On a quiet street in the heart of the busy CBD, Tom Tom is the place to hang out for a quiet night in a place locals would rave about. The first thing I noticed when I walked in is it was incredibly warm and well-heated. Everyone was taking off their coats upon entry, so you're sure to be comfortable in the upcoming winter months. As well as a cosy pub-like area with assorted high tables, they also have a huge deck outside that spans a great view of the Victoria Park markets, Sky City and even a motorway that is close by. You feel like you're in the heart of it, without the dust and noise to annoy you while you're eating.
And the menu is most definitely suited to winter. Hearty, with a bit of Asian fusion to surprise you, it overall was cooked really well and served beautifully. To start, we were given cocktails in mason jars with a surprising amount of coriander (in fact, some of the other reviewers wondered if we were actually snacking on decorations that weren't intended for our consumption before the manager kindly confirmed it was a cocktail) and some raisins and walnuts on the plate. Nothing irks me more than walnuts that have been sitting out too long and have therefore softened and tasting decidedly unfresh, but they didn't fall into that trap so I was happy.
Then we started on the mixed entree platter. There was a bit of wait time between dishes as they came out, but I like to think that it's better they take their time to get something really good out to us than rush a dish out. The actual entrees you order when you're dining will probably be a lot bigger, but we sampled three entrees on beautiful black slabs at this Zomato Meetup. Firstly, from the left, there was a House Made Wonton with a black vinegar and truffle oil emulsion. The skin was very crispy, almost crackly, and slightly burnt but I kind of liked the taste personally. It was somewhat mishapen, which added to its charm. Secondly, there was some Pork Belly on a quaint wooden fork canape-style with BBQ sauce and kimchi. The kimchi was rather strong for my liking, but what I found especially impressive is they made it from scratch. Yes, it had been fermenting for months prior. I know that doesn't sound particularly appetising, but kimchi fans will be undoubtedly impressed by the flavour and the mastery displayed in this entree. Most importantly, the pork was melt-in-your-mouth good and I want the recipe for it. It reminds me of Chinese BBQ pork, but more tender. Lastly, on the far right, was an Angus Seared Beef with radish and Japanese mayonnaise. It had a very smooth texture and was rather cold so I couldn't taste any beef flavour. In fact, it was nothing like beef, and I wondered if I was eating some red tuna sashimi. If you like the texture and feel of raw fish, this is a treat, but if you're expecting any beef flavour then prepare to be disappointed. It tastes a bit like it's been cured in whiskey.
Their resident cocktologist, Tom, continued to impress that night with a concoction of assorted fine rums (including a 15-year-old one imported from the US) that you could sip through a cinnamon stick. He truly loves what he does and pours so much time into it (he started preparing several hours before we arrived!) and the creative yet sassy ambrosias he makes are testament to his skill and love. He makes cocktails an art, not just a haphazard mixture, from flavour to presentation. Everyone at the table highly praised his cocktails, which seemed to be on the sweet side.
The mains started arriving. First up was a Sale Yards Road Black Angus Scotch steak with potato fondant and Worcestershire and mushroom sauce. The mushrooms were surprisingly blackened and cooked golden until overly rich which threatened to overpower the steak in my opinion. However, the generous amount of Worcestershire sauce really lifted the steak's flavour so that was well executed. The steak is premium stuff that the bar staff could trace all the way back to the actual farm it comes from, all organic and high quality. The very very slight amount of fat made it go into the mouth beautifully.
The second main was a Chicken Breast with sage and onion doughy dumplings, a cube of carrot, some roast garlic and halved brussel sprouts all swimming in a mild pumpkin broth. I had several of these mains so I had ample opportunity to refine what I thought of each texture and flavour while people were starting to feel the onset of a food coma and were resting for dessert. My first impression was that it was an inordinately large plate with a very small dip in the centre so there was probably a dollop of main max. I'm not entirely sure whether this is the full size, but seeing as I polished off three of these by the end of the night, I'm hoping they'd just decreased the size out of mercy to us. The slice of chicken was rather tasteless, though very well cooked, but the skin of the chicken was beautiful. I felt the chicken could have been creamier, so this wasn't my favourite at all. The dumplings looked more like doughy meatballs, and were also disappointing as the sage was far too strong and you couldn't taste any onion at all. I think calling the pumpkin soup a broth is a bit of a stretch as it's quite watery and bland, but it and the carrot tied the flavours well together. The brussels sprouts were really good though, and the chicken skin beautiful. There's some poorly lit photos of this so you could see the actual colouring of the chicken and meatballs because my flash made them look eerily orange.
Lastly, we were spoiled with their specialty that I've always heard people recommending: the Tom Tom Fish and Chips. The fish is in an Asahi beer batter, and if you like Asahi beer then it's quite good but I disliked the strong beer taste which meant I couldn't taste any fish. Fish should taste like fish. The skin was also not crispy and rather chewy, which I didn't like. However, the market fish was definitely fresh-tasting and if it weren't for the modest beer overtone it wouldn't be too bad. The criss cut chips were amazing though! It's like eating a crispy potato waffle, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and oh so good. I fell in love with the chips which would be perfect for winter. Then again, potato is perfect for any time. Nom nom.
A new cocktail accompanied dessert, and it was thick and luscious like its inspiration: lemon meringue. With the innovative use of egg whites in a creamy thick foam highly reminiscent of meringue floating on the strong limoncello, it was a sweet nectar for those with a sweet tooth to indulge in. There was a sprinkling of cinnamon dust just to top it all off.
I think dessert was the winner for me. A giant platter to share between four or five, it had a soothingly warm Chocolate Velvet Self-saucing Pudding with raspberry puree, beetroot jelly, chocolate soil and a dollop of cream cheese ice cream as well as a Feijoa and Apple Crumble with toffee apple, tamarillo puree, fresh feijoa, coconut crumble and another dollop of feijoa ice cream. The hot pudding and the feijoa ice cream were standouts of not just dessert but that night. I really love warm cakes, and this was rich with chocolate and dusted with icing sugar and a forkful of sticky rich goodness that warmed your stomach (and dare I say, even cold hearts?). The feijoa ice cream was a light shade of green and deceptively innocent-looking but had an authentic feijoa taste and creamy texture. I wasn't a fan of the cream cheese ice cream because savoury ice creams mystify me, but it actually kind of worked and is incredibly creative. The toffee apples were small and deliciously succulent, and the chunky slivers of green apple cleansed your palette between greedy bites. If you don't like beetroot, the beetroot jelly's taste might not be to your liking, as Tom Tom doesn't skimp on ingredients, but jelly connosieurs will appreciate the firm texture and smooth consistency. I haven't been to a place that actively encourages dessert sharing, even though friends do that all the time anyway, so I felt this was a huge bonus.
With a huge venue in the heart of the CBD and happenings every night of the week and certain high points in their winter menu, Tom Tom is a great host for anything really. They have a space and a dish or drink to suit your every want. Standout foods for me was the criss cut chips, pork belly entree and feijoa ice cream.
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