19 December 2012
THE OYSTER INN
We’ve seen the opening of a number of good restaurants and cafés during 2012 but the very best is The Oyster Inn. Everything has come together perfectly to capture the essence of all that makes New Zealand a special place. On one hand it’s the stunning simplicity of the surroundings, décor and food, combined with the magical setting. But then sitting on the deck, overlooking the ocean, you realise that owners and hosts Jonathan Rutherfurd Best and Andrew Glenn have delivered it all with a great dollop of sophistication and careful thought.
In the process the pair considered the local population, setting out to entice them in, and the number of Islanders rolling up to feast or simply have a drink attests to this. Best and Glenn spent childhood years in New Zealand, and more recently worked in London. The boys may have left the country years ago, but their passion for the lifestyle and culture has been retained and they’ve come home. Hurray!
It shines through in the collection of artefacts, maps and old photos that adorn the Oyster Inn’s walls, and in the sympathetic decoration of both the restaurant and the three very comfortable rooms for guests to stay in. Lots of white painted wood, with touches of a beautiful colour ‘Sea Foam’ reflect the colour of Oneroa’s beach and sparkling water. In those rooms there’s a touch of luxury with spacious bathrooms, Aesop toiletries and superb furnishings.
The Oyster Inn’s masterstroke is the chef. Cristian Hossack had been away from NZ for fifteen years, cooking most recently as head chef for Peter Gordon’s Providores in London. He delights in using the island’s bounty- fish, oysters, olive oil, and the lovely wines. He has put his own personal stamp on the food with a simple menu, befitting the surroundings, yet with some quite quirky dishes like a tender octopus salad with barley and herbs, or crunchy crumbed fingers of lamb belly with mint vinaigrette that makes for interesting eating. Most importantly, it’s very affordable; $22.50 for fantastic fish and chips (line-caught fish, triple cooked fries) and a range of ‘bites’ like tarakihi sllders with burnt butter and crispy capers $18 and an enamel bowlful of salt and pepper squid with coriander cress $16. I loved his Very Green Salad, a tangle of lots of green things with a crunchy finish.
There’s another deft hand in the kitchen too, making a stunning range of desserts; pictured above are the chilled vanilla rice pudding with poached peaches and jelly (harking back to everyone’s Kiwi childhood) and the panna cotta with cherries which is made with the Waiheke Ewe’s milk I’d tried a few weeks before at an Island showcase.
The Oyster Inn is about 20 minutes walk from the Matiatia Ferry, and you can be picked up in a restored Kombi van that captures the quirkiness of the place. I’m picking this will be the place to be this summer, as it’s close enough to the city to take the ferry over for lunch or dinner, so be sure to reserve a table if you’re headed to the island.
The Oyster Inn, 124 Ocean View Rd, Oneroa, T 09 372 2222 www.theoysterinn.co.nz