peter

Thursday, January 25th, 2007

Reviewed by peter wisniewski

Peter Goffe Wood has appeared in his latest incarnation at SALT at the Ambassador Hotel. Theres nothing much to indicate that it is an extension of the bar and theyre a little disorganized on entry. A clearer greeting point would work better. The restaurant is an extension of the bar area, in a open plan format. So you have to work through hordes of bar patrons before getting to your table, which is great for the extroverted.Once inside, the sea view, especially ast night, is gob-smacking. Yes, there are other restaurants with views, but on a perfect night, with the windows open its like a framed sea canvas.I ordered Langoustine ravioli in a broith/bisque which worked quite well and pork belly on aubergine puree which still excites me while writiing this. My first wife had a starter of Venison carpaccio (sliced ton thickly, really) and a tomato tart which ended up being a little too sweet, The strawberry soup almost made up for it.But what makes the restaurant unique is the wine list; well chosen, compact and sexy. And every wine, from a Pecan stream to Champagne is available by the glass. Having said that, both first whites(Constantia Semillon blend and Havana Hills Chardonnay) were both slightly oxidized; teething problems? Decresaed wine turnover? Or the extremely hot weather? Hopefully sorted by my next visit. There wasnt the same problems with the reds; A RAKA Shiraz and a LA Motte blend.As I hope will be the waitering. It seemed a bit like a hotel restaurant experiment, in some ways. The waiters looked, dare I say it, a little umkempt. Maybe its the look theyre going for but I dont think so. Front of ther House needs to jack presentation up a bit.The crowd is relaxed, smart without being formal. But all in all a fun experience and judging by the difficulty in booking itll be a hot ticket for the months to come. ***1/2