Thursday, April 17, 2014

Ocha (Hawthorn) 04/2014

We have not been to Ocha for a year or so and were pleased to find it unchanged. 

Rather than selecting our own dishes we had the chef provide whatever he felt appropriate, as long as there was no chili!
The result was a very pleasant meal.
We were offered a small amuse bouche of mashed potato with something in it giving a nice textural variation.

This was followed by oysters - one lot in a ponzu sauce and the others in a vinaigrette sauce. Both very good but the ponzu were preferred.

Next we got some salmon rillette on a taco. Very simple and delicate. Lovely.

A sushi plate that followed was fairly standard. I find it irritating that, with a table of four most of the sushi came in sets of three so someone always had to miss something or there would be a problem dividing up the sushi, especially with chopsticks!

Calamari, on a bed of rocket with another simple dressing was yet another very simple but very good dish.

 The next dish was delicious, duck breast with bock choy, a sort of variation on Peking duck, it was accompanied by a light sauce and was tender, tasty and almost melted in the mouth.

The dish of the night, for me, was the not too blackened cod fish. It was perfect. Nothing more to say about it.

We also thoroughly enjoyed the 'Gold Leaf' Saki ($10.5 for 175 ml) and Tattinger champagne ($22 a glass), and MOMO, Marlborough Pinot Noir. All this came to about $90/person. Had we had desserts it would have added $16.5.
This was a meal distinguished by it's simplicity presenting very fine, uncomplicated dishes
utilizing the very best of ingredients. I would have liked a bit more variation in the salads which were dominated by rocket and vinaigrette dressing.
 Score:15.5 /20

No comments: