Ashburton Trust has opened fine restaurant

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34104, 17 March 1976, Page 15

Ashburton Trust has opened fine restaurant

It came as a surprise to find a licensed restaurant offering a comprehensive a la carte menu in a town as small as Ashburton, and equally surprising was the quality of the food at the Somerset Restaurant, opened recently by the Ashburton Licensing Trust. x Ashburton people, too, seem to regard it as a pleasant surprise, judging by the number of meals served since November. The word is still spreading, advance bookings are heavy, and there are many inquiries from people planning wedding receptions, club dinners, and so forth.

I dined at the 70-seat restaurant on a recent Saturday evening and was impressed by most of the things which a restaurant heeds for success: the food, the service, and the atmosphere. The dining area is large and spacious, with an adjacent dance floor, and the decor is bold but very elegant.

The menu, which has since been altered slightly, is lacking in just one respect: the only entrees available are seafoods. To cater for hungry country folk (and city dwellers on their way home from the ski-fields) a pate, or perhaps chicken livers cooked in an imaginative way, should be added to the crayfish, scallops, and grilled fish.

My meal began with a tasty oyster cocktail and a very good cream of mushroom soup. This has since been replaced by minestrone (90c) and I can testify at least to its enticing smell and appearance.

My only concern about the appetising Scallops Nelson ($2.50 as an entree), is that six scallops is just a fraction too many. They are both rich and filling.

Main course dishes available include Chateaubriand and four other steaks—prime sirloin, New York cut, carpet bag. and fillet mignon — ranging in price from $4 to $5.10. There is also an enticing Jamaican Ham steak, served with a caramel rum sauce, at $4.75. My choice for this course however, came from the speciality list, and at $6.50 was the most expensive offered. Crayfish Chandelier is the name given to this delightful combination of crayfish, prawns, mushrooms, onions, curry, and cream. It was every, bit as rich and delicious as it sounds, and was served on two shells in very generous proportions. Half a chicken with mushrooms, tomato, onion and red wine ($4.50), veal stuffed with ham and cheese ($4.75), peppercorn steak, and duckling with orange ($5.30). made up the speciality selection, and for those less daring in their tastes, the menu also offers a roast of the day.

The very reasonable dessert prices would tempt most people to try strawberries and cream (80c). apple crumble (70c), trifle royale (50c), fresh fruit salad (70c) or cheese cake (70c). A cheese special for two, which unfortunately has been removed from the menu because of a supply problem, indicates the enthusiasm and skill of the experienced chef, Roland Shewan.

It consisted of a whole camembert breadcrumbed, fried, and served with apricot sauce — only for the connoisseur...

Something which does still exist, though, is the restaurant’s complimentary tea or coffee and dinner mints — a rare but appreciated touch these days.