Sustainability the key down at The Bay
Acacia Bay institution cooking up a storm
The Bay Taupō is celebrating it’s first birthday under new ownership. Owner Josh Aro says they have already gathered a lot of support from the community in their first year and aim to provide a great establishment where people can socialise, dine, relax and unwind.
“As new owners, we are passionate about sourcing food from sustainable suppliers and growers. Almost everything is carefully handmade in-house.
“We change our menu seasonally, utilising the great local fresh produce to inspire new and creative dishes.”
He finds it hard to pick a favourite dish.
“All our dishes are our favourites”, but a few highlights to savour could include the confit duck leg in The Bay’s own duck a l’orange, the slowcooked lamb shoulder to share, creme brulee and Portuguese tart.
They have a wood-fired pizza oven where they create amazing pizzas that are also available for takeaway, and their popular chilli honey cheese bread.
They work closely with local suppliers to ensure they get quality produce and can find out about new and upcoming produce, which changes with the seasons.
“There are also a lot of local forageable products.”
Aro says Taupō is a great place, with lots of community support. It is located centrally, which means they can get fresh fish from Hawke’s Bay and fresh fruit and veggies from the surrounding towns.
“The different clientele makes cooking a joy — tourists looking for something special and exciting to eat and the locals after something more homely and heartfelt.”
The Bay Taupo has been around for more than 30 years, servicing the community and travellers in Acacia Bay.
“We have raised the bar by utilising the local suppliers to create delicious meals. We listen to our patrons’ feedback to help craft the menu,” he says.
This year they entered the New Zealand Icecream Awards and won two gold medals for their salted butterscotch and mint chocolate chip flavours.
“Our chefs come from different walks of life and combine their shared experiences to create the amazing dishes we serve.”
One chef was born in Taupō and moved to Hawke’s Bay to build on his knowledge and training before
returning to Taupō.
Another chef was born in Portugal before moving to Switzerland to build on his career and experience, then working in Wellington and now Taupō.
A third chef was born in New Zealand before moving to Australia, where he worked in Sydney and then bought a food truck there, before moving back across the Tasman.
Aro says without the support of Acacia Bay and Taupō people, they would not have a business that is thriving.
The Bay Taupō has just released a new menu and it encourages people to come across and enjoy it.
Venison Tartar with homemade potato chips
Home-made potato chips
2 x whole large Agria potatoes (peeled or washed if you want the skin on)
■ Using a mandolin, thinly slice the potatoes onto a tray and leave in the fridge for 30-60 minutes to dry out
■ Fry in oil until golden brown (180C oil temp), roughly 3 minutes
■ Lightly salt
Venison Tartar
Venison backstrap or a similar tender cut
Chopped capers, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, shallot, salt, pepper, parsley, chives, Dijon mustard, egg yolk for garnish.
■ Cut the venison backstrap into fine diced cubes (80g of meat for 2 people to share)
■ To the 80g of diced meat add 1 tsp each of chopped capers, fine diced shallots, chopped parsley, chopped chives, Dijon mustard.
■ Add 1 Tbsp Worcester sauce and a few splashes of Tabasco sauce.
■ Mix the meat and all the trimmings together in a bowl
■ Season to taste with salt and pepper
■ Shape into a cutter to make a nice circle shape.
■ Top with an egg yolk and garnish with salt, pepper and parsley
■
Q. Why did you choose this recipe?
The Venison Tartar was a huge hit at our monthly Wine Dinner.
We do a degustation dinner with matching wines the last Tuesday of each month.
At our last dinner the venison tartar was enjoyed by all, even those a little squeamish.
The dish is packed full of flavour, the key is using fresh ingredients.