Cook 'n' with Gas Review

On Thursday night me and Mum attended ‘On the Conditions and Possibilities of Helen Clark taking me as her Young Lover’ (performed by Arthur Meek) at the Christchurch Art Gallery. It was part of The Press Christchurch Writers Festival and it was hilarious. The show finished at about 7 pm… perfect time for dinner. It was horribly cold and rainy so we decided not to venture too far afield and ended up at Cook ‘n’ with Gas, which is located at 23 Worcester Boulevard (across the street from the Court Theatre). Cook ‘n’ with Gas has won lots of awards and also accepts the Entertainment Card so we were off to a good start.

Even though we didn’t have a booking we were lucky enough to get a table for two right by the fire. The waiter was very friendly and promptly got our table set up and gave us menus and a wine list. Interestingly, the tables were covered with a large sheet of paper secured with big clips rather than a table cloth. The wine list appeared to be pretty comprehensive and a good number of wines were available by the glass. I opted for a glass of Gewürztraminer (can’t remember what winery) and Mum opted a glass of Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc. The glasses were large and filled almost to the top. It was probably the biggest wine serving I have ever had at a restaurant and it lasted the whole meal. Mum didn’t manage to finish hers which was probably a good thing seeing as she was driving.

We started with a combination of garlic bread and fresh breads with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and herb butter. The garlic bread had an interesting texture because it was covered with polenta and one piece was enough for me. I loved that they served the balsamic vinegar and olive oil separately. Lots of restaurants put so much olive oil in the ramekin that you have to drench your bread to get any vinegar.

The main menu had a good selection of seafood, meat and vegetarian dishes. I ordered the Pegasus crab bisque as a main course. It was described as “A rich fish soup served over truffled vegetables & crab with bruschetta & rouille.” The bowl came out with just the vegetables and bruschetta in the middle but soon after a waiter appeared to ladle the steaming soup from a rustic looking pot. There was not much crab in the tomato-based soup but it had a lovely subtle fish flavour and was perfect for a cold night. Mum ordered the Red oak salad which was described as “Seasonal leaves, fine herbs & semi-dried tomatoes tossed with croutons, Winderburn olive oil, aged balsamic, toasted pinenuts, & fresh parmesan.” Her plate of salad was huge. Mum appeared to eat heaps and claimed that she had eaten heaps, but when she was done it looked like she had barely made a dent in the salad. I didn’t try any because it had purple lettuce which I don’t like.

When the waiter asked if we would like to see the dessert menu, we replied “yes please” in unison. Every time Mum goes to Cook ‘n’ with Gas she orders the Crepes a la Gas and this time was no different. These are “Flambéed in Mandarine Napoleon, & served with fresh and frozen vanilla creams.” The crepes were served directly from the pan they were cooked in. The waiter apologized that the flame had been extinguished, but we had both seen them on fire the past so we weren’t too disappointed. Mum assured me that the crepes were up to their usual delicious standard. I decided on the hot sticky date pudding with custard and cream. It was warm and comforting and so large that I was unable to finish it.

We used our Entertainment Card to get a 25% discount and the resulting bill was a little over $60. Pretty darn good really. Cook ‘n’ with Gas is open Monday through Saturday in the evenings and is a great place to go before the theatre. Bookings are recommended.