Sunday Painters: A Mysterious Tale

The weather is rather depressing at the moment. It seems like it never stops raining. I keep thinking to myself, "It's a good thing I'm leaving this crappy weather soon [in 74 days]!" But then I suddenly realise after a moment (or two) that I'm pretty much moving to a country that constantly has crappy weather as well. Probably worse in fact. Oh dear.

Last week, I dined with my brothers and their respective others – too lazy to create pseudonyms, sorry – at Sunday Painters. Surprise, surprise, it rained a whole lot on that night too. The occasion was for a belated graduation present, and I was given the option to choose the restaurant that we would be going to for dinner. I initially chose The Foodstore because of the ever constant publicity on the Food Network channel (thus I was rather curious about the place). The Metro Top 50 Restaurants list had been released around the time I was looking at restaurants and I had noticed that it hadn't made the list, so I had second thoughts. I thought about selecting a restaurant on the list instead.

Under the Casual Bistro section of the Top 50 list, Sunday Painters made the list. At that point, I hadn't even heard of them. I did a bit of research and came to the brief conclusion that it was all a bit of a mystery. For instance, they have a website, but there is no menu available to browse. If you want to see their latest menu beforehand, you'll have to send them an email. I only know this due to the fact that somebody asked on the Sunday Painters facebook page. (Yes, I'm rather thorough with my research). This irked me because I like looking at menus before I actually go [to a restaurant], but at the same time I was still intrigued. So I knew I had to go to Sunday Painters.

A big thanks to my brother who took the photos below! Unfortunately, not all of the photos turned out well, so only the good ones have been used. :)

Sunday Painters

185 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby

As mentioned earlier, the weather was terrible. Actually that's probably an understatement. The pouring rain did not help us find the place on the first attempt. My brother drove past it the first time, since the usual sign isn't placed on top of the building (see: below). Located on Ponsonby Road (opposite Lolabar), Sunday Painters is a french-themed/inspired bistro, that has an immediate feel-good, cosy vibe once you enter the venue. The homely feel to Sunday Painters means that it doesn't quite feel like a restaurant. The interiors are whimsical and rather cutesy, and thankfully doesn't shout out try-hard. I've heard the interiors being described before as bohemian and that's an apt description too. The plates used were reminiscent of the plates that my parents keep in the glass cabinet (also known as the cabinet full of cutlery that is never used).

While choosing our entree and mains, complimentary cheese straws (sticks?) were provided and they were rather addictive. They were a saviour really. I didn't eat much lunch and I was really hungry. For my entree, I ordered the Goats Cheese Souffle with a Shaved Fennel Salad ($16). The last time I ordered a Souffle was at The Engine Room, which was utterly sublime and probably one of my favourite dishes that I have ever ordered in Auckland. Verdict? The souffle could have been better. In comparison to the other entrees that were ordered, I felt like the souffle was rather small in comparison to the other entrees that were ordered at my table. The fennel salad actually provides a nice crisp flavour that supplements the souffle well. But I think the downfall of the dish is attributed to the lack of flavour profile and seasoning in the souffle. Does that make sense? One of my brothers ordered the same entree (and main as well) and agreed with my thoughts about the lack of flavour in the souffle.

I also tried the Roast Bone Marrow with Caper Parsley Salad and Spelt Bread Toast entree ($16). From what my brother gave to me (as in a small bite), it was okay, but I thought it was under-seasoned and a sprinkle of salt would have easily made the dish better. I think if I was given that as my entree, I definitely would have added a sprinkling of salt on top of the marrow.

I also had a bit of the Cauliflower & Almond Soup with a Deep Fried Oyster ($14). On its own, the soup is okay, but the oyster with the soup really makes the dish stand out. The saltiness of the oyster makes the overall dish balanced and not so rich.

For my main course, I ordered the Crispy Pork Belly with Creamed Celeriac and Pickled Red Cabbage ($32). I was tempted to order the duck confit because I'm a big fan of duck, but I ordered the pork belly instead since it's the best cut of pork to eat and, oh yeah...crackling. Crispy skin. Duh. Of course. The pork belly was perfectly tender and delicious, but you know what? The skin wasn't crispy. Sooooo sad. The skin needed to be crispy in order for the dish to have that variety of texture. Luckily, everything else on the plate was really delicious and all the different elements worked well together. The creamy celeriac was smooth and the pickled red cabbage was surprisingly nice. I say surprisingly because I normally don't like anything pickled. The portion size was pretty reasonable too. It looked a bit small (for a main) initially, but you realise that it's a good size once you start eating the whole lot.

The other mains I tried were the Steak Frites - Chargrilled Scotch Fillet with Handcut French Fries and Parsley Butter ($32) and the Pork-filled Duck Neck Sausage with Cannellini Beans and Mushrooms ($$ unknown...I didn't look at the docket). The steak with the parsley butter was succulent and the generous portion of fries (that were almost flying off the plate because there was so much) was really good as well. A very generous size for a main. The duck neck sausage is probably Sunday Painters' signature dish. The dish had initially been taken off the menu, but had to bring it back on as a special because of the Metro Magazine's rave on it. I can see why the sausage is such a favourite – it's flavourful and well-seasoned; but the dish as a whole seemed a bit dry. I don't think the beans were enough in terms of having a wet element on the plate (wet is probably not the right word, but you get the drift). A sauce/jus would probably be good with the sausage actually, but it might be hard to tie that in with the beans that are already on the plate. Sorry, I'm just thinking out loud...

An extra side of handcut fries with caper mayo ($6), a side of iceburg and radish salad with lemon dressing ($6.50), and a side of butter braised kohlrabi, brussel sprouts, and radishes ($8.50) were also ordered. All sides were pretty good. I was surprised by the kohlrabi (otherwise known as cabbage-turnip) side dish actually. Sounded a bit odd.....partly because I had never heard of the root vegetable before.

As for dessert, I opted for the two mini crème brulees – one vanilla flavoured, the other coffee flavoured ($12). Both were really good. I really liked the fact that they used actual vanilla pods, since you could see the black specks in the custard. Was surprised to see the biscuit, but that was pretty good too. I also tried a tiny bit of my brother's Ginger Pudding with Malt Icecream ($14) and it wasn't too bad considering that I do not normally like ginger-flavoured desserts.

By this point, I was so full from eating my three courses, bits from other people's courses, the wine, and the several glasses of water I drank,* I was ready to go home and lie face down on my bed. Food baby, anyone? I don't know how I'm going to survive next Saturday with the tasting menu at The French Cafe.

Service was pretty good, but the timing between courses were a bit off/inconsistent. Times waiting for entrees and mains took some time (to the point of being almost slow), but the desserts came really quickly. I know that the desserts can arrive pretty quickly since you can easily pre-prepare most, if not all of it, but the waiting times should be even across all courses. I think the slow waiting times for the entree dishes and mains were probably attributed to how busy they were. It was pretty much a full house for most of the time we were there. Funnily enough, I think I was probably one of the youngest patrons in the venue (bar one kid that was with his family). But if you're keen on taking a trip to Sunday Painters, give them a call and book.

Overall thoughts: While not perfect, I can see why Sunday Painters has become rather popular with their great service and their standard, yet (mostly) tasty french-bistro style food. Some dishes are better than others, and some minor things such as seasoning and crisping the skin of the pork belly could be improved on to make Sunday Painters even better.

Random: One strange thing that happened was the woman situated at the table next to ours kept staring at our table. Mostly at my brother. Sometimes our food. At one point, me. Very uncomfortable. I decided to stare right back at her when she was staring at me, and she didn't stop staring. (Dammit, that trick usually works). Bizarre is an understatement. Geeeeeezus. This doesn't really have anything to do with Sunday Painters, but just thinking about it makes me rage...

Next blog: It could be on Mecca (as I've promised for the last month or so), or it could possibly be on The French Cafe's tasting menu. So long and farewell, bank account balance.

*The waiter kept filling my glass and I kept drinking and drinking. Rookie mistake.