Cable Bay Vineyards

Overview

This low lying building sits atop the rolling hills of Waiheke Island and looks out over the magnificent view back towards Auckland city. It is filled with fantastic NZ paintings, and the garden with sculpture. When I went, it even featured a Dick Frizzel exhibition in a back room.

We started with a drink outside from the extensive wine list, and then moved into the open and airy dining room. I opted for the venison carpaccio with parmesan and rocket- simple and tasty. I followed this with the whole baked tarakihi with cockles, herbs and sherry.

This was a melt in your mouth fish dish, full of beautifully delicate flavours. Plus, I love the way you have to work for the fish when it is served whole, stops me from just bolting it down! I appreciated the way you didn't have to order sides on top of the meals, instead the table gets potatoes and seasonal vegetables to share.

By the time we had all finished our meals, we had also finished a few bottles of both the delicious Cable Bay Savignon Blanc and Reisling and only a couple of us had room for pudding. I managed to resist the temptation, but Paulo let me try some of his hot chocolate fondant with white chocolate ice cream; perfectly cooked so that the hot liquid centre oozed out all over the plate when you opened it with your spoon. The bitter dark chocolate with the sweet icecream and the freshness of the raspberries made for a delicious treat.

The setting and surroundings make for a truly special dining experience, I just wonder whether the meals are priced a tad high for what you get.