The first instalment from The Next Crew – ART (Aotea Raw Talent), doing pop-up restaurants around Auckland was named Deception and held at the Fables Rug Gallery. The Gallery’s old-world style interior with exposed bricks, wooden floors and expensive Persian rugs, was a fabulous contrasting backdrop to the hip modern theme of the evening.
Mixologist Chase Bickerton
We were led upstairs and behind the bar, shaking, mixing and stirring, was mixologist (love the sexy title) Chase Bickerton, bar manager of The Corner Store, Mt Eden. He was putting together a fab cocktail that he had designed earlier and talked the whole time he was shaking, mixing and stirring about his creation, laying to rest the fib that men can’t multi-task. Amongst the ingredient list were white rum and black rum – yummo! It was served in a wee terracotta pot, with some ‘dirt’ on the top and a sprig of mint so that it looked like a potted plant. The ‘dirt’ was a reduced crumble with 70% coco mixed through – also yummo! I had two of these de-ee-lish creations in a great start to the evening.
The hors d’oeuvres came out in quick succession, and what mini masterpieces they were. My personal fave was the Thai Red Curry on a prawn cracker. Wow, this tiny sucker packed some punch. As I popped it in my mouth the gel coated my palate with the smooth sweet intense Thai flavours which were finished off nicely with the coconut and coriander. Crikey, it was good. I also loved the yoghurt, cucumber gazpacho granite – so fresh with clear flavours much like a refreshing swim in a waterfall but on your palate. We munched and ohhh and ahhhed our way through a couple more hors d’oeuvres before we were called through to the dining room where large round tables were laid for us to dine communal-style.
At our table were some of the industry’s stars; Michael Meredith (still blushingly cute) from Meredith’s, Sid Sahrawat from Sidart and Sue Fleischl from The Great Catering Company and The Kitchen Job. As a table we discussed every dish and ‘The Man’ and I learnt a lot from their experienced palates. The dinner was 5 courses and detailed descriptions cannot capture the creative mastery, passion and soul that went into each dish, but I’ll attempt a wee blurb on each.
Nicoise Salad with a cheeky nod to the tomato
Firstly, the “Nicoise Salad”. This was Sam Clark’s, one of the VIP guest chef’s creation, and a great twist on traditional Nicoise. What we thought was a tomato was in fact tuna fashioned to look like a tomato and when you cut into it you discovered a beautiful rich egg yolk. How he got that in there is beyond me! Potatoes were delicately sculptured to look like olives and blackened with either black olive oil or squid ink, we weren’t sure which. This dish was paired well with Cable Bay Riesling 2008. What a great start to the dinner.
Next came Makato Tokuyama’s, who also was a VIP guest Chef, creation of “Charcoal Duck Oriental Garden”. The dish included slow roasted duck, figs, chestnuts, edible flowers and was presented beautifully. One of the chef’s at our table described it as “Autumn on a plate”. This dish was divine, with deep smoky flavours and earthy tones, and the sake paired with the dish really hit the spot.
The venison cupcake
Our third dish was the “Venison Cupcake Evolution” from Nick Honeyman, which he cheekily paired with a Sauvignon Blanc (Dog Point section 94, 2009) – but it really worked. The ‘cupcake’ was creatively served on a slate tile and sprinkled across the tile and on top of the cupcake was soft white ‘frosting’ – a powder that when you popped it in your mouth it melted instantly as if there was nothing on your spoon – amazing! I was also wowed by the beetroot and raspberry powders whose colours and flavours were sublime.
Next came Mark Southon’s “Beef and Potatoes” paired nicely with M Chapoutier Cote du Rhone Belleruche, 2008. The additional taste of truffle turned my favourite veg into a masterpiece. The beautiful eye-fillet-looking beef turned out to be buffalo, yes BUFFALO, from Clevedon (who knew?!) Ahhhh what a lovely tender, rich meat – I wonder if Countdown stocks it? This dish was like a fine winter’s evening on a plate, and a wonderful conclusion to the savoury part of the meal.
Hayden McMillan’s dessert was titled “Cerviche of young coconut”. The thinly sliced coconut was marinated for three days and the result was magnificent. I loved the apple ribbons, deceptively like cucumber, and the intense flavour of freeze-dried granny smith contrasted against rich butterscotch – and again I asked “How did he do that?” Hayden paired this dish with a yummy cocktail in a Redbull can, a hilarious presentation that caused quite a stir.
Deception was a huge success and the intricate complexity of every component of every dish wowed all at our table. Every person involved in Deception was there on a volunteer basis fuelled, not by a pay cheque, but by a pure passion for the craft of cuisine and the industry they represent. Their love for what they do created such an excited vibe which permeated the whole evening. This industry – from the growers, farmers, fishmongers, vineyards and suppliers, to the front of house, sous chefs and chefs – is an industry of artistic passion.
As diners, it’s important to remember that there are a whole lot of people behind every dish that makes it on to a restaurant table. As a Kiwi, and an Aucklander, I am so proud of this industry and what The Next Crew -ART produced. The future is extremely bright for all involved in Deception, and I for one am very excited to see what they will do next.
To find out how to get along to one of these nights, jump here >>> The Next Crew ART
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