It's been a while - so I thought it might be useful to get back into the groove with the wine blog by covering the recent lunch in Wellington at the General Practioner restuarant in Wellington.
The General Practioner is probably best described as a "gastro-pub". Plenty of good beers to choose from - and lots of heaty fare on the menu - so it's no surprise that it has won a Monteiths "Beer and Wild Food Challenge".
It was the venue for a monthly lunch club, and the six of us arrived between 12:00 and 12:30 for a few beers on a Friday lunchtime, and then headed upstairs for a meal.
An Entree of CRAB BAYONNE was acceptable, tasty but a little less "crabby" than I'd hoped for. But it paired very well with a shared bottle of 2004 VINOPTIMA GEWERTRAMINER. Elsewhere I saw that the SALT AND PEPPER SQUID seemed popular with two of our group.
The mains were all good, with the BEEF FILLET popular, and the HARE AND BLACK PUDDING hitting the spot with our beer writer.
However, I was pleased to have the CONFIT DUCK LEG. It was superb, crispy skin, with a delicious layer of fat, and lovely juicy dark meat. Served with pickled red cabbage, a potato rosti and cranberry chutney it really hit the spot and did not need any side salads - and the food combined nicely with another shared bottle of wine - this time the 2009 PEREGRINE PINOT NOIR from Central Otago.
A cheeseboard for dessert was probably a wee bit of a letdown, it was just a standard three cheeses and crackers. Acceptable but at a level below the first two courses - although I noticed a CREME CARAMEL desert and a CHOCOLATE CAKE both over the other side of the table that looked the business if you have a sweet tooth.
Overall, the dining experience was good, two competent courses plus a superb main meal - and of course a very good wine list if you were prepared to take some time and look for the special wines. And the damage for pre-meal beers, three courses, wine, port and whisky was a mere $73 per person, which was outstanding value for the 2.5 hours spent there in my opinion.
I'd give the General Practioner a VERY GOOD (8/10) rating for food, service, and ambiance, and the great value price has left me pencilling in the restuarant as a place that I must return to. I suspect that it will be even better as a mid-winter venue!
LINKS :
General Practioner in Wellington RATED 8/10
2009 Peregrine Pinot Noir RATED 17/20 - Nice dark broody pinot. Possibly needs a bit more time
2004 Vinoptima Gewertraminer RATED 18/20 - A honeyed, citrusy well rounded glass. Aromatic and delicious
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