By Lyn Potter
I lunched at Eight, the new restaurant at the Auckland Langham Hotel last week. Such a cool concept!
Guests are invited to partake in an interactive culinary journey. There are eight stops, named after iconic journeys and destinations. At each one they can have a different taste experience inspired by global flavours and freshly cooked by a chef.
Before starting out I sipped a Tom Collins and cast my eyes over the itinerary: Silk Road (wok and dim sum), the Spice Route (Indian tandoori and curries), Tokaido (sushi and sashimi), Route 66 (New York style grille), Great Ocean Road (seafood and oysters), Garden Route (salads), Champs-Elysees (pastries, crepes and cheese) and Dessert Road (desserts) it brought back nostalgic memories of journeys taken over the years to exotic locations.
I decided to see if I could complete the whole journey, starting at Tokaido where the chef is happy to create designer sushi and sashimi on demand. The avocado and salmon sushi I sampled was deliciously fresh..
Next the Silk Road and some pork dumplings out of the bamboo steamer. Tasty little mouthfuls. Hard to stop at one but beware they’re deceptively filling!
At the New York Grill I asked for the tiniest piece of steak which the chef obligingly cut for me (just to see if it was juicy and tender, and it was). Then onto the Great Ocean Road where the fish looked as if it they had just been hauled out of the water. I matched this with a salad from the Garden Route. The leaves scattered with flowers were so prettily arranged on my plate that it looked like a piece of original Art. It seemed a shame to eat it. But of course I did.
Indian cuisine is one of my favourites but alas, there’s only so much a person can eat (even if that person is endowed with a larger than lady like appetite). Although sorely tempted by the butter chicken I settled for some minted naan bread pulled fresh from the tandoor oven with some tamarind chutney alongside.
There was a huge round of cheese at the Champs Elysees from which the chef was happy to scoop little pieces. I skipped the pastries and crepes and headed for my final destination.
Here at the Dessert road where I might have expected to find Palm trees and Dates there was an irresistible oasis of sweet goodies and a three tiered chocolate fountain.
I tried to choose between one of those legendary pink Langham macaroons, filled with cream and blueberries and some little real fruit jellies with a nutella sugar to dip. In the end I had both! A good coffee to finish the meal.
By this time more than 2 hours had passed. It had been a leisurely global journey and I’d enjoyed every moment. Watching the chefs cooking and being able to interact with them was a most interesting experience.
The surroundings were stylish but informal, the staff friendly and courteous, and the food fresh, tasty and plentiful. I’d happily come again and I’d choose lunch or Sunday Brunch both priced at $37 which I think is very good value. Dinner is rather more expensive at $67.
To celebrate the opening of this restaurant there is a competition for an amazing prize which I’d love to win ( who wouldn’t!) Any-one who dines at Eight until 25th April is eligible to enter. The winner will be flown from Auckland to Hong Kong, London and Los Angeles to be wined and dined at 5 Star Langham Hotels in each of these places.
To find out more go to Auckland.langhamhotels.co.nz