We’d started with a complimentary glass of champagne. There was no obvious explanation for this. Maybe it was because our booking had been lost, or maybe it was because The Corner is making a play for female clientele ( according to the maitre de, the site’s previous incarnation was a bit of blokey watering hole).
What makes a “female friendly” space? I liked the fit- out — dark brown wood and leather, navy carpet, glass and shiny black tiling — but I wouldn’t have called it feminine. Bonus points, however, for the Remuera Rd entrance that means you can avoid the main bar, and the low- walled “snug” that’s custom made for girls’ nights out.
There was nothing really dreadful about The Corner. My chilli prawns in fact, were delicious — buttery, with just enough heat, and served on a spoonful of cauliflower cheese; Megan’s $ 12 baby tomato and compressed watermelon side salad ( ordered as an entree, with warm ciabatta bread — another $ 7) was light and tasty. But, overall, this is a menu that plays it extremely safe. Entree options included the as- seen- everywhere trevally ceviche and seared tuna; the most unusual items on the main’s list were kimchi slaw ( with the $ 34 pork belly) and house- pickled courgette ( with $ 24 beef brisket burger and fries).
And now I’ve just realised I’ve lied. Dessert was really dreadful. Eton Mess ($ 12) was ridiculously arranged around the outside quarter- strip of the plate. The broken meringue was dry and sugary and the blobs of gummy, sweet pastry cream were just wrong.
The Corner looks smart and sharp. The food is ( mostly) perfectly acceptable. If this is your local, then it’s a pleasant and comfortable alternative to cooking at home. But I didn’t eat anything I’d drive back across town for. Kim Knight