The Red Brick Restaurant, Alexandra

One of the greatest gifts you can give someone is your time. One of my favorite things to do is eat great food & drink great wine. Combine the two & that would be taking someone out to lunch at The Red Brick Restaurant in Alexandra. Now I am an extremely fussy eater & I know what I like in a wine. I also am highly critial of waitstaff, & the decor & ambience of a place has a direct impact on my appetite. So, in rating my lunch experience at The Red Brick as 10/10 I really was struggling to pick holes! The Chef & Owner Carol Pirie has really lifted the dining experience for the Alexandra basin & in time I anticipate The Red Brick will become a dining destination in itself.

My friend was already at the restaurant when I arrived, sitting on the sofa which is just a lovely place to wait rather than feeling stuck at a table like noddy-no-friends. No sooner had I sat down when a tall glass of ice with my own personal jug of water appeared - now that's service. I have no doubt if you were a drinker of the no-ice persuasion it would have been whipped away & replaced with alacrity. I ordered a glass Drumsara Pinot Rose (divine!) but as my friend was driving back to Dunedin she declined to order from the wine list. When faced with the lunch menu I truly wanted to try everything but chose the fish of the day - orange glazed snapper pan fried & finished in the oven, on a bed of fennel with (real!) peas & a pear & parmesan puree. Now for us 'ladies' the portion size was generous so therefore, perfect. The lunch menu sported starters, entrees, mains & side dishes so for your average sized Central Otago Farmer would have no complaints. I had to resist the temptation to lick the plate!

I rarely go past desert when I eat out - I don't believe in doing things by halves & obviously Carol doesn't either! I chose the hazelnut crumbed chocolate torte which came with a real fruit puree (not some sugary surup squirted out of a bottle) & a cute wee scoop of icecream & hazelnuts. I had to make my friend assist me in the consumption of this desert & I still got to take some home for husband! Match this with a fabulous long black (friend had cappuchino with chocolate which she said was excellent) & we'd managed to complete a heavenly lunch experience. Can't wait to go back for dinner!