In early March, I was invited by New Zealand Trade to shoot my television shows in the two main Culinary and Epicurean areas of New Zealand. I went to both the North Island in Hawkesbay Area and in the South Island in Marlborough area. To many people including myself, New Zealand is a beautiful country with varied geography and it is indeed known for its natural beauty and the out door life style. One hour you are in the forest the next you are up in the mountains skiing in the snow.

          Great variety of wild life both on land and in the oceans. But New Zealand is not yet known for its culinary or Epicurean life style. New Zealand produces the best quality beef, lamb and even venison. It also produces organic high quality fruits and vegetables. There is also an ever-growing wine industry. In the past ten to fifteen years the wine industry of both the north and south Island have developed and have in recent years made a name for itself. Sauvignon Blanc wines from Marlborough area, such as those from Cloudy Bay Winery or the Pinot Noires from Palliser Estate have won many wine competitions, and have made a name for New Zealand wines as being amongst the best in the new world wines category.

          With the development of N.Z. Wine industry came the improvements in New Zealand cuisines. I must admit that I have a most unfavorable preconceived notion of New Zealand cuisine. I thought it would be the kind of food I use to eat at my Public School in England over 30 years ago. You know, over cooked vegetables, dried out roast beef, and starchy desserts! Well, to my pleasant surprise it was nothing of that kind. New Zealanders are quite sophisticated.

          The past ten years have seen great changes in the way New Zealanders eat. This is bound to happen, because New Zealand produces the best quality raw materials and with the development of the wine industry it was a natural progress for the food industry. New Zealand chefs who had left their homeland to gain culinary experience in the culinary world, returned of create their brand of New Zealand cuisine. Their efforts are made easy by the availability and quality of raw materials in their homeland. With the support of the various segments from the food industry, Chefs have been able to play and create new dishes to compliment the new wines that have emerged. I was very lucky to be invited and exposed to these changes.

          I visited Sileni Estate Winery and Epicurean center to see the wine making and at the same time to taste the food that Chef Kent created, which complimented the wines made there. Sileni has two restaurants, a more casual Mesa restaurant which has seating in and outside amongst the vines and the more elegant RD1 which serves a prix fix set menu. We ate at both restaurants but I am going to tell you about my lunch at Mesa. We arrived from a long drive from Wellington at Sileni and sat around in the garden by the vineyard. We drank lots of water before ordering lunch and a bottle of wine with it. Lunch was not very expensive; all entrees were $15.

          There is a selection of wine to go with each entre. I thought I was in California! But the price is not as high. Now it was time to taste the food. There was the lamb backstraps with spiced cannellis beans served with a glass of Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon ’99 from Sileni. The backstraps was the saddle of the lamb in New Zealand English. It was pan seared and roasted until medium rare and sliced and served over the spiced beans, with stuffed baby red peppers and a creamy sauce to go with the lamb. How can you go wrong with the best ingredients available and a kitchen, which knows how to cook! It was perfectly cooked and looked beautiful.

          My only suggestion is that we Thais like out food highly seasoned so a little of salt would have made the meal which is already perfect even more perfect for the Thai palate. We did not have the Merlot with the meal but ordered a very good bottle of Chardonnay instead. Sitting in the sun sipping the wine and tasting this food was heaven enough. The rest of my crew had beef fillet with snails and cognac, free ranging chicken breast stuffed with olives and Woodburn Venison with Boysenberries. I tasted them all.

          New Zealand food has changed indeed in the past ten years. It use to be that rockettes were only a projectile not a lettuce but now people are more aware of the food and drinks in their own country. It is indeed fitting that New Zealand food industry and Chefs should together bring about changes in the palate and style of food in New Zealand. They have so much to offer especially when New Zealand produces many of the best quality food products. I suggest that we visit New Zealand once more. It could be a culinary adventure with unexpected pleasure because New Zealand in my view is now longer a culinary wasteland.