In a January 2009 review of Wayne Smith’s food at Margot in St Helens, I wrote “This, as they say, is the real thing, a restaurant serving classic, French bistro-style food as good as it gets”.
Smith has recently moved to Meadowbank Estate and has brought his as-good-as-it-gets French bistro style, his copper pots and pans and his amazing soufflés with him.
The menu has returned from the previous series of small-plate offerings to the more familiar, traditionally structured entrée-main-dessert format and the food itself is now a robust-flavoured celebration of the seasons.
There’s nothing new or excitingly contemporary about it, no foams, confetties, savoury gels or molecular anythings. But his cassoulet will probably knock your socks off – or at least, certainly fill them. And, if you want to enjoy rabbit rillettes as they should be, or the proper texture of a terrine, try his. Or the boudin noir he serves at this time of year with a meltingly tender confit of pork belly.
You want to save the fare to Normandy? Try his steamed mussels with cider, herbs and cream.
Fancy tickling your toes in the sand at Nice? Try the olive tapenade or his Provencal broth.
And, if you simply want to leave warmed, smiling and satisfied, try his wonderfully rich, deep and darkly flavoured dish of boned oxtail, leeks and chestnuts.
Alternatively, if you’d like to float way, finish with one of his superbly light, deliciously flavoured soufflés for which he was previously rightly famed at his La Goulue restaurant in Sydney and now can’t leave behind.
It really is all exceptionally good. And I don’t need to add anything about the views, the service or the wines to make things any better.
Entrees $16 to $21; mains $32 to $34; cheeses $14-$15; desserts $16
