Canopy Restaurant, Franz Josef

May I first say that B and I don't eat like this all the time. We love food. We love all food, not just the fancy stuff. I mean, just think about my passion for meat pies.

When we arrived in Franz Josef the gentleman at the villas suggested this new restaurant. He had me at "5 star dining without 5 star prices."

This first course (out of 5) is automatically sent out. Left to right you see fried goat cheese, baguette with ham I've temporarily forgotten the name of, basil gelee on olive tapenade, balsamic reduction and confit tomato.

I know this plate looks more like art then food but you have to trust me. I'm not going to be wowed over by something that just looks pretty. The truth is, everything tasted like, like, like it was bursting with flavor. I think a lot of that has to do with fresh locally grown/crafted ingredients.

But also, it was incredibly thought out. Do you see that little smear of liquid? Not quite as thin as water, not quite as thick as syrup.

That little bit of sauce was intensely pear. Things like this amaze me. The chef created this and thought hmmm, I need just the slightest bit of this to make the goat cheese really sing. And it did. The food sang. My heart hummed along. My love handles vibrated.

That little drop of sauce was the most memorable part of the meal for me. It represented the attention to detail and the devotion to making a dish with perfect balance. Maybe I'm just blown over because I have a hard time with the less is more concept and I respect people that can really pull it off :)

Restraint is not my strong point.

Which is part of the reason I seem to eat enough food to sneak it into 95% of my posts.



Forest Mushroom Cappuccino. To be honest I wasn't paying enough attention and I thought it said carpaccio. I was a little confused when he set down the cappuccino cup. Confused and excited.

What the heck is a mushroom cappuccino? Its basically a brothy mushroom soup, deep and earthy with a truffled parmesan foam on top. Actually you can see the additional truffle oil on top. Possibly porcini powder on the foam but I'm not quite sure.

It was muy delicioso.



Tasman Bay Scallops with crispy spiced potato, microgreens and a mild curry vinaigrette with citrus powders.

The scallops (with roe) were so sweet and tender and the vinaigrette was light enough it didn't overpower the scallops. The potato was crispy on the outside and so soft on the inside. The little bit of citrus was perfect with the fried potato.

Does anyone know what those purple microgreens are?



B and I were switching half-way through each course. The couple next to us were smiling whenever we would do this. Shortly after the gentleman left and came back with his camera. We shared a knowing laugh and both continued taking pictures of our food.



Cantervalley Duck Ravioli with smoked beetroot chutney, green apple, black sausage and game consomme. This was really cool because he poured the hot consomme over the dish while he was at the table. The clear broth picked up all the beetroot color and saturated the dish.

The duck in the ravioli was so flavorful. Total comfort food.



Oh no! What was this called? I must remember to bring a notepad and write these things down. Like snapping photos isn't enough. I also need to take notes. Can I get any dorkier? Is dorkier even a word?

This was braised pork belly on celeriac puree with apple chutney and bacon, all in a sauce. It sounds so much better when they say it.



It was completely porktastic and I mean that as the best compliment ever.

The hardest part about sharing is stopping at the half-way point so that we can switch dishes.



This dish is for all you vegetarians. I've slowly found out that some of you are vegetarians and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for continuing to read my posts. I'm not quite sure how you make it through, but you've stuck with me anyway.



This is what a vegetarian entree should be. It was hearty, flavorful and filling.

Crispy potato-wrapped eggplant with spiced green lentils and saffron braised baby fennel.



Hawkes Bay Lamb Duo. Char grilled rack and lamb merguez brioche with baby peas (pikopiko) and a manuka honey glaze. Oh and mint gelee. This chef really loves gelee. This one was just a wee bit too solid for me but it was very tasty.

That fancy lamb merguez brioche is basically pastry filled with lamb sausage. See, no need to be intimidated by big fancy names! But lamb merguez brioche sounds so much nicer than fine dining pigs in a blanket.

I'm sorry, can we go back to the eggplant dish? The potato on the outside gave it such a nice crispness and the seasoning had an Indian influence. It was layers of flavor. Layers of happiness. We both loved it. I didn't miss meat at all with this dish in front of me.



For dessert I ordered the cheese plate.

I recently heard that there are people in the world that do not like cheese. I think this may be an urban myth. Please tell me your stance on cheese immediately.

All the cheeses were locally made. On the left we have cheddar with honeycomb, then brie with pickled young walnut and last but definitely not least was the soft blue cheese with quince paste.



A moment on the young walnuts. I've only ever had them in preserves which is something that you really must try. They are softer and easily cut thru with a spoon. They don't have much of a walnut taste. Have you had them before?

I think I need to do a food giveaway. I'll have to think about this.



B had the dessert sampler. Oh my heavens.

Did I mention that earlier in the day we had hiked on the glacier? The reason I mention this is that it just didn't seem like the day could get any better. But it did. The day got better with each and every course.

On the left was a chocolate mousse with chocolate shortbread, then a banana dish that made me thank God for taste buds, a mini white chocolate and kahlua shake and an orange brulee with a tuille sail and a chocolate mast. Cute, yes?



All of the desserts were rich and delicious but this one was my favorite. On the bottom were sauteed bananas, then a layer of something sweet and crunchy and topped with this decadent custard. The way it coated your mouth.... what I wouldn't give for one more spoonful.

By now you all know what a freak I am about food. But I'll tell you a little secret. I plan out my last bite.

I take a bite of everything and pick my favorite. In this case it was the banana dessert. So I set aside a large spoonful of it and finished my cheese plate. I drank some water as I didn't want to contaminate my last bite with the taste of blue cheese.

I drank my champagne. Then I took that last bite of dessert. I held it in my mouth a moment trying to memorize the taste.

I didn't have anything after that. I do this often. I want to hold onto that flavor for as long as possible. Its like taking a bite of your favorite fatty food after months of dieting. Total appreciation.



There must be some kind of group therapy for people like me.

Oh wait, I believe its called blogging.



The hotel could be another post in itself. Its cutting edge. Green, sustainable and yet still luxurious from biodegradable carpets to recycled building products.

Te Waonui is a wonderful place. Stop by for dinner at Canopy Restaurant even if you aren't staying there.

After dinner we headed over to the glacier hot pools. These hot pools are filled with pure glacier water and heated until you feel like you could melt into them.

We didn't really give ourselves enough time there. But you know, the next time we find ourselves in New Zealand we'll be back to enjoy more time here and time for a massage and maybe even a private hot pool. I can dream, can't I?

The beauty of this is that you are literally in the rain forest.



Canopies are overhead covering majority of the pool without blocking any sunlight (or moonlight) but shielding you from any rain that may come your way.

It really is magical.

Fox Glacier

It was the perfect end to another memorable day in New Zealand.

Are you tired of New Zealand storeis yet?