Encore Restaurant: Summer Goodness

Summer is here at last and we are making good use of it on our summer menu.  Stone fruits are a feature with our slow cooked chicken, apricot and basil with flambéed apricots and pea pilaf. Roasted plum make for a sweet and tart accompaniment for the goats cheese and eggplant terrine while fresh nectarines are served up with mint and a classic rum baba with Manuka custard for dessert.

Proving popular is our fish of the day with spring onion, lemon, soy and ginger salsa on a bed of eggplant and cardamom mash.  Venison is a new dish done beautifully with a red currant and wine jus, squash and sweet red onion. And who could go past a mousse au chocolate in chocolate shell with Frangelico macerated strawberries.

With salmon being in good supply we are making a Scandinavian style gravlax with in season snowpeas, parsnip and mustard sauce for an entrée  And with fusion being a particular theme this menu we have a sesame crusted beef salad with capsicum coulis and green tea soba noodles.  Finish off with a refreshing pink grapefruit and coconut pudding, passionfruit and pawpaw.

Let’s hope we’re in for a long hot summer!

Jacinta Saeki

Head Chef

Encore Restaurant

SUMMER DINNER MENU

Our food philosophy encompasses these key components: quality seasonal ingredients, nutritional balance, great value, visual appeal and creativity, exceptional combination of flavours, versatility, and adaptability.

Starters

Olives, marinated and juicy with sourdough $9

Bread and three dips $10

Meze plate: antipasto bites, dips and bread for 1$15     for 2  $25

Soup of the Day with sourdough $10

Baked Goats Cheese & eggplant terrine, salsa verde, roasted plum $14

Rare beef sesame crusted, green tea soba noodles, watercress, roast capsicum coulis $17

Cured Salmon Salad, snowpea, roasted parsnip, pinenuts, tamarind mustard dressing $18

Main

Pan-fried Market Fish, ginger spring onion salsa, soy, eggplant, cardamom mash $28

Free-range Chicken slow cooked, flambéed apricot, basil, green pea pilaf $28

Rib-eye Steak, hashed potato kumara, roast tomato, green beans, jus $32

Junipered Venison, roasted squash, sweet red onion, red currant jus $32

Grilled eggplant, zucchini, capsicum skewers, quinoa salad, tahini dressing $20

Sides

Potato kumara hashed $7

Garden Salad with dijon dressing $6

Vegetables seasonal with balsamic $6

Dessert

Grapefruit Coconut Pudding, papaya, passionfruit, almond tuille $12

Rum Baba, manuka honey custard, nectarine and mint salad $13

Mousse au chocolat in chocolate shell, Frangelico macerated strawberries $14

Cheese of the day, lavosh, biscotti, jalapeno relish, fruit chutney $16     

                                                                                                                                          

Show Specials

Please check daily

We use: corn-fed free range chicken and eggs; free farmed pork and meat from Eastbourne Village Meats; Zany Zeus organic dairy products.

Please ask our staff about gluten and dairy free options.

HOURS: Tuesday to Saturday 5pm-8.30pm

  Sunday Roast ($22) 6pm bookings essential

RESERVATIONS: 04 801 7996

Encore Restaurant Shares the Best Bolognese

Encore Restaurant owner Jacinta Saeki shares one of her favourite homestyle recipes.

Simple recipes have a way of warming the hearth and home and getting everyone around the dinner table without feeling like you’ve run a marathon. The following Bolognese recipe is just that, taught to me by a Sicilian many years ago, simple and delicious. The bonus is that it has lots of vegetables (that you barely see), it can be used in other dishes such as: lasagne, eggs on toast, pie; can feed many or few, and it always infuses a sense of full satisfaction that accompanies every good meal.  For a pot that will stretch for 2 meals you will need:

Bolognese Sauce

1kg lean beef mince
2 carrot
2 stalk of celery
2 onion
2 zucchini (optional including other veg)
2 tbsp garlic
3 tbsp olive oil 

1 cup red wine
800g tin peeled tomato
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp salt (to taste)
1/2 tsp pepper (to taste)

1. Finely dice onion, carrot and celery and fry in a pot with garlic and olive oil for 5 minutes.
2. Gradually break up mince into pot stirring after each addition until all mince is used and browned. 

3. Add red wine, stir, then crush peeled tomato through your fingers into the pot.
4. Simmer on low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour stirring occasionally. The longer it cooks the better the flavour and texture.
5. When finished cooking season with salt and pepper and mix in chopped parsley.
6. Serve with your favourite pasta and cheese or use for lasagne.

Buon Appetito!

Encore Restaurant is open as a cafe during the day, Tuesday to Sunday, and for pre-theatre dining before the show, Tuesday to Saturday. On Sunday evenings, enjoy a delicious roast. Bookings are strongly recommended - call 801-7996 or email enquiries@encoreatcirca.co.nz. 

Encore Restaurant: Chef Donovan Hamilton

Encore Café, Restaurant and Bar has been going strong since it opened in January 2012, with patrons responding enthusiastically to the vibrant atmosphere, friendly staff and delicious food. The man behind the menu, chef Donovan Hamilton, takes a moment to tell drama on the waterfront all about the food at Encore (and even shares a recipe!).

DOTW: Please tell us a little bit about your background as a chef.

DH: I have recently returned from overseas. The last place I worked was in London at The Providores Restaurant for Peter Gordon.  I have been traveling and working on and off for the last 20 years following the completion of my apprenticeship under Mark Limacher of Roxburgh Bistro fame. I worked at Capitol for a while for the fantastic Tom Hutchison. All three of the aforementioned chefs have been a big influence on my career but there have been so many people I have worked with over the years who have helped me learn and hopefully many more to come. Cooking can take you to amazing places around the globe if you let it and I have sure let it carry me away to a few far-flung corners. I worked on private boats for as a private Chef for a while, leading to a lot of hard work in very glamorous settings: Cannes, Monaco and the Caribbean, to name a few. I lived in Germany for two years and have also worked in France, England, Scotland, Portugal and Australia.

DOTW: What is your approach to the menu for Encore? I notice it changes every so often, why is that?

DH: We aim to provide affordable, fresh and interesting food that tastes and looks great. The menu changes seasonally and we are running specials for each show aiming to match the feel of the dining experience with the theme of the show. So far this has been very warmly received. We are running an a la carte menu as well as providing an extensive array of counter food options for those looking for a quick bite to eat on the run before the show.

DOTW: What challenges, if any, does working at a restaurant in a theatre provide?

DH: As previously mentioned by other Chef s working with Circa, cooking for the discerning theatre-going public does provide its challenges. The main one being the short time frame in which to feed everyone. Menu planning requires quite a bit of thought involving a good balance to the equipment and methods of cookery to allow for a smooth service. Offering services such as desert and coffee at interval allow our diners the chance to get a full culinary experience without the feeling of being rushed. 

DOTW: What would you tell someone who had never been to Encore? What should people know about Encore?

DH: We are a young, vibrant, creative and experienced team. The hard work that Jacinta [Saeki, the owner] and the rest of the crew have put in over the last few months since we have opened is really showing. Please book at least a week in advance as we are very busy and hate to disappoint people on the night when we are fully booked. The Café is open during the day now as well for Brunch and Lunch

DOTW: What is your absolute favourite thing to make, both at home and at Encore?

DH: I love to cook simple things at home for friends and family, be it a nice pasta dish with prawns or a nice little curry. When we did our first show earlier on in the year, The Motor Camp, we went for a dish that summed up a bit of the coastal camping experience for me: smoked fish cakes. I am an avid fisherman with limited success. Ah well.

Here is the recipe:

Smoked Fish Cakes Mulheron

200g smoked fish fillet (Kawhai / Moki) Boneless

500g Roasted Baby Potatoes

2 Spring Onions Finely chopped

2 T Corriander Fresh

¼  tsp Chilli Flakes

2 Cloves Garlic finely Chopped

1 T whole Grain Mustard

¼ Cup breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Roast the baby potatoes with a touch of olive oil in a moderate oven skins on. Mash the potatoes whilst the are still warm. Add the rest of the ingredients mix well. Shape the mix into little cakes and lightly panfry to colour them golden brown and cook them through for about 10 minutes in the oven. Serve with either sweet chilli sce or Tartare Sauce.

Server with a nice salad. For the Gluten free people out there just leave out the breadcrumbs and sneak in an egg to help bind the cakes. Feel free to try other fresh herbs in the mix.

Bon Appetite!

Hope to cook for you soon,

Donovan


Encore Cafe, Restaurant and Bar is open Tuesday through Sunday for coffee, muffins, brunch and lunch during the day, and full restaurant and bar service in the evening - including pre-show dining. Every Sunday is the delicious Sunday Roast. Advance bookings are strongly recommended as the restaurant tends to fill up most evenings before the show. Please call 801-7996 to book or with any queries.

Encore at Circa: It’s all new!

2012 has been hectic so far – setting up a new restaurant during the busy seasons of The Motor Camp, Esencia del Flamenco and Meeting Karpovsky has been no easy feat. But it is all coming together nicely, and we are very happy with how things are going. And we have received some lovely comments from patrons on the new, fresh and coastal décor, the comfortable outdoor bean bags, and the fantastic food, coffee, wine and service.

We are pleased to offer show-specific dinner and beverage specials that tie in to our current productions. Throughout the season of Peninsula, treat yourself to Lamb Chops with ratatouille, Madeira jus and lemon scented cous cous for $30 and a glass of Barren Rock Pinot Noir 2009 Otago for $10.

To have a look at our full food and beverage menus, please click here.

We’d love to see you for lunch, dinner or a Sunday roast – please give us a call at 801-7996 or send an email to enquiries@encoreatcirca.co.nz to book.

Cheers,

Jacinta Saeki

Owner

Encore at Circa

New at Circa: Encore Bar | Restaurant | Cafe

Get to know the face – proprietress Jacinta Saeki – behind Encore, the new bar, restaurant and café at Circa.

Jacinta Saeki, while working for the Ambassador of Norway in Tokyo.

DOTW: Please tell us a little bit about your background in the food and beverage/hospitality industry.

JS: I was born in South Australia to a Japanese mother and Ukrainian father so I grew up eating food from contrary cultures. Although my father had a simple palate he passed on his love of food to us by regularly taking us to the Central Markets (in all its abundance and glory) and night fishing (where I learnt to gut my first fish). My mother is a Classical Japanese Dancer so multicultural festivals were also part of my annual diet and exposure to international food and cultural arts.

I spent four years in a convent in Sydney between the ages of 9-13 where I first learnt how to really cook. Much to the contention of the other girls I was always chosen for kitchen duty and even evaded going to mass to tend the ovens during Easter and Christmas baking phases. A talent was born.

A Jacinta Saeki cake.

After returning to Adelaide my mother bought a Japanese restaurant and at 15 I started working there as a waitress, learning all about the family business and the long hard hours that it required. By the time I hit hospitality school post high school, I pretty much knew my way around a restaurant and bar and went on to working front of house for several years in hotels, cafes and restaurants.

I wanted to be an artist. I was good at drawing, drama and music but was deflated when I failed a dance audition to get into a performing arts school. That year I started in earnest in the kitchens at work and discovered that a plate could be a canvas. By the time I was 21, I was head chef at Kibbi’s Cafe Hyde Park and never looked back. I met Matt, my dear Kiwi husband, and we travelled to Melbourne, Wellington and then onto Tokyo where I was the Chef De Cuisine for the Ambassador of Norway, who gave me creative license (the best job ever!) to cook for some very distinguished guests.

We decided to return to NZ a couple of years later to raise our 8mth old daughter away from the smog and big city living she was born into. Since then I have worked part time here and there, ran a catering outfit and worked ad hoc as a personal chef. In the last several years I have set up Motoko Aotearoa Health through Education Foundation which offers cooking and art workshops for community groups and youth at risk. The best role has been raising my three tamariki. They have certainly helped me hone my birthday cake making skills!

A Jacinta Saeki cake.

DOTW: What are your thoughts about theatre dining?

JS: I think what a fabulous opportunity to complement the performing arts with culinary arts. They share parallel values and feed the soul.

DOTW: What is your vision for Encore? What can patrons expect overall?

JS: I want to provide a place where patrons feel welcome, where they are greeted with a smile and get great service. A place that doesn’t mimic the general Wellington café service scene, but rather sets a benchmark for others to follow.

The food has to be excellent but affordable with room to be creative and complement the shows. Using local produce and healthier raw ingredients we will be making most items on the premises from scratch and supporting artisan suppliers where we can.

I’d like to support NZ winemakers and brewers and offer quality off the beaten track beverages. Fair-trade, real trade and organic will feature on our menu and winelist.

I expect the best from my staff and the best for my customers J

Chocolate box of chocolates by Jacinta Saeki.

DOTW: What do you anticipate will be some of the most popular menu items at Encore?

JS: Well, I had been making some of the counter food last year and so far my spinach and cheese rolls, apple/raspberry crumble slice and tiramisu seem to be the house favourites. Once Don (Chef Donavan Hamilton) comes on board (back from the UK working as Sous Chef in one of Peter Gordon’s London restaurants), I’m sure between us there will be a whole range of delicious things coming out of our kitchen for the restaurant, bar and cafe.

DOTW: How does it feel to partner with Circa Theatre?

JS: I am very excited to partner up with a team that has such a wide range of knowledge and experience. I’m sure that our strengths will complement our work together to enhance Circa Theatre’s fabulous entertainment with wonderful hospitality.

Encore Bar | Restaurant | Cafe opened on 3 January for the 2012 season of Aladdin, with bar service and counter food. The full restaurant will open on 21 January with the opening of The Motor Camp, and the daytime cafe will commence 22 January. For full restaurant information, including hours of operation, please visit www.circa.co.nz/site/Restaurant. To make a reservation, call 801-7996.