Peaches 252 Oxford Terrace Phone 64-488 8.Y.0.

Press, 29 June 1983, Page 25

Peaches 252 Oxford Terrace Phone 64-488 8.Y.0.

(By SHARON GADSBY) Peaches Restaurant has recently undergone a change in ownership but is continuing its high standard of food and atmosphere. The decor is relaxed and open without pretentions. The view from the firstfloor windows is magnificent on a dark night, and the recent installation of double glazing keeps the cold at bay without sacrificing the river outlook. The restaurant is remarkably spacious by Christchurch standards and, as well as allowing plenty of room to move between the tables, enough space has been left for a dance floor. The new owners have kept the tradition of entertaining patrons with good jazz music on Friday and Saturday nights and the emphasis seems to be on a rounded evening’s entertainment rather than “dine and dash.” We four arrived at 7.30 (somewhat early I thought) on a cold, wet Friday night to find the restaurant alive with music and laughter. It was obvious that this was a place for making a night of it, and indeed, it was well past midnight when we rollicked down the stairs. Since the change of ownership, the menus at Peaches have all become table d’hote: lunch, midweek dinner and week-end dinners all have set menus but offer an excellent range of cuisine at a remarkably reasonable price. The week-end menu, at $19.75 a head, is the most extensive — six courses including a complimentary Irish coffee. To eat one’s way through all the courses offered, however, would

have been sheer gluttony, so we by-passed the fruit cocktail or pate appetisers and started with soup. Both the Consomme Madrilene, a clear beef broth with tomatoes and chervil and the soup of the day, mushroom, were sampled and both were found to be exceptional. The consomme was clear and fresh, the mushroom soup thick enough to stand a spoon in, with a healthy contingent of mushrooms and lashings of whipped cream. Of the entrees on offer, it was the Sole Salvator that won the day. The alternative Beef Strogonoff was perfectly adequate but not memorable, while the sole was sheer delight. Something unusual and probably very secret had been done to it to make the flavour, texture and appearance quite different from your average sole entree. The menu was not a lot of help in identifying the secret ingredient: “Lightly spiced and panfried,” were as far as the description went. The length of time between courses might have been a detraction in other circumstances but waits of up to an hour seemed quite acceptable, encouraging spins around the dance floor and bright conversation. It might be emphasised again that Peaches is not a restaurant to which dullards or gobblers should be invited. Blessed with companions possessed of both sparkling wit and twinkling toes, however, the slow arrival of each course was not an issue. On the subject of service, our waitress was one of the

most efficient, honest and friendly young ladies in the business. In spite of a busy night, patrons in various stages of happy intoxication, and some difficult queries she remained attentive and interested in our well-being. We tried all three of the main courses on the menu, steak, a chicken dish and a seafood mixture. The Entrecote Steak with Pepper Sauce was a fine cut of meat, thick and well-aged, smothered with a creamy, hot, black pepper sauce. The Chicken Fillet Alexandra looked delicious, too, masked in mornay sauce and garnished with asparagus tips. The recipient appeared to be well-pleased. The Seafood Brochette evoked little comment but one could not help but notice that none of it was left on the plate. An excellent cheeseboard was enjoyed by my friends and the Irish coffees that finished the meal soon alleviated my disappointment.