Rotherhams

There are various ways to eat out.  Sometimes it is for the convenience of not cooking, and sometimes it is a chance to relax and catch up with friends.  There are also times when you look for the whole dining experience, where you get pampered with great food and great service. 

Rotherhams is a good example of a "special occasions" restaurant.  Opened in 2000, it has won several awards for hospitality and for its lamb & beef.  It is situated in Riccarton on Rotherhams St, just by the Westfield Riccarton Mall.

I had been here once before for a friend's birthday and really enjoyed to food.  This time, I came with 3 girls for a special treat as my friend L was leaving for Melbourne.

Rotherhams has a good selection of both local and international wine.  They also have a selection of spirits, and they even infuse their own Vodka with different flavours.  WM had a glass of the Sandihurst 2007 Central Otago pinot noir ($14) to go with her main, as she already set her heart on the steak.  She was very happy with her wine, which went beautifully with the steak.


Entrees

Martin's seafood selection

Time for the food!  We ordered from the a-la-carte menu.  Rotherhams also has a five course degustation menu ($110 or $165 with wine match), an eight course degustation menu ($145 or $215 with wine match), and a set menu ($75) for groups of 10 or more.

From previous visits, we knew Rotherhams' portions are not small.  However, I really enjoyed the entree on my last visit, and there was no way I would skip it!  Rotherhams has several delicious sounding dishes for entree, but the highlight would have to be Martin's seafood selection!

Martin's seafood selection ($27) is a paradise for seafood lovers!  The selection included oyster with dressing of your choice, Black Tiger king prawn on guacamole, North Atlantic scallop on spicy pineapple chutney, Chardonnay poached salmon on melba toast with mango salsa, New Zealand green lipped mussel & clam ragout in spring roll basket with white wine sauce.

We ordered 2 Martin's seafood selection to share between the 4 of us.  As each platter only came with one oyster, we ordered two extra oysters, so we can have one each.  We had a choice of raw or cooked oyster with different dressings, and all of us except W went for the lime dressing with wasabi infused caviar.  W wanted hers cooked, and had the Rockefeller - cheese with spinach.

We all loved the entree with the gorgeous seafood.  The platter was beautifully presented, with each item delicately prepared.  Everything tasted delicious, but my favourites would have to be the oyster and the scallop.  The oyster was fresh, sweet, and perfect with the lime dressing and wasabi infused caviar.  The scallop was perfectly cooked, naturally sweet and complimented by the spicy pineapple chutney.  The others also really liked the mussel and clam ragout in spring roll basket.  A tasty selection and a good way to start our meal!


Mains

Beef fillet

It was difficult to pick which main to order, as there was an amazing selection on the menu.  WM kept her original decision, and went for the steak.  She had the beef fillet ($41) wrapped in bacon, topped with Kikorangi blue cheese and kumera shavings, golden couscous, green French beans, with a pink & green peppercorn glaze.

This was an impressive dish with an architectural presentation.  Although it probably wasn't the most practical dish to eat.  WM had to rebuild her dish and remove the beef fillet from its throne.  This is not just so she could cut the meat, but also for getting to the couscous which was hiding inside the big bone.

WM was very happy with her dish.  The beef fillet was delicious and beautifully cooked.  I didn't order this as I am not a big fan of blue cheese.  But it was actually relatively mild and not over powering.  The kumera shavings were crispy and an interesting change from the usual potato offerings.  Unfortunately the couscous didn't quite match up to the rest of the dish.  WM had difficulty getting the couscous out of the bone, and as they were packed into the bone for presentation, they were a bit overcooked and not as fluffy.

Lamb duo

L had the lamb duo ($42).  The first part of the duo was lamb cutlets coated with mustard & herb crust, tomato Provencale, and mint & garlic butter.  The other half of the duo was braised lamb shank with Boulangere potato, and lamb sauce.  They were both nice, but L preferred the lamb cutlets as the meat was more tender.

Cervena leg fillet

W and I both had the panfried Cervena leg fillet ($40) with water cress spatzli, braised red cabbage, and mushroom fricassee.  What is cervena?  Okay, I Googled cervena and found out it is a New Zealand farmed natural tender venison.  I had mine medium rare and W had hers medium.  My cervena was very tender and seasoned well.  The mushroom fricassee was also lovely.  I am not quite sure about the spatzli though.  They were doughy with not much taste.  But that was alright, by not eating all the spatzli, I saved some room in the stomach for the dessert!


Desserts

Caramelised lemon tart

Dessert time!  Rotherhams serves a selection of desserts and cheese for after dinner treat.  As usual, the girls and I were pretty full at this point.  So we decided to order 2 desserts to share.

Our first dessert was the caramelised lemon tart ($17) with raspberry compote and hokey pokey ice cream.  This was another impressive presentation.  The caramelised lemon tart was quite yummy with a cookie pastry shell and a lemony soft centre.  The hokey pokey ice cream was creamy and tasty too.

Strawberry & white chocolate cheesecake

Both WM and L liked the sound of the strawberry and white chocolate cheesecake ($17) with Brandy snap basket, vanilla ice cream, Baileys anglaise, and chocolate wafer.  It was again beautifully presented, although some people might find the plate a bit too busy.  The cheesecake itself tasted great and the girls were pretty happy about it.  It was nice with the slices of fresh strawberries.

After our meal, we were given complimentary biscotti, which was a nice gesture from the restaurant.  Unfortunately the biscotti were soft rather than crunchy, and we couldn't see much nuts or fruit.

The girls and I had a good night at Rotherhams.  Overall the food tasted great, although my favourite would still be the entree.  Everything was presented beautifully, although some of the presentation might have been a bit too much.  The service was nearly faultless with attentive staff.  It is a good place to come for special occasions with family and friends.

Rotherhams is open Tuesday to Saturday from 6pm, booking is recommended.  It is featured in the Entertainment Book, offering 25% off the whole bill, up to $40.


Rotherhams
42 Rotherham Street
Riccarton
Christchurch
(03) 341 5142
www.rotherhamsofriccarton.co.nz/