A taste of ...
We’d heard... that the Napier restaurant run by the awardwinning chef, David Griffiths, has made the Napier food scene much more exciting, proving that you can venture to the provinces to get a decent meal. How times have changed since I grew up in Napier in the 1980s, when a night out at Cobb & Co or a Chinese restaurant was a special treat.
We ordered... with a table stacked with carnivores, who seem to be direct descendents from cavemen, we went straight for the meat dishes.
My partner and my father chose the Silver Fern Farms prime steer beef fillet, which was poached in olive oil and served medium rare.
‘‘Mister D’’ sources local as much as possible, and the melt-inthe-mouth mushrooms surrounding the island of meat were from Te Mata, accompanied by speck roasted onions and smoked agria mash ($36).
My daughter opted for the bone marrow ravioli, which swum in delicious beef juices and salsa verde ($26).
I’d heard from friends about the sashimi salad, and it was so fresh, as though it had just arrived from the local fishing port. Served with avocado, orange and a dressing, my insides felt clean devouring it.
‘‘Mister D’’ makes all his own pasta and breads and so we had to try the fried bread with rosemary and garlic aioli on the side ($10).
Fried food is out of fashion, but it’s hip here. My kids always insist on morning tea at Mister D’s for his infamous injectable donuts - cinnamon donuts injected with custard, jelly or chocolate.
The service... Impressively professional. Our friendly waitress was knowledgeable about every dish on the menu.
The vibe... In a previous life, the art deco building was home to Napier’s former newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, where my father worked as a printer, so he pointed out the spot where the printing presses once rolled. Now it is buzzing as a stylish bistro, complete with modern fittings and an open kitchen, where we could see ‘‘Mister D’’ performing in his white chef hat as he concocted culinary creations.
If you go... Try the fish in a bag ($33). On a previous visit, it was like unwrapping a present: fish lay steaming inside, nestled in pearl couscous and lemon and green olive butter.
Rating out of 5: 5 – Sarah Catherall