CULINARY HEAVEN

Chefs Ben Bayly and Andrea Catalinni conjured up an amazing food experience aboard Nautiboy. The six-course meal was largely prepared in Nautibuoy’s spacious galley with help from the portable stainless-steel BBQ on the transom.

We were treated to a selection of some of Ahi’s signature dishes, each showcasing the finest New Zealand ingredients, beautifully presented and accompanied by carefully chosen local beers and wines.

The first course was a spectacular appetiser of tahr, wild-caught in New Zealand’s Southern Alps, served raw with fermented hot sauce. Called tahr tartare, it was visually striking and thoroughly delicious.

The tahr was followed by crayfish tail halves, skewered and grilled on the BBQ, then smothered in tomato butter, crispy capers and pancetta. Yum!

Next up was a course of seared dry-aged New Zealand yellowfin tuna, served with bull kelp, horseradish, avocado and pickled clam – a feast for the senses. Then came a divine dish of marbled waygu beef, cooked on the BBQ and served with seared cos lettuce and salsa verde – melt in your mouth.

A cheese course was next, followed by the final course, a sensational dessert of light and dark Miann chocolate with plum. Andrea even conjured up a spectacular vegetarian course for one of our party who doesn’t eat meat.

As each dish came to the table Ben or Andrea would explain its inspiration and talk about the ingredients’ provenance, right down to specific growers and suppliers. With the boat bobbing gently at anchor on the calm waters of Islington Bay, the commentary added even more flavour to a wonderfully intimate and engaging dining experience.

Coastal Adventures are poised to commence charters from October 2021. Facebook: @Coastaladventuresnz www.coastaladventures.co.nz email: cruise@coastalnz.co.nz