CHRISTCHURCH
Rona’s
14/20
42 Rue Lavaud, Akaroa, Banks Peninsula 03 304 8533, ronas.co.nz Lunch Sat & Sun, dinner Thurs – Mon Shared plates $18-30
In fairy tales, magic is found over the hills and far away, which is what we discovered in the little town of Akaroa.
If you’re hard stepping, you could easily miss Rona’s, a tiny villa with yellow cladding, rusty canopy and petite door. Inside however, it has a Tardis-type vibe, with woodenfloored dining spaces imbuing plenty of personality. We arrived for an early dinner at 5pm; greeted with a big smile we were led through a long bar, past Dick Frizzell pop art, into a rustic dining room with French doors open to a fragrant courtyard, bursting with white roses, vegetables and herbs.
Seated beneath a canopy dripping grapes on one of the warmest days of the year, with St Germain piping in the background, we could easily have believed we were on holiday in Burgundy. Rona’s is the perfect place to land after the stunning drive over the hill. Lovingly transformed into this boutique eatery, it is modern, fresh and full of promise.
Relying on the seasons, the menu has plenty of sass and chefs Harriet Owens and Finbar Mccarthy use produce gathered from the surrounding water, land and community to produce a beautiful selection of shared plates.
Offered a lovely range of wines, I had to go all French with a white from the Loire Valley, a glass of Couronne et Lions vouvray. It’s a sweeter style semi-dry chenin blanc, fabulous to punch my taste buds into eating mode.
For him, a non-alcoholic Grapefruit Flavour Bomb, which arrived sparkling amongst chunks of ice. If beer’s your thing, Rona’s has teamed up with Wellington-based Garage Project.
For starters, we had no problems selecting the chicken liver parfait with beetroot jam, dukkah, pickled fennel and toast, along with the market fish crudo.
I actually gasped when these dishes arrived; the parfait, a soft, blush pillow, sprinkled with toasted seeds and the earthy jam, which had been blended to a smooth sticky paste in order to match the slow melt of the parfait. Paired with the vouvray, it offered a touch of heavenly magic.
The crudo had translucent slivers of tarakihi, banging flavour, dressed with shallots and dill and, to clean up the palate, the sweet, sharp tang of citrus.
It was hard to decide on a main. In the end we chose veal sweetbreads, peppercorn mayo and pickled mustard seeds along with fried tarakihi, vadouvan butter, pickled rhubarb and fried curry leaves. It’s been a while since I dined on well-prepared sweetbreads, so I anticipated this plate with excitement. In the meantime, more refreshments, and a glass of Astrolabe chardonnay from Marlborough.
The sweetbreads arrived crisp and crunchy on the outside, juicy, delicate and full of flavour. I had to steel myself to savour the moment and not shove the whole plate into my mouth. Rich but cleverly broken down with the snap of bitter seeds, creamy heat from the mayo and subtle spice of the rocket leaf garnish, this was my dish of the day.
The fish was lovely, but we both felt it was a little lacking in punch. I love vadouvan – the French variation on a masala spice blend – and didn’t get the full flavour I was expecting. However, the crispy curry leaves and pickled rhubarb garnish created a well-balanced plate.
Both of us conceded we really didn’t need a dessert, then found ourselves spoon in hand: for me an orgasmic milk chocolate tart (ooh the short buttery pastry), pear and cardamom cream; for him, a giant bowl of fluffy lemongrass mousse, with a surprise gooey white chocolate centre, sprinkled with shards of fresh coconut and contrasting rhubarb.
Rona’s is a striking restaurant in a beautiful setting. Owner Caroline Cooper-dixon, a local, has taken the best of everything her community has to offer and from it she has created this stylish and elegant personality. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, it’s so wonderful to be surprised - now that’s magic.