Changes made to Grenadier

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33790, 12 March 1975, Page 20

Changes made to Grenadier

The Grenadier has a reputation for being one of the top licensed restaurants in Christchurch, and this is being enhanced under the management of Mr Jac Deuss.

Very good food is offered in the a la carte menu, but Mr Deuss is going further than that and giving diners the opportunity to order any special dish they care to name. The Grenadier, at 24 Oxford Terrace, is in a charming old building set back off the road, and some car parking is available. But it is usually easy to find a park nearby in the evenings.

Mr Deuss took over as manager of the restaurant last November, and already some changes have been made to the interior layout. A substantially different menu has also been introduced. At the moment the restaurant seats about 75, but Mr Deuss plans to reduce this to 55 and says this will enable him to offer even better service.

A comfortable bar is being built to offer diners the chance to relax with a drink before dinner.

Although a three-piece band plays at the restaurant from eight o’clock onwards the cover charge has been removed. There is a small dance floor. Mr Deuss, a Dutchman who has worked in Switzerland, has introduced a series of fondues and finds that diners appreciate being able to serve themselves from the fondues kept hot at the table, and so eat at their own pace.

Fondue Bourguignonne, selected meat cubes with an assortment of sauces, tossed salad, potatoes, and a French loaf, costs $lO for two. Fondue Neuchateloise is a cheese fondue consisting of a selection of cheeses

cooked in white wine and kirsch liqueur and a touch of garlic. It is also served with a French loaf and costs $9 for two. One of the most interesting appetisers on the menu is Asperges Rembrandt—ham and asparagus in white wine sauce, which is grilled. It costs $1.95. Chicken, snails, scallops and sole are offered as entrees, and for the mam course diners have a wide choice of seafoods, including prawns and crayfish, and meat. At $5.25 Shish Kebab d’Algerie is an interesting and tasty dish. Marinated meat cubes are skewered with peppers, mushrooms, onions and tomato, then grilled and served on a bed of patna rice with a touch of Algerian sauce.

Apart from the fondues, a selection of casseroles can also be kept hot at the table by small burners. Mr Deuss particularly recommends a Danish dish of rolled roast pork with a prune and apple stuffing simmered in a creamy gravy. It costs $5.25. Duckling and chicken casseroles are offered as well. For dessert, diners might well choose Coupe Alexandra—ice cream with advocat, walnuts and cream—for $1.40. There is no wine waiter as Mr Deuss believes diners prefer to be served by the same waiter’ throughout the meal. The selection of wines is more than adequate. The restaurant’s choice of the best New Zealand wines is offered, and the imported wines should cater for everyone’s taste. The 1967 Chateau Beausejour, St Estephe, will catch the eye of most diners. It costs $22.75 a bottle. The Grenadier also offers a comprehensive selection of liqueurs.