Jesse Mulligan Review: Hamilton Hotel’s Menu Plays It Safe, But Its Cooking Is Far From Boring

Jesse finds things have changed in Hamilton since his student days. I was buzzed for this meal, at Hamilton’s most significant new restaurant in years. Launched by a consortium of energetic young hospo-preneurs who, between them, are responsible for Wonderhorse, Last Place Bar, Reggie’s Pizzeria and, um, the zoo cafeteria, I must admit I’d hoped the menu would be more exciting, from a group of owners who launched a successful high-end cocktail bar at a time when Waikato mixology meant stirring together cider and beer to make a Snakebite. The hospitality team behind the Hamilton Hotel also operate Wonderhorse, Last Place Bar, Reggie’s Pizzeria and the Hamilton Zoo cafeteria.What are the boundary-breaking dishes on offer at the city’s newest bistro then? Lamb Rump, seafood chowder, chicken breast, fish of the day. Even the entree menu – a place for a shackled chef to hint at what he or she is capable of – is pretty standard fare: ceviche, beef tartare, Caesar salad. The “hotel” part of the title is now vestigial (you can no longer sleep in this building, though if you find yourself in the audience at a modern dance show you may be tempted) but on the face of it this list of dishes really would fit in on the room service menu of a mid-range Ramada. Hamilton Hotel's tiger prawns.But, as I would discover, the difference between this menu and a thousand other lookalikes is that here the chefs can really cook. I knew it the moment I tasted the tiger prawns, which are flavoured with lime butter, chilli and garlic, then scattered with curry leaves. They’re served whole but split down the middle so it’s relatively easy to extract the delicious roasted flesh inside. Prawns are the only dish where you eat everything you’re supposed to, then send the plate back to the kitchen looking pretty much identical to how it arrived, and the chefs really embrace the whole animal here, serving me a couple of bugs that were so big one of the tentacles protruded half a foot off the edge of my plate. Smoked beetroot salad from the Hamilton Hotel.In the service of my friends the vegans, I ordered the starter of smoked beetroot with faux-feta and it was one of the best things I ate all night. That’s a classic combo anyway but I loved how, partly thanks to some toasty pine nuts, you didn’t miss anything of the fats that would usually be contributed by an animal product. I asked the kitchen how they made the vegan cheese and they sent back a message to say that it was made “with love”, which I thought was a little too cute, not to mention embarrassing for the young waitress who was trying to do her best for everyone. Hamilton Hotel's lamb rump.The rump was the best piece of lamb I can remember eating. When you eat B+ meat for a week you forget that a prime cut treated right is a wonderful thing. Here it seems to have been smoked as well as roasted (and possibly cooked sous vide as well). It was tender and uniformly pink inside, but the outside looked like it had taken all of the punishment: it was scorched dark then finished with an intense jus. Sliced into medallions, the lamb came with kūmara puree and broccolini and if that all sounds too simple, I’ve tasted plenty more complicated things that couldn’t touch it. And though I wasn’t excited to order the seafood chowder, let me ask you: when was the last time you had a really, really good one? “I love a chowder”, a stranger remarked to me at an event the following night in a conversation I can’t remember how I got into. “I love a chowder with really good bread.” The seafood chowder from the Hamilton Hotel.Well, this is definitely that – the soup thick and distinctly flavoured with crustacea stock (I’m sure they don’t use those prawn shells but it must be tempting), with so many mussels and scallops it almost felt like a stew. A couple of long pieces of house-made garlic bread were fun and delicious to dip and if you, like that woman I can now remember nothing about except that she liked chowder, ever fantasise about this dish you should come and order Hamilton Hotel’s version of it. Service comes in two tiers – a supremely professional couple of people at the top, and a layer of first-jobbers at the frontline. I liked them all, and though there wasn’t much I asked that they could answer without consultation, I was being particularly high-maintenance and have no problem with waiters taking advice rather than making things up. Burnt Brussels sprouts from the Hamilton Hotel.The room is properly flash, with loads of space, though I hope their little table lamps are still under warranty because we struggled to find one in the whole place that worked. At 10.30pm, as I was leaving, that night’s theatre show (an evening with Dame Malvina Major) got out and Victoria St was flooded with 75-year-old opera enthusiasts. If that’s their key audience, you can forgive Hamilton Hotel for playing it safe with the menu. I would tell you that a lot has changed since my student days on Victoria St, though it’s quite possible all those septuagenarians went straight across the road to the Outback Inn and hooked up on the dancefloor while the DJ played No Diggity. In Hamilton, you just never know. Hamilton Hotel Public Bar & Bistro Cuisine: Bistro Address: 170 Victoria St, Hamilton Contact: 07 834 1558, hamiltonhotel.nzDrinks: Fully licensed Reservations: Accepted Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, lunch 12–3pm, dinner 5pm–late From the menu: charred black tiger prawns $30, smoked beetroot $21, seafood bisque $28, smoked lamb rump $48, burnt Brussels sprouts $16 Rating: 17/20 Score: 0-7 Steer clear. 8-12 Disappointing, give it a miss. 13-15 Good, give it a go. 16-18 Great, plan a visit. 19-20 Outstanding, don’t delay.More restaurant reviewsAccording to Dining Out editor Jesse Mulligan.