Eating at Sidart made be happy, very happy, it also made me sad, sad and also a little angry, actually very angry. I decided that I needed to go try out the food for myself after getting a little annoyed at the tone of the Cuisine review (see here) and having done so I can happily say that the food is amongst the best I have ever eaten, it beats out the French Cafe for both value and composition of the food.

It was a special night for Claire and I and so deciding to go out to dinner we wanted a place fitting for the occasion. Sidart is fitted out in an intimate and comfortable, yet formal theme seating about 30 guests at capacity. The walls are decorated with Kiwi art and the waiting staff wore tidy functional aprons and were more than happy to greet us on our arrival for dinner.

As per my penchant for trying as much food as possible we opted for the 9 course tasting menu. Bread was offered to start with a rich salted butter, typical start, the first course however raised expectations beyond what I had predicted, I knew it was going to be good but I hadn’t considered the possibility that I would be overwhelmed with taste.

Every dish had at least one element that made me swoon, I felt like I was involuntarily channelling the ghost of James Franco’s Harry Osborne. The coconut served with crab and eel, the tuna with langoustine powder, sweet corn puree with gazpacho sorbet and terikihi, all sublime presentations and combinations of ingredients and flavours. The wow’s weren’t limited to these but they happen to be the first three dishes on the schedule.

If there is anything that I would critique the restaurant for is would be the choice of cutlery, which as far as problems go is both easily fixed and rather insignificant. The inability to spoon up all of the consommé was a little disappointing, add a spoon to that course and you have perfection. The lamb dish was ever so slightly over seasoned on my dish  but cooked perfectly and presented with strong flavours to stand up with the meat, the salinity may have also come from the curry powder with it was served with.

I can wish the chef nothing but the best for what he put up for my wife and I to enjoy, I truly hope that people can appreciate the level of cookery happening and that it gets the recognition that it so rightly deserves. With the prices on the menu and the quality of the food this place should be solidly booked from now till forever, if I lived in Auckland I would frequent it often and enjoy everything that the ala carte menu offers. If you haven’t already, go, eat there now.