Note: We're trying out one of those slide show widgets that are all the rage. If you're reading this through RSS, you'll probably need to click through to see the slide show. Let me know what you think.
“Are you having a moment over there?”
My eyes rolled back in my head as Melissa talked. She told people later that I had tears in my eyes as I bit into a jelly-like slice of purple-red yellowfin tuna. The edge had a hairline of sear and a band of black and white sesame seeds; everthing else on the fat slice was raw but warm. “It's what seared ahi tuna should be,” I wrote in my notebook, “but never is.”
It's the best fish dish I've ever eaten. It grabbed the title from the tender, meaty salmon fillet stuffed with mozzarella that I ate at the same restaurant on the previous night.
Tell Kiwi foodies that you're going to Nelson, New Zealand, and they'll insist that you make a reservation at the Boat Shed Cafe. The cozy, white building perched over the water is a city landmark: The apartment we rented advertises its nearness to the restaurant and mentions it in the driving directions.
It doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside you find an upscale casual look. Paintings and metal sculptures deck the walls, and light wood soothes the eye as you walk to your table.
The decor mirrors the food, which is elegant but not showy. The raw, or “natural”, oysters I ordered the first night came with caviar and shoestrings of brined cucumber; Melissa's abalone-like mollusc, paua, plucked from the restaurant's own tanks, came in its shimmery shell with marinated vegetables and lemon aioli.
The Boat Shed focuses on fish, but the chef's love of New Zealand food opens other doors. I liked the dark, gamy flavor of its mutton bird wontons and the tableau of tastes paired with different breads.
Given the restaurant's focus on the best New Zealand has to offer, you won't be surprised to see many wines from the country on the two long pages of the wine list. But order by the bottle if you want a good one: The by-the-glass program limits you to just one or two local wineries.
And if you've got a full bottle, you might as well skip dessert. The Boat Shed's are big, not very inspired, and not very tasty. You've got the wine handy, so order another course of fish. Seafood this good is sweeter than any dessert.
