Commodore — reasonable meal or ‘night out'

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33813, 9 April 1975, Page 13

Commodore — reasonable meal or ‘night out '

Mr Jim Smyth, the manager of the licensed restaurant at the Commodore Motor Inn, is a Scot, and the pricing structure of the menu reflects this: diners can eat well at a very reasonable cost ($4.75) or have a “night out” and try some of the more exotic dishes on the menu.

Mr Smyth has combined the traditional hotel table d’hote menu with some a la carte dishes, and the combination is most attractive. The table d’hote includes fruit juice, soup, entree, a choice of seven main courses, salmon, ham and chicken salads, desserts, and tea or coffee, all for $4.75.

The a la carte items are aperitifs, and more entrees, main courses, dessert, and a cheese board.

A diner would pay the basic price, and if he wanted, for instance, a Carpetbag steak instead of a Porterhouse steak, he would pay an additional $1.25.

This combination within one menu seems to appeal to diners and Mr Smyth says the restaurant has been full every night since last August.

The Commodore, opposite the Russley golf course in Memorial Avenue, is close to the airport and only 10 minutes drive from town. There is ample parking available.

The restaurant is in a hexagonally shaped building with windows on four sides giving pleasant views. It is quite compact, and has seating for 60. Mr Smyth says he serves 80 in an evening.

The Commodore offers diners a quiet night out — a good meal in pleasant surroundin. s with unobtrusive background music — bur. also caters for parties from offices, factories or clubs.

The ch. p . L mek Spencer, makes a point of serving tl. > mu "Is hot. and serving them swiftly. There is r staff of waitresses, a hostess, and a \ me waiter. Mr Smyth aims for the personal t meh, but says that finding the right staff is a ,’ob in itself.

The wine list is in a particularly attractive cover, and offers a good selection of imported and New Zealand wines at reasonable prices. For inrtance, .a New Zealand dry red costs between $2 and $2.70,

Some of the imported wines are cheap compared with those offered at some other restaurants. On Sundays, the Commodore offers lunch from basically 7 the same menu as that available at dinner for only $2 50. As with the evening meals, the lunches feature fresh vegetables — Mi’ Smyth says he would not offer frozen vegetables at any price. He will soon have a chance to put his talent as a restaurateur to work in another context: he has just bought the Hotel le Pecheur at Duvauchelle, and hopes to be able to run it as a licensed restaurant. Pecheur means fisherman (depending on where you put the accent) and the nautical flavour of the Commodore is enhanced by two lifebuoys from the former Lyttelton tug, Wairangi, two ship’s wheels, and the word “Commodore” in rope on the wall. Although the Commodore has been open only 7 18 months Mr Smyth has some very distinguished regular customers who appreciate the food and the efficient service.