Restaurant - Hippopotamus

After an indolent summer spent lying around and eating a lot, maybe it’s appropriate to dine at an establishment named after an animal that does much the same. Though why you would name a restaurant Hippopotamus is anyone’s guess. It just is. It intrigues, and that’s a good start.

Launched only two years ago, the restaurant in the Museum Hotel is already an established part of Wellington’s fine-dining scene. It boasts a panoramic view, has a reputation for good service and employs the talents of a creative French chef.

Laurent Loudeac’s signature entrée, ‘salmon sashimi, my way’ – cubes of salmon served with soy gelée, wakame seaweed and ginger syrup – is the only Asian-inspired dish on the menu, but it sets the theme for a culinary style based on an essentially classic European cuisine. French or Italian – he does it his way.

On the night we dined, a perfectly-cooked fillet of groper was served with a delicious deep-fried tapenade beignet – its crisp coating of batter encased a soft, salty centre of olive, anchovy and caper. It was remarkable, and memorably matched with a glass of 2008 Neudorf Chardonnay.

Our waiter chose another good match from the same winery – a 2008 Tom’s Block Pinot Noir – to go with my rack of lamb. The meat was roasted then brushed with wholegrain mustard, and it came with a trio of tortellini filled with tenderly braised meat from the shank. I could be picky and point out that the chef’s pasta dumplings were not shaped like tortellini, but I’m not complaining. Doing it ‘his way’ gave me a cupped centre in which to pour the little jug of soy-reduced jus that came with it.

The lamb followed a first-class snail-and-mushroom vol-au-vent. Snails, which have very little flavour of their own, are usually loaded with garlic. This dish was delicate – tender snail, crisp pastry and buttery sauce – all perfumed with a truffle foam that lapped at the base of the vol-au-vent and was so aromatic I would have been happy just breathing it in.

Which was just as well, because it wasn’t my entrée. I chose scallops. They were big, fat and Canadian, which was a little surprising. And, while they tasted just fine, they were served on a potato-and-crab cake, which was disappointingly short on crustacean.

When it came to dessert, my French guest took over. I had been thinking warm limoncello pudding, but it just so happened that we were dining on the eve of La Chandeleur (Candlemas), which the French celebrate by eating crêpes. Evidently, it is unlucky not to, and so out came the trolley, the Grand Marnier and the matches.

The crêpe suzette performance is the only concession to traditional hotel dining at Hippopotamus and, although perfectly executed, it doesn’t quite fit. It is dated and, while I’m at it, so is the decor.

The food and the service deserve better than burgundy drapes and artificial roses, so it’s good to hear talented designer Michael Nalder is on the case. Having outfitted a number of Wellington restaurants, including the fantastical Osteria del Toro, it will be interesting to see what he can do with a hippopotamus.

Museum Hotel, 90 Cable Street

04 802 8935

www.hippopotamus.co.nz

Cost: mains average $35, sides $10

Breakfast and dinner 7 days. Lunch Monday to Friday.

Overall ranking: 4